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Three Aussies. One passion: American Football Join best mates Andy (@TDU_Andy), Jack (@TDU_Jack), and Alister (@TDU_ Alister) as they use data, analysis, and humour to work through their feelings about the Los Angeles Chargers and the NFL. If you love the Chargers and the NFL, you'll love The Thunder Down Under. Follow us on Twitter at @TDU_Chargers Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheThunderDownUnderPodcast Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your favourite podcasts
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So, the Chargers lost in the Wild Card Round and Justin Herbert played his worst game of the season. Does that sound familiar, #BoltFam? This is the grim reality now facing the team after its 16-3 loss to New England following which OC Greg Roman and OL Coach Mike Devlin were fired: DC Jesse Minter is almost certainly leaving the team to be a Head Coach somewhere else next season; Justin Herbert is 0-3 in the Playoffs; and he will be asked to learn a 5th offensive system under a new Offensive Coordinator in 2026 (whoever that is). Never have there been more moving parts for us to piece together. Join us today on TDU as we try to make sense of this Wild Card Round Disaster. Don’t miss it!
The Chargers’ 2025 regular season concluded on Sunday with a “meaningless” game against the Broncos at Mile High, Denver. Most of the team’s important starters were rested ahead of the playoffs, but Harbaugh’s men nevertheless battled manfully – led by QB2 Trey Lance. After a while, the disparity between the Broncos’ starters and Bolts’ back-ups became too great, and the Broncos secured victory 19-3 (also claiming the AFC’s #1 overall seed in the process). Now, Wild Card Round beckons. The moment is almost here. And it is to New England, Massachusetts, that Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Khalil Mack, and the rest of the team will travel, desperate to make amends for their early playoff exit in Season 2024. Of course, Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye will have other ideas, eager to cement their status as a new, rising AFC powerhouse. Today, we discuss it all on TDU and answer some listener questions from the #TDUMailbag. This is your ideal prelude to the big game #BoltFam. Don’t miss it!**Apologies for Jack's internet in this episode!
The Texans snapped the Chargers four game win streak in Wk 17 and, with the 20-16 loss, the AFC West Title is now officially out of reach for Jim Harbaugh’s men. A slow start on Defense left the team in a 14-0 hole and, despite some Justin Herbert heroics in the second half, 5 sacks from the Houston Defense was enough to secure a narrow victory. With a playoff spot confirmed and only Wild Card seeding left to be settled, how should the Bolts approach their Wk 18 trip to Denver? Join us as we recap Sunday’s action and work through the different scenarios. Don’t miss it!
Christmas is just around the corner and the #BoltFam can REJOICE following a comfortable 34-17 win by the team in Dallas, the Chargers’ fourth consecutive victory. With a Broncos loss in Wk 16 and the AFC West well and truly alive, join us on TDU today as we recap the Bolts’ trip to Jerrah World, read through Santa’s Naughty and Nice List for Season 2025, and share our score predictions for a big Wk 17 match-up against the Texans. Don’t miss it!
The conditions were frigid and the crowd was frosty at Arrowhead on Sunday, but nothing could stop the Harbaugh-led Bolts from bringing their best when their best was needed against the Kansas City Chiefs. In their first season sweep of Big Red's Big Babies since 2013, the Chargers were rugged, ruthless and showed dogged determination, winning the turnover battle, and ultimately the game, 16-13. It wasn't pretty but it was enough to get the job done and the #BoltFam rejoiced. Join us today for a special episode of TDU recorded LIVE after the game. Don't miss the Victory Pod!
In one of the craziest games of the season, the Chargers defeated the reigning Super Bowl Champions on Monday Night Football in a seesaw-ing Overtime affair featuring 8 total turnovers! Nursing a broken hand, Herbert showed courage all night and willed his team to victory. The Defense came to play and ultimately sealed the game with their fourth interception of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, a tip from CB Cam Hart landing in the waiting arms of veteran S Tony Jefferson by the shadow of the Chargers’ own Endzone in OT. Now boasting a 9-4 record, the Bolts schedule doesn’t get any easier, with last year’s other Super Bowl participant, those Kansas City Chiefs, awaiting them at Arrowhead Stadium in Wk 15. Just how excited should the #BoltFam be about this insane Wk 14 victory? Is this team still fatally flawed or can we all dare to dream? Join us this week on TDU to find out. Don’t miss it!
