The Chargers defeated the Green Bay Packers, 26-11, leading wire-to-wire against a team that entered with a 7-1 record and limiting their opponents to 184 total yards. Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram combined for three sacks and six QB hits, and Michael Badgley went 4-for-5 from field goal range in his season debut.
Philip Rivers was efficient, and the Chargers' running game was impressive, racking up 159 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries.
To open the game, the Chargers picked up six first downs, advancing 84 yards on 15 plays. The 8:04 drive culminated in a 29-yard field goal by Badgley, the kicker's first of the season since returning from a groin injury. The kick gave the Chargers a 3-0 lead with 7:00 left in the first quarter.
Rivers completed 6-of-7 passes on the drive for 71 yards passing. His final line was an efficient 21-of-28 for 294 yards, with a 108.3 passer rating.
On the ensuing Packers drive, Bosa sacked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on third down to force a Green Bay punt.
The Chargers then marched all the way to their opponents' 13-yard line after a 56-yard connection between Rivers and wide receiver Mike Williams, who ran 53 yards down the sideline after hauling in the short pass.
Five plays later, Badgley turned the drive into three more points by nailing a 40-yard field goal, his second field goal of the contest. The five-play, 37-yard drive ended with the Bolts leading 6-0 with 1:09 remaining in the opening quarter.
On the other end of the field, the Chargers picked up a key third down sack on a second-straight Packers possession, when Ingram took down Rodgers to force a punt. With the sack, Ingram passed retired linebacker Shawne Merriman for sixth on the franchise's all-time list.
Running back Austin Ekeler had two carries for 21 yards on the ensuing L.A. drive, including a 16-yard run, but the Chargers ended up punting for the first time Sunday with 9:57 to go in the half.
The Bolts then forced a Packers punt for the fourth-consecutive time in the game, which led to another productive Chargers possession. The 13-play, 76-yard drive was capped by Badgley's third field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, with time expiring in the half.
The Chargers led the Packers 9-0, with Green Bay's 50 first-half yards marking their fewest at halftime since 2013. Rivers finished the half 17-of-22 for 212 yards passing, resulting in a robust 108.7 passer rating. Rodgers, by contrast, was 6-of-9 for just 35 yards through the air. The Green Bay quarterback was held to a season-low 161 yards passing, the least he's posted in a full game since December 27, 2015.
On the first drive of the half, the Packers went three and out, making it a fifth-straight time their possession ended in a punt.
The Chargers then put together another scoring drive, featuring a highlight-reel 16-yard run by Melvin Gordon, in which he hurdled a defender. Gordon finished with 80 yards rushing on 20 carries and two scores.
The eight-play, 52-yard possession culminated in a fourth successful field goal by Badgley, giving the Bolts a 12-0 advantage with 9:46 left in the third quarter.
Back the other way, a joint sack by Ingram and Bosa led to a third and 16 at the Packers' 19.
Two plays later, linebacker Drue Tranquill blocked Packers punter J.K. Scott's punt, which allowed the Bolts to start their drive at the Green Bay 27.
It took six plays for the Chargers to score their first touchdown of the afternoon, a 1-yard run by Gordon with 3:56 to go in the quarter.
After a Badgley extra point, the Chargers led 19-0.
On the kickoff, Packers returner Tremon Smith brought the ball 36 yards to his own 40-yard line. Eight plays and 24 yards later, Mason Crosby put the Cheeseheads on the board with a 54-yard field goal with 50 seconds left in the third.
Rivers then responded with a 46-yard strike to Williams on the first play of the drive.
The ten-play, 75-yard possession took 5:14 off the clock and ended in Gordon's second-consecutive touchdown of the game, another 1-yard score. The play came on fourth down, with Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn electing to go for the touchdown.
Badgley converted the extra point to increase the Chargers' lead to 23 points at 26-3 with 10:32 remaining in the contest.
Rodgers responded with a nine-play, 75-yard march down the field, punctuated by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Williams. The Packers signal caller then used his legs to get in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, cutting the Bolts lead to 26-11 with 6:11 left in the game.
The ensuing Chargers drive took 4:11 off of the clock, ending on a missed 44-yard field goal by Badgley that barely hooked wide left, the kicker's first miss of the day.
After the Packers failed to score, the Bolts kneeled the rest of the way to victory.
In the win, Williams caught three passes for a career-high 111 yards receiving. For the Packers, wide receiver Davante Adams, making his return after missing four games due to injury, was held to 41 yards receiving despite being targeted 11 times by Rodgers. The Bolts also kept running back Aaron Jones, who leads the NFL in touchdowns, out of the end zone. Jones was limited to 29 total yards.
The Chargers improve to 4-5 and will make their final trip to Oakland for Thursday Night Football against the 4-4 divisional rival Raiders. Kickoff will take place on November 7 at 5:20 p.m. PT from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
