How former Chargers fared on Wild Card Weekend

For current Chargers players, it’s a bummer to not be a part of the postseason. But for a handful of former Bolts, they got to experience this year’s expanded playoff field for themselves.

Here’s how those players, and their teams, fared this past weekend.

QB Philip Rivers (2004-2019)

Rivers was just about the only thing keeping Chargers fans interested in the playoffs this year and it was unfortunate that his time in the postseason last just one game. Indy played a hard-fought contest against the Bills but Rivers just couldn’t overcome a handful of drops by his receivers in what ended in a 27-24 victory for Buffalo. The Colts attempted a Hail Mary but Rivers’ couldn’t quite get the ball to the end zone and it was knocked down short by safety Micah Hyde.

The longtime Charger quarterback finished with 309 yards passing and two touchdowns in what could have been his final game in the NFL.

CB Desmond King (2017-2020)

King was one of the first draft picks under the Anthony Lynn era when the team grabbed him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. It was deemed one of the biggest steals in the class as King is a former winner of the Jim Thorpe Award, given to college football’s best defensive back.

As a rookie, King returned his first career interception for a touchdown against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving of that year. In 2018, King was named a First-Team All-Pro as a nickel cornerback and Second-Team All-Pro as a return specialist. However, his play in 2019 went the way of the rest of the team in a dismal 5-11 campaign. During the 2020 offseason, the team signed former All-Pro slot corner Chris Harris, effectively forcing King down the depth chart into a backup role. After voicing his frustration with the situation via social media, the team decided to trade him away prior to the deadline for a six-round pick.

In the Titans 20-13 loss to the Ravens, King finished with six total tackles.

CB Patrick Robinson (2015)

The former first-round pick of the Saints spent just a single season with the Chargers in San Diego after spending his first four years in New Orleans. That year, he played mainly as the team’s third cornerback, finishing with 49 total tackles, eight pass breakups, and a lone interception.

In the team’s playoff game against the Bears, Robinson saw zero snaps on either defense or special teams. In 2020, he has played on just 24 percent of the defensive snaps while playing mainly on special teams. However, he still has 14 total tackles, four pass breakups, and two interceptions in 12 games with four starts.

OT/OG D.J. Fluker (2013-2016)

Fluker was general manager To Telesco’s first ever draft pick for the team when he picked the former Alabama tackle in the first round back in 2013. After spending his rookie season at right tackle, Fluker moved inside to right guard as it was deemed the better path to success for him at the professional level. Fluker unfortunately underwhelmed during his time in San Diego and his fifth-year option was not picked up. He is now on his fourth team, having spent time with the Giants and Seahawks before landing with the Ravens in 2020.

In Baltimore’s victory over the Titans, Fluker started at right tackle as the Ravens amassed 236 yards on the ground, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and scoring a pair of touchdowns.

WR Dontrelle Inman (2014-2017, 2019)

Inman signed with the Chargers in 2014 following two season with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. After four years with the Bolts in both San Diego and Los Angeles, Inman played the 2018 season in Indianapolis before another short stint in L.A. during the 2019 season.

This year with Washington, Inman had 18 receptions for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the playoff game against Tampa Bay, he recorded just one snap on offense with no statistics.

LB Thomas Davis (2019)

Davis spent just one season with the Chargers in 2019 where he led the team in tackles with 112. Unfortunately, Davis suffered an injury in Week 15 against the Seahawks which wound up being the end of the 37-year old’s career. Before the postseason, Davis made it known that the 2020 season was going to be his last in the NFL. He finished the season with just six tackles and a pass breakup.