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5 Things To Know About the Chargers Ahead of Week 9

Here is what you need to know about the Chargers ahead of Sunday's road game against the Titans

Oct 27, 2025 at 10:15 AM

Eric Smith

Editorial Director

The Chargers are back from a mini bye.

Here's what you need to know about the Bolts ahead of Week 9.

1. What happened in Week 8?

The Chargers dominated early, often and for the entirety of a resounding 37-10 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.

Playing on a short week and coming off a tough loss, the Bolts responded by putting together one of their most complete games of the 2025 season.

"All the wins are big," Khalil Mack said. "But trying to bounce back from that Sunday loss, this is huge.

"We kind of talked about it. But it was time to put the action to it," Mack added.

The Chargers won the day is nearly every statistical category, including outgaining Minnesota 419 to 164.

The Bolts also possessed the ball for 39-plus minutes, picked up 29 first downs and crushed it on third downs. The Chargers offense was 9-for-13 there while the Bolts defense limited the Vikings to just three conversions on 11 tries.

Overall, it might have been the Chargers best overall performance so far.

"Love that drive that our team has," said Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. "So really happy, really pleased with the way the team responded, the way they played, and it was together when it needed to be.

"That was something we keep building on. It's not perfect yet but keep chipping away at it," Harbaugh added.

2. What is the Chargers record?

The Chargers currently sit at 5-3 as the 2025 season nears the halfway point.

The Bolts started 3-0 before dropping two straight games but have bounced back to win two of their past three games.

The Chargers sit in second place in the AFC West behind the Broncos, who are 6-2 and have won five straight games.

The Chiefs, who host against the Commanders on Monday night, are 4-3 and will be in third place no matter the outcome in primetime.

The Raiders are 2-5 and had a bye in Week 8.

3. Who stood out in the loss?

Everyone?

We're kidding, but Thursday night's win was a complete team effort highlighted by numerous standout performances.

That included quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for 227 yards and three scores while adding 62 rushing yards. Herbert earned the Chargers top Pro Football Focus' offensive grade at 93.6.

Kimani Vidal also had a big game with 117 rushing yards and a score while Ladd McConkey (88 receiving yards), Oronde Gadsden (77 receiving yards) and Tre' Harris all caught touchdown passes.

The return of Joe Alt also gave the offense a boost as the 6-foot-8 left tackle was a physical presence against the run and the pass.

Defensively, Cam Hart led the Chargers with three pass breakups as he helped slow down Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Hart had the Chargers top PFF defensive grade at 92.4.

The Chargers defense tallied five sacks on Carson Wentz. Justin Eboigbe led the Chargers with a pair of sacks while Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu and Odafe Oweh each had a sack, too.

Rookie safety RJ Mickens snagged his first NFL interception and the Bolts run defense held the Vikings to just 34 yards on the ground.

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4. What are the Chargers playoff odds?

As mentioned above, the Bolts are in a solid spot for the postseason entering Week 9.

As of Monday morning, the Chargers would be the No. 6 seed as the second Wild Card spot and would head to Denver to play the third-seeded Broncos.

In terms of the Chargers playoff chances, The Athletic's model has the Bolts with a 75 percent chance to make the dance.

PFF, meanwhile, put the Chargers playoff chances at 72 percent.

The Bolts also have a 67 percent chance to make the postseason, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

5. Who is the Week 9 opponent?

Harbaugh gave players Friday through Monday off as a reward for Thursday night's big win.

The team will return to work Thursday in advance of a Week 9 road game against the Tennessee Titans. Kickoff from Nashville is at 10 a.m. PT.

The Chargers will practice Tuesday through Thursday this week before traveling to Tennessee on Friday.

The Titans currently sit at 1-7 after a 38-14 loss to the Colts on Sunday.