The Thunder Down Under Chargers Podcast

Thunder Down Under

Three Aussies. One passion: American Football Join best mates Andy (@TDU_Andy), Jack (@TDU_Jack), and Alister (@TDU_ Alister) as they use data, analysis, and humour to work through their feelings about the Los Angeles Chargers and the NFL. If you love the Chargers and the NFL, you'll love The Thunder Down Under. Follow us on Twitter at @TDU_Chargers Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheThunderDownUnderPodcast Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your favourite podcasts

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21 episodes
Updated Yesterday
Explicit

Episodes21

Newest first

Yesterday · 1 hr 23 min
Are Chargers Fans Dead Wrong About Trey Pipkins?
Training Camp is in full flight (or as Harbaugh likes to call it, glide mode). With the first padded practice over in San Diego, it is time to take stock of the week’s action and share our biggest Charger takeaways on TDU. We then move onto our first 2026 Opponent Series segment of the offseason, breaking down the NFC West and the challenges presented by this fearsome division. Don't miss it!
July 18 · 50 min
ESPN’s Kris Rhim Talks Chargers with TDU!
ESPN Chargers reporter Kris Rhim joins the Thunder Down Under Chargers Podcast to discuss Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh and the biggest storylines ahead of Los Angeles Chargers training camp. We welcomed ESPN’s Chargers beat reporter, Kris Rhim, onto the show today to chat about the Bolts’ offseason and everything fans can expect to see at training camp! We shared our takes and also bombarded Kris with the kinds of hard-hitting questions he’s more accustomed to asking than answering! And, of course, we challenged Kris to our famous TDU Aussie Quiz. Don't miss it!
June 28 · 54 min
Chargers Biggest Offseason Takeaways! | Have They Done Enough?
The Charger players have been working hard at OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp. But have the TDU boys been grinding too during their time off? Or have they been busy following their popstar wives on a global musical tour? Find out today as we bring you our Biggest Chargers Offseason Takeaways to kickstart Season 5 of TDU. Is the Bolt’s Interior OL still a problem? Are McDaniel and Herbert fully in synch (with their footwork and their minds)? Now that the picture is almost complete, how do we grade Joe Hortiz’s roster building efforts? We discuss it all #BoltFam. Don't miss it!
May 2 · 1 hr 55 min
Welcome to the Chargers 2026 Draft Class!
The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books and the Chargers welcomed 8 new players into the #BoltFam! There were even some trades! Join us today as we break down each player, hand out our draft grades, and present our Draft Edition of “Knife or Spoon”, sharing some winners & losers from around the NFL after a fantastic weekend of action. Don't miss it
April 20 · 2 hr 26 min
The Ultimate 2026 NFL Draft Guide: Chargers Edition!
With 4 days until the 2026 NFL Draft, we’ve invited “Mr Xs&Os” himself, Ryan Watkins from The Powderkeg Podcast, back on the show for the Chargers’ Ultimate 2026 Draft Guide. Together, Ryan and Al share their views on this class based on 1,000+ hours of All-22 tape evaluation, working through all of the key position groups and the prospects they think best fit the Chargers’ needs. Will there be fierce disagreement between these two, headstrong and passionate, tape dawgs? Listen to find out #BoltFam!
April 15 · 1 hr 29 min
Chargers Mock Draft Exercise with TDU!
With only a little more than a week until the 2026 NFL Draft, we run through some different Mock Draft exercises for the #TDUCrew forecasting different possible outcomes for the Chargers this year. Does it matter which position gets taken in Round 1? What does a draft with a ‘trade’ look like? Join us to find out
April 4 · 1 hr 32 min
Setting the Chargers Draft Board with Guilty As Charged and TDU!
