The Washington Commanders surprised many around the league by winning double-digit games for the first time since 2012 and coming one victory away from reaching the Super Bowl. Now, there are higher expectations for the squad in the second year of the Jayden Daniels era.
The Commanders will have a tougher schedule this year by virtue of finishing second in the NFC East. Super Bowl contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions loom later in the year along with talented teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. They will also experience a dramatic increase in travel miles, which includes a trip to Europe to play the Miami Dolphins.
Now that the season is on the horizon, Commanders.com is going to break down each of Washington's opponents. We'll move on to the Los Angeles Chargers, who have one of the league's best young quarterbacks in Justin Herbert.
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Oct. 5
Time: 4:25 p.m.
Location: SoFi Stadium
Individual stats leaders
- Passing Yards -- QB Justin Herbert (3,870)
- Passing TDs -- QB Justin Herbert (23)
- Rushing Yards -- RB J.K. Dobbins (905)
- Rushing TDs -- RB J.K. Dobbins (9)
- Receiving Yards -- WR Ladd McConkey (1,149)
- Receiving TDs -- WR Quentin Johnston (8)
- Tackles -- LB Daiyan Henley (147)
- Sacks -- LB Tuli Tuipulotu (8.5)
- Interceptions -- CB Taheeb Still (4)
Key additions
- G Mekhi Becton (free agency)
- RB Najee Harris (free agency)
- RB Omarion Hampton (draft)
- CB Donte Jackson (free agency)
- DE Kyle Kennard (draft)
Key questions
- What's the running back rotation going to look like? The Chargers will have a much different backfield than they did in 2024, when Dobbins led a rushing attack that had nine different players with a rushing attempt (10 if you count punter JK Scott). Now, Hampton's quickness and Harris' physicality will rule the Chargers' ground game. The two should complement each other well, as Hampton was one of the most explosive weapons in college football last season while Harris has powered forward for four straight 1,000-yard campaigns. It will be interesting to see how that workload gets split up. Harris is a known commodity and was signed for nearly $10 million, according to reports, and has a good shot to provide the franchise with its first 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon. Hampton, on the other hand, is a first-round pick and proven himself as a more dynamic weapon as a runner and pass-catcher. The Chargers will likely implement a committee approach, but if it works out, they could have a formidable running back room for the foreseeable future.
- How does the interior offensive line work out? Becton seems to be the only clear answer on the inside of the Chargers' offensive line. He revived his career with the switch to guard and ended up playing well for the Eagles during their Super Bowl run. The other two spots are bigger question marks with few obvious answers. Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson seem to be in line to compete for both spots, but the coaching staff isn't publicly favoring any player at the moment. Regardless of who plays, the Chargers will need to improve up front if they hope to have the run-first offense they designed in the offseason. They were 13th last season in run-block win-rate last season, which isn't bad, but given Greg Roman's history of run-first systems, it could be better.
- Who's No. 2? McConkey is the Chargers' clear No. 1 option in the passing game. Aside from him, there are players with promising traits who have yet to show consistent results. Perhaps it's Mike Williams, who the Chargers brought back from the Steelers. He had his best performances with the Chargers, but there are few guarantees in his production at 30 years old. Johnston led the team in receiving touchdowns and had 711 yards, but there was a sizable gap in results between him and McConkey, who had 1,149 yards on 82 grabs. Considering how often the Chargers ran the ball last season -- they were tied for 11th with 463 attempts -- and how that won't change in 2025, it might not matter if there is a clear No. 2 option. Still, Herbert, despite his talent, only has two playoff appearances (both losses). If the Chargers want to maximize his skill set, it would behoove them to at least have some answers outside of McConkey.
