WEEK 13 · FINAL
THE READ
Ava Collins
Beat reporter
85 points between Vikings and Chargers
Minnesota's 46-39 win over Los Angeles came down to execution in a shootout where JJ McCarthy was the difference. McCarthy went 29 of 40 for 355 yards and 4 touchdowns while Justin Jefferson hauled in 8 catches for 155 yards and 2 scores, giving the Vikings an edge they wouldn't relinquish. Justin Herbert kept the Chargers in it with 23 of 34 for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Minnesota's 513 total yards and 158 on the ground proved too much to overcome. The Vikings controlled the line of scrimmage with 3 sacks to Los Angeles's 1.
Ava Collins
Beat reporter
THE WIDER PICTURE
| Team | SRS | SOS | MARGIN | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | -4.0 | +3.4 | -7.4 | -17 |
| Chargers | -6.9 | +2.0 | -8.9 | -13 |
SRS is how many points a side beats an
average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good
team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20.
SOS is how hard that schedule has been.
Full table.
IN THE BOOTH
Charlie Kirkster
Analyst
This was a shootout where Minnesota just had more firepower: McCarthy went 4 touchdown passes and Jefferson torched them for 155 yards, while Herbert and the Bolts kept pace through the air but couldn't match what the Vikings manufactured on the ground, where they outgained Los Angeles 158 to 110.
Jaylen Rivers
The insider
· replying
Minnesota's ground game got all the attention, but Herbert matched McCarthy's arm for most of this thing—the real question is why a 2-10 team that kept pace in a 46-39 shootout still walked out empty.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers —
none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that
did not happen.
JJ McCarthy
Vikings
29/40, 355 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Justin Herbert
Chargers
23/34, 334 yards, 2 TD
Justin Jefferson
Vikings
8 catches, 155 yards, 2 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Total yards
Vikings 513, Chargers 444
Vikings
On the ground
Vikings 158, Chargers 110
Vikings
Through the air
Vikings 355, Chargers 334
Vikings
Pressure
Chargers 1 sacks, Vikings 3
Vikings
THE ROOM
Final. The recap is below.
THE MATCHUP SCOUT
every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 65% · Rush 35% · 25.5 scored, 32.9 allowed
8.5 yds/att
63.8% completions
4.2 yds/carry
354.3 yds/game
2.3 giveaways/game
4.1% sack rate
last 5: 1-4
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 65 · Aggressive
Balance 85
Ball security 35
Back usage 28%
QB runs 3.6/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.3 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 93
WR 94
TE 78
RB 82
OL 87
DL 87
LB 83
DB 85
Best: Justin Jefferson WR 99
Fastest: Nyck Harbor WR 97 SPD
6 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 69% · Rush 31% · 26.3 scored, 35.1 allowed
9.1 yds/att
62.2% completions
4.1 yds/carry
361.8 yds/game
2.0 giveaways/game
7.6% sack rate
last 5: 0-5
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 68 · Aggressive
Balance 81
Ball security 44
Back usage 26%
QB runs 2.1/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.0 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 92
WR 88
TE 80
RB 85
OL 86
DL 84
LB 80
DB 86
Best: Derwin James Jr SS 93
Fastest: Brenen Thompson WR 97 SPD
6 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY
the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
SD
Chargers · his last 8 games
Throws it
One target
Pass / run67% / 33%
Points for / against24.6 — 32.1
Margin-7.5
Giveaways a game1.6
Sacks taken4.4% of dropbacks
Lead backKeaton Mitchell · 12.0/g
Top targetQuentin Johnston · 40%
QB carries2.6 a game
Akhiyus
Vikings · his last 1 game
Akhiyus has 1 game on the record so far — not enough to call it a tendency.
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES
unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Vikings receivers vs Chargers secondary
94 v 86
VIKINGS
Chargers receivers vs Vikings secondary
88 v 85
CHARGERS
Vikings line vs Chargers front
87 v 84
VIKINGS
Chargers line vs Vikings front
86 v 87
EVEN
Vikings backs vs Chargers run defence
82 v 83
EVEN
Chargers backs vs Vikings run defence
85 v 86
EVEN
Vikings passer vs Chargers secondary
93 v 86
VIKINGS
Chargers passer vs Vikings secondary
92 v 85
CHARGERS
TOP PERFORMERS
🎬
The Game Recapthis game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
VIKINGS
CHARGERS
VIKINGS
CHARGERS
VIKINGS
CHARGERS
VIKINGS
CHARGERS
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CHARGERS
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ McCarthy QB | 29/40 | 355 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 122.3 |
CHARGERS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert QB | 23/34 | 334 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 78 | 118.9 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demond Claiborne HB | 14 | 78 | 5.6 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 21 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 8 | 75 | 9.4 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 27 | 0 |
| JJ McCarthy QB | 6 | 4 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Jase McClellan HB | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Nyck Harbor WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Mayer TE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CHARGERS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keaton Mitchell HB | 9 | 52 | 5.8 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 19 | 1 |
| Justin Herbert QB | 3 | 42 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 36 | 0 |
| Kimani Vidal HB | 7 | 16 | 2.3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Jefferson WR | 8 | 155 | 19.4 | 2 | 102 | 0 | 44 |
| Jordan Addison WR | 7 | 65 | 9.3 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 17 |
| Nyck Harbor WR | 5 | 50 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 18 |
| Michael Mayer TE | 3 | 33 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 19 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 1 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Luke Musgrave TE | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Demond Claiborne HB | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Jase McClellan HB | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
CHARGERS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Johnston WR | 6 | 152 | 25.3 | 1 | 80 | 0 | 78 |
| Ladd McConkey WR | 4 | 80 | 20 | 1 | 56 | 0 | 61 |
| Brenen Thompson WR | 6 | 48 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 13 |
| Mack Hollins TE | 2 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| Kimani Vidal HB | 1 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 13 |
| Brandon Aiyuk WR | 2 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Keaton Mitchell HB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Golday MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Nahshon Wright FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Metellus SS | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jakobe Thomas SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Teitum Tuioti LEDG | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Theo Jackson FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jyaire Hill CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Christian Izien SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
CHARGERS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daiyan Henley MIKE | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Cam Hart FS | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jack Jones CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Tarheeb Still CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Colin Simmons LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derwin James Jr SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| VJ Payne FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Nick Barrett DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decamerion Richardson CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Gray CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Eboigbe DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akheem Mesidor REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Genesis Smith SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Kennard REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drayk Bowen MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Junior Colson WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Reichard K | 1/1 | 5/5 | 39 |
CHARGERS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Dicker K | 1/1 | 4/4 | 49 |
RECENT FORM
Vikings
L
23–30 vs Cardinals
WK 12
L
22–28 vs Packers
WK 11
L
21–24 vs Lions
WK 10
Chargers
L
21–31 vs Packers
WK 12
W
42–35 vs Dolphins
WK 11
L
34–35 vs Raiders
WK 10
TEAM STATS
| Vikings | Chargers | |
|---|---|---|
| 513 | TOTAL YARDS | 444 |
| 355 | PASSING YARDS | 334 |
| 158 | RUSHING YARDS | 110 |
| 1 | SACKS ALLOWED | 3 |
| 3 | SACKS MADE | 1 |
| 2 | GIVEAWAYS | 1 |
| 1 | TAKEAWAYS | 2 |
Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.
ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
1
VIKINGS
—
0
CHARGERS