It’s 3 weeks until the 2026 NFL Draft and what better time to welcome Guilty as Charged’s Steven and Tyler back on Thunder Down Under Chargers! Together we discuss all the recent team news before undertaking a critical off-season exercise: Setting the Chargers’ Big Board! What discussions would GM Joe Hortiz, Assistant GM Chad Alexander and their scouts be having behind closed doors? Which draft prospects are the best fits for the Bolts? What strategy should be applied on Draft Day? We discuss it all so listen to find out!
March 15 · 1 hr 14 min
Joe Hortiz: Genius or Villain? | Chargers Free Agency Breakdown!
For a third consecutive free agency, the Chargers have had a deathly quiet start to proceedings and fans have seriously had enough! Armed with the most cap space in the NFL, GM Joe Hortiz has adopted a cautious, targeted approach, staying true to his Baltimore origins. Big names like Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson have departed. Lesser-known names like Keaton Mitchell, Charlie Kolar, Alec Ingold and Cole Strange have arrived. Are these shrewd football decisions by the Bolts’ top man or is it simply parsimonious tosh?! Is he the best or is he the worst GM in the League?! In this binary era of football discourse and analysis, is it possible to be anything in between? We discuss it all on TDU. Don’t miss it!
March 7 · 1 hr 6 min
Chargers SIGN Center Tyler Biadasz! | More Free Agency DECISIONS On The Way!
TDU IS BACK IN TOWN! After a restful break, we return to the airwaves to discuss all the recent Chargers news and the team’s 2026 offseason plan. Oh yes, Hortiz has made his first big move of free agency this morning signing a new starting Center, former Commander Tyler Biadasz, to a 3yr, $30m deal. But there are still so many questions left to answer. Is some Mega Trade on the horizon? Which free agents (internal or external) will Hortiz prioritise applying the most cap space in the NFL towards? We address it all on our first show of TDU Season 5. Don’t miss it!
February 1 · 1 hr 37 min
REACTIONS to new Chargers OC Mike McDaniel Intro Presser & 2025 Lessons! | TDU & PowderKeg Crossover
It’s been only three weeks since the Chargers lost in the Wild Card Round but so much has happened! Some of it bittersweet (Coach Minter becoming the new Ravens HC) and some of it incredibly exciting: yes, that’s right #TDUCrew, former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel will be calling the plays for Justin Herbert in 2026 as his new Offensive Coordinator! Today on TDU we go LIVE with our buddies from the PowderKeg Podcast to discuss all the recent team news, share our 2025 Season Takeaways, and enjoy a lightning round of Q&A about the offseason ahead. Oh Chargers, every year you break our spirits, but then you go and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELVES in the offseason and suck us right back in! Don’t miss it!
January 14 · 1 hr 1 min
Charger HEARTBREAK in New England! | OC Greg Roman FIRED
So, the Chargers lost in the Wild Card Round and Justin Herbert played his worst game of the season. Does that sound familiar, #BoltFam? This is the grim reality now facing the team after its 16-3 loss to New England following which OC Greg Roman and OL Coach Mike Devlin were fired: DC Jesse Minter is almost certainly leaving the team to be a Head Coach somewhere else next season; Justin Herbert is 0-3 in the Playoffs; and he will be asked to learn a 5th offensive system under a new Offensive Coordinator in 2026 (whoever that is). Never have there been more moving parts for us to piece together. Join us today on TDU as we try to make sense of this Wild Card Round Disaster. Don’t miss it!
January 8 · 1 hr 17 min
On to New England for the Chargers! | Huge Wild Card Match-Up Confirmed
The Chargers’ 2025 regular season concluded on Sunday with a “meaningless” game against the Broncos at Mile High, Denver. Most of the team’s important starters were rested ahead of the playoffs, but Harbaugh’s men nevertheless battled manfully – led by QB2 Trey Lance. After a while, the disparity between the Broncos’ starters and Bolts’ back-ups became too great, and the Broncos secured victory 19-3 (also claiming the AFC’s #1 overall seed in the process). Now, Wild Card Round beckons. The moment is almost here. And it is to New England, Massachusetts, that Justin Herbert, Derwin James, Khalil Mack, and the rest of the team will travel, desperate to make amends for their early playoff exit in Season 2024. Of course, Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye will have other ideas, eager to cement their status as a new, rising AFC powerhouse. Today, we discuss it all on TDU and answer some listener questions from the #TDUMailbag. This is your ideal prelude to the big game #BoltFam. Don’t miss it! **Apologies for Jack's internet in this episode!
