Two teams that were both playing meaningful January football just months ago share a stadium and close out the preseason together — though don't expect to see much of the guys who got them there.
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FRI AUG 28 · 7:00 PM PT
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Thursday, August 27 is the last preseason tune-up for both LA teams, and the marquee names probably won't be doing much. Stafford is coming off an MVP campaign — 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, just 8 interceptions — and just signed a one-year extension worth up to $55 million, so there's no reason for Sean McVay to expose him in a game that means nothing. The same logic applies across the field for Justin Herbert, who's spent the offseason reworking his footwork with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. This one's about Ty Simpson getting run behind Stafford and whichever depth arm Jim Harbaugh trusts most in a game where the roster bubble is what's actually on the line.
The injury boards tell two different offseason stories. Ladd McConkey is nursing a hamstring strain worth tracking into camp, while Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are both working their way back onto the field from injuries of their own — not ideal timing for an offensive line trying to protect a reworked Herbert delivery. The Rams, by contrast, enter relatively settled up front, with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams entrenched atop the receiver room and Kyren Williams and Blake Corum still splitting carries. None of that will show up much Thursday, but sportsbooks still have to post a number on backups vs. backups, and it's about as soft a line as you'll find all preseason.
Whatever happens on the scoreboard, the bigger story is what regular-season shape each team takes into September. The Rams are trying to build on a 12-5 season that ended one win short of the Super Bowl, blowing a lead in a 31-27 NFC Championship loss to Seattle. The Chargers are trying to finally get over the hump after going 11-6 and bowing out in the wild-card round to New England for the fourth straight postseason meeting — a game Harbaugh called "not good enough."
Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Chargers
That finish still stings on both sides. The Rams alternated a loss to Atlanta with a three-game winning streak over the Cardinals, Panthers and Bears before Seattle bounced them, so there's a real ceiling underneath the late stumble. The Chargers' final stretch was uglier — back-to-back losses to close the year, including a 3-16 dud at New England that exposed exactly what went wrong when it mattered most.
Los Angeles Rams
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Los Angeles Chargers
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
For most of the names on the field Thursday, this is a job interview, not a preview. Simpson is competing for real reps behind Stafford, and roster cutdowns loom right behind this game — so while neither fan base should expect its franchise quarterback to break a sweat, there's still football on the line for the guys fighting to make the 53.
