Whoever ends up playing the bulk of the snaps will be doing it behind two shorthanded fronts. Khalil Mack and Derwin James are sitting out again for the Chargers, and the Rams have been churning their own depth chart, placing DE Daniel Rickert, CB Zech McPhearson and LB Keir Thomas II on injured reserve within the past few days. None of that shows up on a scoreboard, but it does shape who's actually snapping the ball — the kind of roster churn a number posted days out doesn't always catch up to.
Results here won't touch either club's record — both open the year at 0-0 regardless — but preseason finales still tell you who's earned trust. The Rams have already turned bubble players into buckets, blowing out Kansas City and New Orleans behind receiver CJ Daniels and back Jarquez Hunter, while the Chargers are trying to shake off a lopsided loss to a 49ers team that ran their own backups off the field last time out.
The health reports for both sides are getting crowded heading into final cuts. Puka Nacua and Terrance Ferguson each nursed something into the week for the Rams, and Keaton Mitchell picked up what the Chargers called "a mild setback" — the kind of camp-ending news that matters more for the 53-man roster than for Thursday's final score.
Whatever happens before kickoff at 7:00 PM PT, both teams break camp in the days ahead with real roster calls left to make. Herbert's brief cameo and Simpson's expanded one are really about who's trusted to hold a clipboard in Week 1 — Thursday's scoreboard is just where the two staffs happen to settle it for now.