Los Angeles
Chargers
7-9
27
FINAL
24
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-15
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 showdown, the Los Angeles Chargers narrowly defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-24, securing their place in the postseason. With playoff implications on the line, both teams fought fiercely, but it was the Chargers who emerged victorious in a tightly contested battle.
Taylen Green showcased his prowess under center for the Steelers, throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns, while Michael Pittman led all receivers with 116 yards. However, it was Omarion Hampton of the Chargers who stole the show on the ground, racking up 111 rushing yards and providing a critical balance to the Chargers' offensive attack.
Defensively, the Chargers made key plays that shifted momentum, with Akheem Mesidor registering 1.5 sacks and Derwin James Jr. intercepting a critical pass. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when James Jr.'s interception halted a potential game-winning drive for the Steelers, allowing the Chargers to run out the clock and secure their playoff berth.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylen Green | QB | 31 | 20 | 65% | 305 | 2 | 2 | 91.4 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 44 | 25 | 57% | 248 | 1 | 0 | 80.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 17 | 111 | 6.5 | 49 | 1 | 22 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 15 | 57 | 3.8 | 22 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kimani Vidal | HB | 12 | 9 | 0.8 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Taylen Green | QB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| KC Concepcion Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman | WR | 6 | 116 | 19.3 | 58 | 1 | 48 | 1 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 6 | 97 | 16.2 | 55 | 1 | 47 | 1 |
| KC Concepcion Jr | WR | 3 | 74 | 24.7 | 48 | 1 | 49 | 1 |
| David Njoku | TE | 8 | 69 | 8.6 | 22 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 9 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | 7 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Tez Johnson | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Tre' Harris | WR | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Derwin James Jr | SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Pola-Mao | FS | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ephesians Prysock | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cole Wisniewski | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khalil Mack | REDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Akheem Mesidor | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Belton | SS | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keeanu Benton | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarheeb Still | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cam Hart | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teair Tart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Rubio | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Beckham | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Eboigbe | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Starling Thomas V | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grover Stewart | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Rose | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khalil Jacobs | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 48 |
| Cameron Dicker | K | 4 | 4 | 1 | 49 |

