With the playoffs quickly approaching, the Chargers will be resting a number of starters this week, including Justin Herbert and some of their defensive leaders.
One veteran who is sure to be on the field this weekend is wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is targeting more than $1 million in incentives and is closing in on the regular season with one game remaining.
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Other players who could receive additional cash include cornerback Benjamin St. Just (required an interception) and linebacker Troy Day (sack), with $125,000 bonuses activated for both of them.
Beyond that, this game will be an interesting one for those who want to see the Chargers bench against one of the best teams in the NFL this year. Yes, it might not be fun by traditional measures, but seeing new faces on the field and allowing yourself to invite the unknown can be an enjoyable experience, even if you know the score could end in the worst possible way.
With that said, here are the final three things for the 2025 regular season that I will be watching when these two teams take the field on Sunday.
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1.) How do the offensive game plans of Trey Lance and Justin Herbert differ?
Even though Lance has been behind Herbert in every practice for the Chargers this year, that doesn’t necessarily mean the offense will remain exactly the same
Lance didn’t play much offense as a starter, and his control of the offense was also at a low level. He’s also a guy who’s more into scrambling and running. To prevent Lance from throwing too many balls against Denver’s secondary, I could see Roman really leaning into the quarterback’s legs, which would also help shorten the game. This could be something the Chargers want to limit the tread on their players’ tires before the playoffs.
I expect the passing attack to be faster and the RPO to increase. While Herbert likely won’t play in this game, I still think it’s an interesting game considering the unknowns of who will be available.
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2.) Which backups will stand out against the Broncos starters?
This week will be the best chance to watch the Chargers’ bench take the field since the 2025 preseason. Only this time, they have several months of NFL experience under their belts while facing one of the league’s best teams.
In this game, I want to see how the coaching staff utilizes players like rarely used wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith or 2025 fourth-round edge rusher Kyle Kennard. Can KLS handle the workload at WR1, or is it rookie Tre’ Harris? Will Kennard start next to Tully this week? Bud Dupree?
Another name I’m excited to see is former Raiders starting center Andre James, who appears to be the starting center in the team’s practices this week. Will he look like a significant improvement over Bozeman despite playing with other backup offensive linemen?
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This game is essentially being treated as a wash, but I’m excited to see what some of these backups can do. I can’t wait to see if anyone makes it clear to the coaches that they should be considered heavily in the team’s future plans.
3.) Will Keenan Allen live up to his incentive?
This week, contract incentives become one of the bigger focuses of Week 18. With one game left in the regular season, a lot of money is at stake for players who are very close to reaching certain milestones. One of the Chargers’ players is veteran Keenan Allen, who will receive a $1 million bonus if he performs well against the Broncos.
According to Allen’s contract, he only needs to add nine more receiving yards to reach 750 yards on the year, which will result in a $250,000 increase in his salary. If Allen records at least six catches for the year and reaches 80 total, he’ll get another $750, oh well. Allen told the media that he will definitely enter the game with the intention of scoring those points.
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Now, nine receiving yards sounds easy, but six receptions might prove difficult unless they result in an easy touch (like the pass he made earlier this year when he became the Chargers’ all-time receiving leader). Allen has caught six or more catches in just three games this season, the last time he had 11 catches against the Colts in October. Otherwise, he would have appeared in five or fewer games nine times in a row.
Knowing this team and how they feel about Allen, I can see them going to great lengths to make sure Allen reaches his goals. If he doesn’t, it’s going to be a very tough break for the veteran, who is enjoying a much cheaper contract than he personally would like at this point in his career.