Ladd McConkey makes NFL history despite Chargers' bad loss to Texans in Wild Card Round
The opening game of the playoffs will be a night the Los Angeles Chargers and head coach Jim Harbaugh would love to forget after falling 32-12 to the Houston Texans, but there's one thing for the Chargers to be proud of after the loss.The Chargers have found themselves a special player in rookie wide receiver […]
The opening game of the playoffs will be a night the Los Angeles Chargers and head coach Jim Harbaugh would love to forget after falling 32-12 to the Houston Texans, but there's one thing for the Chargers to be proud of after the loss.
The Chargers have found themselves a special player in rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
The Chargers' second-round pick out of Georgia already had the best rookie season by a wide receiver in franchise history and now capped off the final game of his rookie campaign by breaking an NFL record.
In the loss to the Texans, McConkey finished the game with 197 receiving yards, surpassing the NFL rookie playoff game record set by Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua (181) just a year prior. McConkey set the record on this insane 86-yard catch and run touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
It was an insanely impressive performance by the young play-maker and the perfect way to cap off his rookie season, outside of the final result.
"He was a beast," Harbaugh said after the loss. "Incredible player, tough as they come. We love the way all the guys fought and battled and the effort that they gave."
McConkey had already surpassed the franchise rookie records in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,149) during the regular season, passing both records set by Keenan Allen in 2013. McConkey's game on Saturday was also eerie similar to the second playoff game of Allen's rookie season where he hauled in six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
"He just finds a way to make plays and he's just done a great job competing all year and we're a better team with him," quarterback Justin Herbert added. "He's a true ball player and incredible to watch him play today."
Counting this game, McConkey surpassed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season. He only had two such games during his entire three-year college career with the Georgia Bulldogs.
The sky is the limit for what this kid can turn into with the Chargers going into 2025 and beyond, but the Chargers will need to get him some help in the room. During Saturday's loss, Chargers' wide receivers not named Ladd McConkey finished the game with two receptions for 14 yards combined.
But the good news is, you can confidently say the Chargers did something right by drafting McConkey as the ninth wide receiver off the board.
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