Michael Peterson of Bolts from the blue joins BRB for five questions.
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming to Houston today to take on the Houston Texans in the first playoff game on the NFL docket. They come in favored and with the better record in spite of the fact that the Texans are hosting. We are used to this by now. Over the last decade, the AFC South has been one of the weaker divisions in the NFL and 2024 was no different. However, we were in this position last year and we saw what happened. So, no one can no for sure what will happen until it does.
The Chargers are a new opponent and the Texans shared only one common opponent. We wanted to learn a little bit more about them in advance of this afternoon’s game. We sat down with Michael Peterson of Bolts from the Blue to get the lowdown on the Chargers this year.
Battle Red Blog: What do you think is the most important thing that Jim Harbaugh has brought to the Chargers that makes this a different team from teams in the past?
Michael Peterson: That’s a simple one: Culture.
Harbaugh has been unapologetically him since he became the head coach of the Chargers and even if some of his quirkiness doesn’t exactly melt seamlessly into his team, his players have gotten behind him in lockstep because they can easily respect a guy who knows who he is inside and out. From the front of the pack, Harbaugh shows you that you can be exactly who you are and also be a good football player or coach. He does nothing but heap endless praise on his players and he’s rewarded by them taking their play to another level. That tends to happen when you’ve got a staff that believes so strongly in those that make it up. Regardless of how far they go in this year’s playoffs, this season as exceeded expectations and it’s hard not to think things are finally looking bright for the future of the Charger franchise.
BRB: Justin Herbert has thrown a career low three interceptions this season and the Chargers have turned it over a league low nine times on the season. What is the biggest key to Herbert’s improvement on ball security?
MP: In all honesty, I think it’s truly been Greg Roman’s offense that has simply used an improved running game to make sure Herbert has a much higher volume of high-percentage passes to throw off of an effective play-action game. J.K. Dobbins, when healthy, is a real home-run hitter if he gets a seam and defenses now must respect their run game more than they have in years. The second part of this is that Ladd McConkey is truly one of the friendliest targets in the league. He just simply shows up for Herbert in crucial downs. I don’t think it’s crazy to say that one of the only reasons they’re in the playoffs is because of him.
BRB: What scares you the most about the Texans offense?
MP: Nico Collins getting the chance to get going early frightens me the most. The Chargers watch Jakobi Meyers of the Raiders get started hot against cornerback Kristian Fulton and it made that game look like it was going to be a lot closer than it really was. I think if the Texans and Bobby Slowtik are highly aware of the weak links of the Chargers, they’ll be able to enjoy some tide-turning plays that we all know are so important in matchups like this.
To a lesser degree, I’d say Joe Mixon worries me a bit because he did start the year hot out of the gate but he’s obviously slowed down a bit through the second half of the season. If he can get going, this game becomes a lot more interesting.
BRB: What scares you the most about the Texans defense?
MP: Danielle Hunter is the one guy that’s going to have my attention the entire time the Chargers are on offense. I’ve been watching him with the Vikings for a long time and I know just how impactful he can be when he’s in the zone. He’ll have two great offensive tackles to face in this one, but I’d be surprised if he was shutout completely from getting a sack or multiple tackles for loss. Other than Hunter, it’s hard not to also point out cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. He’s been stellar this year and I’m sure he’ll be the one tasked with stopping Ladd McConkey. I think that’ll be one of the best matchups in this game for all football fans to watch.
BRB: The Chargers are favored by three according to FanDuel. Do you see the Chargers covering or do you think it will be a closer game than that? Are there any prop bets you feel comfortable recommending?
MP: I actually do see the Chargers covering in this one. I have the Chargers winning 23-17. As far as props go, I like Ladd McConkey as an anytime scorer (+140) and Will Dissly to catch a pass on the opening drive for the Bolts (+200). Some easy layups, for ya.
We want to thank Michael for taking the time to answer our questions. This is a gentle reminder that you can read all of the Chargers news that you can get your hands on at Bolts from the Blue. We want to wish Michael and the Chargers the best of luck in the future. As per usual, we hope that luck begins on Sunday morning.