Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season doesn't mean too much for the Los Angeles Chargers. They have already wrapped up a playoff berth and are looking to make sure they're healthy for the postseason.
According to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN, the Chargers are looking to be as competitive as possible in their final regular season game, a road matchup against the Denver Broncos. Head coach Brandon Staley explained that they are looking to be competitive and keep the momentum going into the playoffs.
“Our approach is definitely going to be to try to win this ball game and play as well as we can play heading into the playoffs,” Staley said, via ESPN. “I think that there's certainly an advantage to being the five-seed, from where I stand…Going into the playoffs, you've got to be playing football to get to where you want to go. So we're going to try and maximize our group heading into the playoffs, that's for sure.”
The Chargers are looking to secure the fifth seed in the AFC playoff picture and face a poor Broncos team, so the goal is well within reach. They will be competing with the Baltimore Ravens for it but with the injury to Lamar Jackson and the fact that they're playing the Cincinnati Bengals, LA has pretty good odds. The Chargers need to win (or have the Ravens lose) in order to make it happen.
With Joey Bosa finally back after missing most of the season and Derwin James, Austin Ekeler and Sebastian Joseph-Day all dealing with injuries, the Chargers must maintain their health above everything else.