The Chargers got locked into the AFC’s No. 5 seed before Sunday’s kickoff against the Broncos with the Ravens loss to the Bengals.
But head coach Brandon Staley still sent out his starters for the first drive of the Week 18 contest and Los Angeles put together an efficient drive to take an early 7-0 lead.
Quarterback Justin Herbert delivered a 14-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen to put L.A. ahead. On third-and-4, Herbert connected with Allen on a short pass to the right side. Allen did the rest for the score, gaining 9 yards after the catch.
Herbert was 4-of-5 passing for 58 yards with the touchdown on the opening drive. The possession was eight plays and went 75 yards in 3:43.
We’ll see how long Staley elects to play his starters with next week’s matchup with the No. 4 Jaguars looming.