The Los Angeles Chargers completed a 2025 sweep of the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi on Sunday, winning comfortably by three scores and improving their season record to 8-4. RB Kimani Vidal’s stellar 126-yard performance on the ground made him the first Bolts Back since Melvin Gordon (in 2018) to exceed the 100-yard rushing mark 3x in a single season. However, the biggest story emerging from the game was QB Justin Herbert’s broken left hand – suffered on a missed tackle attempt in the open field – which required surgery on Monday and put his status for Wk 14 MNF against the Eagles in Wk 14 in question. How will this injury affect the rest of the Chargers’ season? Has the Defense and ground game (with Hampton shortly to return) shown enough that it shouldn’t really matter? These are the big questions and we discuss it all this week on TDU. Don’t miss it!
Fresh off Bye Week, the Chargers will be seeking to improve their 7-4 record against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, at home. Today – on a special TDU YouTube Live show – we welcome our buddy, Ryan Watkins from the PowderKeg Podcast. Together, we share our biggest lessons and takeaways from the season so far, enjoy some lightning Q&A, and answer questions from our #BoltFam audience. Don’t miss it!
It was déjà vu for the #BoltFam on Sunday, as the Chargers strolled into Jacksonville in Wk 11 with a quiet confidence, but left knowing they’d experienced a seismic season-shifting loss. The Jags 35-6 Bolt Beatdown was the most lopsided time of possession imbalance of any game in Coach Harbaugh’s NFL Career. Not wanting his Coach to suffer the ignominy of a career low statistical mark alone, Herbert also passed for his lowest career yardage total in a game (81). As the team now enters their bye week, admittedly their chances of making the playoffs remain high. Their overall season record is 7-4 and their AFC West record is 3-0. However, have all these wins been for a lost cause? We discuss both sides of the coin today on TDU. Don’t miss it!
On Sunday Night Football in Wk 10, the Chargers showed the world they have what it takes – even with Joe Alt out for the season – to challenge the very best teams in 2025. It was a night where Keenan Allen surpassed Antonio Gates as the All-Time Franchise Receptions Leader, and the #BoltFam were treated to a special team performance. In an absolute beatdown of the Steelers, Jesse Minter’s Defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Offense to 3 total points until junk time in Q4. The Chargers Offense, relying on Justin Herbert and the rush Offense, did just enough to keep the Steelers fearsome pass rush at bay. The final score (25-10) flattered the visiting team and the Chargers’ victory took their season record to an impressive 7-3. With only a trip to Jacksonville standing between the Bolts and their bye week, are fans now feeling confident that a deep playoff push is on horizon? Or do doubts still linger? Join us on another episode of TDU to hear our views on all of the Chargery topics. Don’t miss it!
Every week presents a different challenge in the NFL. In Wk 9, the Chargers were confronted by a plucky Titans team who punched above their weight class early at Nissan Stadium, scoring 14 points in Q1 courtesy of a pick-six and a 67 yd punt return TD. Adding injury to insult, the Chargers lost Offensive Tackles Bobby Hart (for the day) and Joe Alt (sadly, for the season) before half-time. However, in a gritty second half performance, the Bolts stuck together and clawed their way to victory; a fitting tribute to their starting LB Daiyan Henley whose older brother sadly passed away earlier in the week. The Chargers are now 6-3 (with a 3-0 intra-division record), but why does this season feel on the precipice? And of what exactly? Join us on another episode of TDU to find out!
Heading into TNF against the Minnesota Vikings in Wk 8, the Chargers had won only 1 of their previous 4 games. But with superstar left tackle, Joe Alt, returning from injury – and wearing their Navy “Super Chargers” gear – the Bolts responded as any well-coached football team with playoff aspirations should. By half-time, they’d taken a 21-3 lead at home. And in the second half, they rubbed salt into Carson Wentz’s wounds, storming home to a 37-10 annihilation of Kevin O’Connell’s visiting Vikes. In a balanced team effort, Kimani Vidal led the way on Offense with 117 yds on the ground (his second 100+ rushing yd feat in the past three weeks), Herbert passed for 3 TDs, and the Charger Defense enjoyed 5 sacks in a powerhouse performance. Join us today as we break down this comfortable win before answering some fan questions about the 5-3 Bolts in our #TDUMailbag segment. Don’t miss it!
The Chargers ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Indianapolis Colts Offense, powered by their Elite OL and early NFL MVP candidate RB Jonathan Taylor, did as they pleased all afternoon against a helpless Jesse Minter Defense. Taylor ran for 3 TDs, Daniel Jones passed for 2 scores, and the Colts amassed 38 points and 401 Total Yards. For the Bolts, the shining light was rookie Oronde Gadsden whose 164 rec yards was the 3rd highest total ever by a Chargers TE. Herbert’s 420 passing yards were also the most of his career in a single game. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. The Chargers fell to 4-3 and today, on a short week, we unpack everything ahead of a crucial TNF match-up against the Minnesota Vikings. Don’t miss it!
