Derwin James, Chargers don't care if you believe in them

Things are heating up in the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, meaning it's down to the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos looked to have the division locked up heading into Week 16. It isn't the same heading into Week 17.

The Broncos lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-20, while the Chargers beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-17. This makes it very interesting, as Denver now sits at 12-3 and the Chargers at 11-4. One game separates both teams, with a Week 18 showdown that could determine the division crown.

The Chargers are winners of four straight and have some serious momentum going as they round out the regular season. Derwin James, one of the Bolts' leaders, doesn't want the media to start talking about them now. Nor does he care if they do.

Derwin James and the Chargers put the league on notice

"It doesn't feel like anybody is talking about you guys—"

Derwin James cut me off.

"They don’t have to," he said. "We don’t want that. We don’t need that."

The #Chargers believe. They don't care who else does. They'll just keep winning in the shadows.https://t.co/pKIVy3wNM8
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 22, 2025

The work isn't done yet. Before the Chargers can even think about a potential division-deciding game against the Broncos, they have one demon to face first: the Houston Texans. The same team that knocked them out of the playoffs 11 months ago, the Bolts will host the Texans in what will be a critical game to determine their chance to take the AFC West crown.

Justin Herbert even admitted that he's thought a lot about this week's matchup.

Justin Herbert said last year’s playoff loss to Houston was one he “continued to think about” in the offseason.

“No one felt worse than I did after that game. And I think it's important to continue to move forward and realize that it's what happened.

“It would be crazy of me…
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) December 23, 2025

Herbert threw a whopping four interceptions against the Texans in that game. Granted, not all of them were his fault, as two should be attributed to Will Dissly's unsure hands. Nonetheless, the loss to the Texans left a bad taste in everyone's mouths last season.

It's time to right the ship. It isn't a playoff game, but has the feeling of one. The Chargers will be on their home turf, which should help. The defense has been playing out of their minds lately. Herbert and the offense have been clicking as of late.

If you didn't believe in the Chargers during their midseason slump, don't hop on the bandwagon now.

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