In his Los Angeles Chargers debut, four-year veteran J.K. Dobbins put up 135 rushing yards and one touchdown from 10 carries. His efforts helped the Bolts defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10.
“Thank you to all my teammates for blocking for me,” Dobbins said. “It’s kind of like my career, keep fighting, keep pushing, keep believing.”
Dobbins made two major gains in the second half: a 46-yard carry in the third quarter and a 61-yard advance in the fourth. While both plays ultimately led to the Chargers scoring, Dobbins regretted not being able to run the ball in himself.
“The first 40 [yards], I was like ‘bye-bye’ because I was pulling away from them,” Dobbins said about his 61-yard run. “After that … I got heavy.”
Related Stories
Student Athlete of the Week: Lauryn Williams
The Blade and the Barrier: Lauren Scruggs and the Rise of Black Excellence in Fencing
Dobbins emphasized how he needs to get back in shape and wants to improve. Regardless, he had a breakout game after being plagued with injuries in previous seasons. Last year with the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbins tore his Achilles in the season opener and was out for the season. A knee injury sidelined him in 2022.
“I know the journey he’s been on, tearing his Achilles, from battling back, people counting you out,” Chargers safety Derwin James said. “For him to come back and battle back and not complain, I tip my hat off to him, nothing but respect for him.”
In college, Dobbins helped the Ohio State Buckeyes reach the Rose Bowl in 2019. He had 24 running yards and one touchdown, helping the Buckeyes defeat the Washington Huskies 28-23.
“This is the City of Angels and I must have some angels here,” Dobbins said. “I’m gonna keep fighting, keep working and hopefully I can get more big games in Los Angeles.”
Dobbins gave a late jolt to a slow offense. However, the Chargers defense contained the Raiders by limiting their running game to 71 yards and sacking quarterback Gardner Minshew II four times. Linebacker Daiyan Henley noted how he appreciated the running game of the Bolts.
“The man’s a dog and he ran like it,” Henley said about Dobbins. “If you know anything about defense, that run game really gives us time to collect ourselves and they were killing.”
James, Henley, and linebacker Joey Bosa had seven total tackles each. In the effort, James reached 500 career tackles. Linebacker Khalil Mack led in sacks with 1.5. In one of the two fumbles the Bolts recovered, Mack made a 22-yard return. The play was a catalyst for a field goal.
“That was a long way to go,” Mack said. “I tried to take off with it but I didn’t know there was two people that close to me. I’m mad I wasn’t able to get in the endzone.”
To cap off the defensive performance, lineman Poona Ford picked off Minshew in the final minutes. The match-up also came with tense moments with Raiders cornerback Jack Jones and Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer getting ejected for fighting.
“We’re trying to ultimately dominate the west coast,” Henley said. “This is just a start and we have more work to do but we’re gonna build.”
The Chargers now travel to battle the Carolina Panthers on September 15 at 10:00A.M.
