Alohi Gilman stuffed a pair of cleats into his travel bag and took a seat in a chair facing his locker. The location was familiar. The feeling was not.
Last December, Gilman was seated in front of the exact same locker, shell-shocked by what had just transpired on the field. The room was dead silent that night as the Los Angeles Chargers showered and packed their things and stared down an uncertain future.
What a difference a year makes.
Because on this evening in the visiting locker room at Allegiant Stadium, the Chargers were jovial. Laughter and smiles replaced the piercing silence. Gilman was reminded that he was sitting at that exact same locker. He chuckled. “Good times,” he said.
The Chargers got their revenge. They beat the Las Vegas Raiders, 34-20, on Sunday to finish coach Jim Harbaugh’s first regular season at 11-6. They clinched the fifth seed and will play at the Houston Texans on Saturday in the wild-card round.
Read more below!
GO FURTHER
Chargers exact revenge against Raiders, head to playoffs where ‘the real football begins’