National Football League

Austin Ekeler’s 2 TDs leads Chargers over Rams in Battle of L.A.

Updated Jan. 2, 2023 6:50 p.m. ET

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler had one thing in mind on the longest touchdown run of his career, a 72-yard burst that set the tone for his team's decisive, 31-10 win over their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in the Battle for L.A.

Don't get caught.

"Shoutout to the O-line because it was blocked perfectly," Ekeler said. "We were running power. Everything was kicked out, and I was able to get through the corner. I got caught earlier in the year, and so that's the only thing that was on my mind was, ‘All right, speed, speed, speed. Don't get caught,' and I was able to get in there."

Ekeler finished with 122 rushing yards on just 10 carries and another rushing touchdown on the day, this one from 10 yards out.

The Western Colorado product now has a league-leading 18 total touchdowns on the year. He also finished with four receptions for 39 receiving yards, passing Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson for the most receptions by a running back in a single season in franchise history with 103.

Receiver Mike Williams joined Ekeler with another jaw-dropping performance on offense for the Bolts, finishing with a game-high seven receptions for 94 yards on 10 targets, including an impressive, one-handed grab for 18 yards along the sideline near the end of the second quarter.

"As a pro coach, you get to witness a lot," Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. "You get to see a lot of special. But then there are some that are just more special than the rest, and that was certainly one of them."

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 21 of 28 passes for 212 passing yards and two scores, with no interceptions. Herbert was not sacked, posting a 119.9 passer rating.

The Oregon product now has 100 total career touchdowns, putting him tied with Hall of Famer Dan Marino for most ever by any player through their first three NFL seasons.

The Bolts improved to 10-6 with the win, guaranteeing the Chargers will get at least the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs — and the possibility of moving to the No. 5 seed next week.

Defensive end Joey Bosa returned from a 12-game absence due to a groin injury that required surgery, playing 23 defensive snaps and finishing with two combined tackles

The Chargers also got a strong performance by their defense, holding the Rams to 277 yards.

Edge rusher Kyle Van Noy notched a sack in a fourth straight game. Van Noy said afterwards that Staley deserves credit for keeping the team together after a rough patch early in the season, with the Bolts winning five of their last six games.

"You saw a lot of people hating on him," Van Noy said. "I'm the type of person where it's all good when things go bad, right? You can point out the negatives, but you also need to give credit, when credit is due. And I feel like he deserves credit."

The Rams dropped to 5-11 with the loss as the defending Super Bowl champs limp to the finish line.

Rams running back Cam Akers had another strong performance, totaling 123 rushing yards on 19 carries. Malcolm Brown also had a nice 23-yard run untouched down the middle of the Bolts' defense for the Rams' lone touchdown.

In his third start, Baker Mayfield finished 11-of-19 for 132 passing yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Mayfield's favorite target was Van Jefferson, who finished with three catches for 77 receiving yards.

"There was very small margin for error and when it ended up getting out of hand, it kind of got out of hand for us," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "When you get into some of those known passing situations, that was where we ended up struggling and had some miscommunication. Make no excuses – those guys did a good job.

"They deserved to win. Hats off to Brandon [Staley] and his group. We'll look to have a good week of preparation and finish this season off the right way at Seattle."

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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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