Honestly, if you missed the Thursday night beatdown in late October, you missed the moment Jim Harbaugh’s vision finally clicked into place. The final Chargers vs Vikings score of 37–10 doesn't even tell the full story of how lopsided this game felt by the time the fourth quarter rolled around at SoFi Stadium.
It was a bloodbath.
Minnesota came into that Week 8 matchup looking a bit fragile, and the Chargers smelled it immediately. After a couple of rough weeks where Justin Herbert looked like he was carrying the entire world on his shoulders, the Bolts finally decided to give him some help.
What Really Happened With That Chargers vs Vikings Score?
Most people just check the box score and see a blowout. But it started with a wild swing of emotions. On the Chargers' second offensive snap, Isaiah Rodgers jumped a route and took a Herbert pass back for a pick-six. The stadium went silent. Then, the refs stepped in.
They overturned it.
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Instead of being down 7–0, the Chargers got the ball back and marched 14 plays down the field. Justin Herbert found Oronde Gadsden II for an 8-yard touchdown, and from that point on, Minnesota was basically chasing ghosts. By halftime, the lead was 21–3, and you could see the life draining out of the Vikings' sideline.
Breaking Down the Scoring
- First Quarter: Herbert to Gadsden (7–0, LAC)
- Second Quarter: Kimani Vidal 3-yard run; Will Reichard 54-yard FG; Herbert to Ladd McConkey 27-yard strike (21–3, LAC)
- Third Quarter: Cameron Dicker 43-yard FG; Carson Wentz to Jordan Addison 4-yard TD (24–10, LAC)
- Fourth Quarter: Tre’ Harris 6-yard catch; two more Dicker FGs to ice it (37–10, LAC)
Why the Run Game Finally Looked Real
We've been waiting for Kimani Vidal to have his "Welcome to the NFL" moment, and this was it. With the Chargers losing guys like Najee Harris earlier in the season, there were massive questions about whether they could actually run the ball.
Vidal answered them.
The kid is a 5-foot-8 bowling ball. He finished with 117 yards on 23 carries, and 93 of those yards came in the second half when the Vikings knew the run was coming and still couldn't stop it. When Joe Alt returned from his high ankle sprain, the right side of that line suddenly became a no-fly zone for defenders. Herbert was only sacked once. Compare that to the week before when he was hit 15 times, and you'll see why the Chargers vs Vikings score ended up where it did.
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Minnesota’s Nightmare in Inglewood
You kinda have to feel for Carson Wentz here. He was playing with a bum shoulder, his left tackle Christian Darrisaw went down mid-game, and Brian O'Neill was already out. The Vikings' offensive line was basically a revolving door of backups.
The Chargers' defense sensed blood.
Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu were living in the backfield. Justin Eboigbe had the game of his life with two sacks. By the time the Vikings scored their only touchdown in the third quarter—a nice little 4-yarder to Jordan Addison—they were already down by three scores. It was too little, too late.
The Justin Herbert "Completions" Record
While everyone was focused on the blowout, Herbert quietly made history. He passed Peyton Manning for the most completions by any player through the first six seasons of an NFL career. He finished 18-for-25 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn't just throwing, though. He ran for 62 yards himself, including a couple of 18-yard scrambles that left Vikings linebackers grabbing at air.
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The Reality of the Stats
The yardage discrepancy was almost comical. The Chargers put up 419 total yards while holding Minnesota to just 164. That’s a 255-yard difference. Usually, in the NFL, those games end in the 40s, but the Chargers were content to milk the clock and let Cameron Dicker (aka "Dicker the Kicker") do his thing. He was 3-for-4 on the night, missing one but nailing a 45-yarder late just to put the cherry on top.
One thing that doesn't get talked about enough is the time of possession. The Chargers held the ball for over 39 minutes. Think about that. Minnesota’s defense was on the field for almost two-thirds of the game. By the fourth quarter, they weren't even tackling; they were just falling down.
What This Score Tells Us for the Future
If you’re a Vikings fan, this game was a wake-up call that the depth just isn't there yet, especially on the offensive line. For the Chargers, it proved that the "Harbaugh Way" works when they don't turn the ball over.
Moving forward, keep a close eye on Oronde Gadsden II. The rookie tight end is looking more like his dad every week. He’s now stacked back-to-back games with touchdowns and is becoming Herbert's favorite target when things get messy.
To really understand where these teams are headed, look at the health of the trenches. The Chargers won because Joe Alt came back; the Vikings lost because they couldn't protect Wentz's blind side. That's the NFL in a nutshell.
Check the injury reports for the next three weeks specifically for Minnesota's offensive line rotations, as this loss exposed a blueprint that every other team in the NFC North is going to try to copy.