Closing season at Raiders is a reminder of Chargers’ journey

The joy of clinching a playoff berth didn’t erase the pain of Otito Ogbonnia’s last postseason memory. Perhaps the Chargers’ 27-point collapse in Jacksonville two years ago only enhanced the thrill of returning to the playoffs this season for the third-year defensive tackle.

“Without where we’ve been,” Ogbonnia said, “I don’t know if you get a season like this.”

Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, many of the Chargers’ returning players have not forgotten their catastrophic wild-card loss to Jacksonville.. They haven’t fully escaped last year’s 5-12 debacle.

Fueled by the disappointments, they return Sunday to the scene of last year’s biggest embarrassment to finish the regular season against their AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders. In the rivalry’s last game in Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders hung 63 points on the Chargers. Coach Brandon Staley was fired the next day.

When reminded of the blowout loss, outside linebacker Khalil Mack half-jokes he doesn’t even remember it. So much has happened since.

The Raiders (4-12) are now the ones with a coaching hot-seat question. The Chargers (10-6) could reach 11 wins for just the second time in the last 15 seasons.

They clinched a playoff berth with a dominant performance last Saturday, leaving no doubt in a 40-7 blowout over New England. The cross-country trip with an early start time felt like a potential tripping point, even against a team that was well outside of the playoff picture.

Not for these Chargers, who have been burned too many times to let up.

“We’ve been through tough times and everyone [is] still standing and they’re doing their best,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “To fight through that, and to see it on the other side, is what’s been really good to see.”

In just the first season under coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers, with Herbert at quarterback, appear to be a future force in the AFC West. The defense went from 24th in the league in points allowed to first.

With 281 points given up this season, the Chargers could surrender fewer than 300 points in the regular season for just the third time in the last 30 seasons and for the first time since the NFL expanded to a 17-game schedule. The opposition is averaging 17.6 points per game.

The unprecedented success doesn’t surprise safety Tony Jefferson. The 10-year professional came out of retirement and signed to the practice squad knowing exactly what the Chargers could accomplish. It took only one look at the roster to know.

Not only was there star talent, but also Mack, Derwin James Jr. and Joey Bosa were the types of players who could deliver the leadership necessary to carry a team forward under a new coaching staff.

“It wasn’t like you had to come in and change a bunch of guys’ attitudes and work ethic,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “It was unbelievable from the second we walked through the door.”

James and Mack were named to the Pro Bowl roster on Thursday, along with fourth-year offensive tackle Rashawn Slater. Mack earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl honor since signing with the Chargers in 2022, but as he continues to fill his trophy case the 11-year veteran is still looking for one prize in particular.

“The individual accolades are pretty cool, but the ultimate team goal is to get to a Super Bowl and win,” Mack said. “That’s what my career has been missing.”

It’s not just the Super Bowl missing. The 11-year veteran hasn’t won a playoff game in his career.

When Mack shared the fact with teammates this week, Ogbonnia was surprised. But it only added motivation.

Mack, who restructured his contract in the offseason to take a pay cut, is on a one-year deal. The threat of roster turnover looms every year in the NFL. Ogbonnia knows he might not get a chance to help Mack reach the Super Bowl again.

Some teams might look at a return to the playoffs as good enough for now or be resigned to planning only for a Super Bowl victory in the future. With their current crop of veterans, the Chargers don’t.

“We have to win it this year,” Ogbonnia said. “Making sure we make the most of this particular opportunity because it’s like every opportunity is the best opportunity. It’s the only opportunity.”