A Herculean Justin Herbert willed his team to victory on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. With 0:36 remaining in Q4 – and the Chargers trailing by 1 point – Herbert managed to either shake off or evade multiple would-be tacklers and find Ladd McConkey late over the middle, on a crosser, for the 42 yd completion advancing the ball deep into Dolphins’ territory and into field goal range. The rest was history. Dicker drilled the 33-yarder and the Bolts snapped their 2-game losing streak ascending to 4-2 atop the AFC West. Join us today as we break down all the Wk 6 Chargers action before ending our show with a hearty round of “Buy, Sell, Hold!”. Don’t miss it!
The first quarter turned out to be a liar on Sunday at SoFI Stadium. The Chargers took an early 10-0 lead. But from there, the Commanders played lights out football scoring 27 unanswered points and winning the game comfortably as the Bolts committed multiple penalties, turnovers and suffered some more untimely injuries (including to first round rookie phenom Omarion Hampton). Today, we recap the action from Wk 5. And then, following back-to-back defeats, we thought it was as good a time as ever to bring out the #TDUMailbag and answer some listener questions. Don’t miss it!
The Chargers’ sweet start to the season was soured on Sunday at the MetLife Stadium. In an upset performance, rookie QB Jaxson Dart scored twice and did just enough at the helm to lead the Giants to a 21-18 victory. The true victors on the day were the Giants’ Defensive Line, who constantly pressured Herbert – their highlight play, a 37-yard INT return from 340 pounds Defensive Tackle Dexter Lawrence. As the Bolts dust themselves off from their first loss of the season and count their battle wounds (which include Joe Alt ending the game in a moon boot), today on TDU we bring you our game recap and then look ahead to another NFC East opponent in Wk 5, the Washington Commanders. Don’t miss it!
The Bolts dug deep at SoFi on Sunday, overcoming a 7-point deficit to storm home in the final quarter and snatch victory against the Denver Broncos. Their 3-0 start is the Chargers’ best since 2002 and Coach Harbaugh’s transformative effect is clear for all to see. Facing significant adversity and a likely season-ending injury to RB Najee Harris in the first half, Greg Roman’s Offense found a way to produce two key second half TD drives and, after the Defense forced a three and out, a Cam Dicker walk-off field goal sealed the win 23-20. Herbert was relentlessly pursued by a fierce Broncos pass rush all day but showed steely resolve, unleashing an unbelievable off schedule 20 yd TD strike to Keenan Allen with the game on the line. Join us today on TDU #BoltFam as we breakdown (yet another) big Bolts victory in Season 2025. Don’t miss it!
The Chargers walked into Allegiant Stadium on MNF Football and waltzed away with an early 2-0 lead in the AFC West standings beating the home team Raiders 20-9 in a comfortable victory. The win was a whole team effort, but Coach Harbaugh singled out praise for Derwin James in his press conference, labelling him the ‘best safety he’s even seen in the history of the National Football League” after his stellar performance. Bolts fans know that Pete Carroll will be looking for his revenge later in the season, but for now #TDUCrew revel in the moment and enjoy this Raiderssssss Week Victory Pod. Don’t miss it!
São Paulo, Brazil will hold a special place in Chargers’ fans hearts after Herbert & the Bolts’ 27-21 Wk 1 statement win against the reigning conference winning Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night. In their first victory against Andy Reid & Patrick Mahomes since 2021, Justin Herbert passed for 318 yards, 3 TDs and added 32 yds with his legs, including the 19 yd scamper with 2:14 remaining in the game that sealed victory at Corinthians Stadium. Harbaugh’s Bolts controlled the contest from stat to finish, and whether Herbert’s performance was fuelled by ESPN Ryan Clark’s pre-game comments (‘whenever it matters, [Herbert]’s been terrible’), last season’s disappointing playoff exit at Houston, or his new blossoming off-field romance, the NFL should be terrified of what #10 appears primed to do this season for the Powder Blues. Join us on #TDU as we discuss it all!
THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Finally, real football begins for Season 2025 and today we preview the Chargers Wk 1 Opponent, those much-hated CHIEFS! We also discuss the Chargers’ initial 53, engage in a lightning round Q&A, bring out the #TDUMailbag and make some bold season predictions. Don't miss it!
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