INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — It’s not just the short week that has the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings feeling lousy going into their Thursday night showdown, but it certainly starts there.
“It’s a physical grind. It’s a mental grind,” Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz said of the quick turnaround. “I don’t think anybody goes from playing one game on Sunday to Thursday and actually feels good. It’s just, ‘How good can you get yourself feeling?’”
Whoever comes out on top in a showdown of staggered underachievers should certainly be feeling a lot better going into the weekend.
The Chargers (4-3) have lost three of their past four games, in part because of an injury-riddled offensive line. The Vikings (3-3) have already dropped as many games through seven weeks as they did during the entire 2024 regular season, with iffy quarterback play and health looming large.
For Wentz, he has even less time to get his injured left non-throwing shoulder back into game shape. He was hurt in a Week 5 win at Cleveland, but was able to manage it in a 28-22 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, throwing for 313 yards with two interceptions as the Vikings continued to alternate between victories and defeats.
“I’ve been really encouraged by how fast he turned over and really didn’t have any more setbacks or anything other than the normal soreness after a physical game like that,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said of Wentz, who will make his fifth consecutive start as J.J. McCarthy didn’t have enough time this week to fully overcome the ankle injury that has kept him sidelined.
The Chargers will hope to get left tackle Joe Alt back after he missed the past three games with a sprained ankle. Right tackle Trey Pipkins III (knee) could also return from a two-game absence, with head coach Jim Harbaugh characterizing the availability of both blockers as a “day-of-game decision.”
The presence of one or both tackles would significantly boost the chances of keeping quarterback Justin Herbert upright and opening holes in the run game for an offense that has been scrambling for cohesion.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said the swift turnaround from the Bolts’ 38-24 loss to Indianapolis means they’re planning as if both tackles will not play.
“The game was over, what, somewhere around 4 (p.m. Sunday). By 5:30, you know, deep into studying that Philadelphia-Minnesota game and burning the midnight oil,” Roman said. “Not a lot of time, got to get a lot of things compressed into one week, from one week into three days basically.”
The Vikings allowed Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to post the first perfect passer rating of his career last week, thanks in part to a handful of huge gains behind shrewd play calls and star players that caught the Vikings in tough spots at bad times. Hurts had five completions greater than 25 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith.
The Vikings in three seasons under defensive coordinator Brian Flores have fielded one of the most dangerous groups in the league, but despite solid production over six games in pass rushing, on third downs and in the red zone they’ve only created seven turnovers — with five of those in one game against Cincinnati in Week 3. Last season, the Vikings tied for the league lead with 33 takeaways.
“If we continue to do the things defensively that equal good principles for us, we’ve shown to be able to cause disruption that leads to negativity and then have chances at turning the football over,” O’Connell said. “We’ve just got to find a way to make that part of our DNA.”
The Chargers aren’t in much better shape on defense after giving up 30 or more points and 400 yards for the third time in 24 regular-season games under coordinator Jesse Minter. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts became the third straight opponent to average at least 5.2 yards per carry. Los Angeles had no takeaways for the fourth time this season.
“I would say we’re not where we want to be,” Minter said. “We’ve had a couple rough games in a row. There’s really only one way to try to fix it, and that’s just try to get everybody on the same page.”
Finding ways to get Justin Jefferson the ball through constant double teams is a weekly challenge for O’Connell and the Vikings, but Wentz has done an effective job of spreading the ball around in his four starts — particularly with developing a rhythm with Jordan Addison. Addison has been targeted 26 times in the three games since he returned from a suspension, with a career-high nine catches for 128 yards last week against the Eagles.
“Chemistry is easy when you’re open by 5 or 10 yards,” Wentz said. “I’ve developed a ton of confidence in him and his ability to get in and out of breaks and put a lot of stress on those DBs.”
Chargers OLB Khalil Mack played 12 snaps in his return after missing four games because of an elbow injury. That was enough for Mack to pick up a sack and a tackle for loss, but his limited workload also exposed the limitations of the edge defense without the 34-year-old. The feisty Mack wants to play more this week before acknowledging the decision isn’t his alone.
“You got to talk to the coaches and whoever else, the medical staff,” Mack said. “I know what I’m planning on doing, but hopefully everybody’s in agreeance (sic).”
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AP Football Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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