Dec 30, 2025 · 59 min
Chargers Humbled by Houston! | AFC West Title Now Out of Reach
The Texans snapped the Chargers four game win streak in Wk 17 and, with the 20-16 loss, the AFC West Title is now officially out of reach for Jim Harbaugh’s men. A slow start on Defense left the team in a 14-0 hole and, despite some Justin Herbert heroics in the second half, 5 sacks from the Houston Defense was enough to secure a narrow victory. With a playoff spot confirmed and only Wild Card seeding left to be settled, how should the Bolts approach their Wk 18 trip to Denver? Join us as we recap Sunday’s action and work through the different scenarios. Don’t miss it!
Dec 23, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
Chargers Can Still Win the AFC West! | 11-4 After Beating Cowboys in Dallas
Christmas is just around the corner and the #BoltFam can REJOICE following a comfortable 34-17 win by the team in Dallas, the Chargers’ fourth consecutive victory. With a Broncos loss in Wk 16 and the AFC West well and truly alive, join us on TDU today as we recap the Bolts’ trip to Jerrah World, read through Santa’s Naughty and Nice List for Season 2025, and share our score predictions for a big Wk 17 match-up against the Texans. Don’t miss it!
Dec 15, 2025 · 41 min
Chargers Sweep Chiefs At Arrowhead! | First Time Since 2013
The conditions were frigid and the crowd was frosty at Arrowhead on Sunday, but nothing could stop the Harbaugh-led Bolts from bringing their best when their best was needed against the Kansas City Chiefs. In their first season sweep of Big Red's Big Babies since 2013, the Chargers were rugged, ruthless and showed dogged determination, winning the turnover battle, and ultimately the game, 16-13. It wasn't pretty but it was enough to get the job done and the #BoltFam rejoiced. Join us today for a special episode of TDU recorded LIVE after the game. Don't miss the Victory Pod!
Dec 11, 2025 · 53 min
Epic Chargers Overtime Win on Monday Night Football! | Record 9-4 after Beating Eagles
In one of the craziest games of the season, the Chargers defeated the reigning Super Bowl Champions on Monday Night Football in a seesaw-ing Overtime affair featuring 8 total turnovers! Nursing a broken hand, Herbert showed courage all night and willed his team to victory. The Defense came to play and ultimately sealed the game with their fourth interception of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, a tip from CB Cam Hart landing in the waiting arms of veteran S Tony Jefferson by the shadow of the Chargers’ own Endzone in OT. Now boasting a 9-4 record, the Bolts schedule doesn’t get any easier, with last year’s other Super Bowl participant, those Kansas City Chiefs, awaiting them at Arrowhead Stadium in Wk 15. Just how excited should the #BoltFam be about this insane Wk 14 victory? Is this team still fatally flawed or can we all dare to dream? Join us this week on TDU to find out. Don’t miss it!
Dec 4, 2025 · 42 min
Chargers Wreck Raiders 31-14 | Record Improves to 8-4!
The Los Angeles Chargers completed a 2025 sweep of the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi on Sunday, winning comfortably by three scores and improving their season record to 8-4. RB Kimani Vidal’s stellar 126-yard performance on the ground made him the first Bolts Back since Melvin Gordon (in 2018) to exceed the 100-yard rushing mark 3x in a single season. However, the biggest story emerging from the game was QB Justin Herbert’s broken left hand – suffered on a missed tackle attempt in the open field – which required surgery on Monday and put his status for Wk 14 MNF against the Eagles in Wk 14 in question. How will this injury affect the rest of the Chargers’ season? Has the Defense and ground game (with Hampton shortly to return) shown enough that it shouldn’t really matter? These are the big questions and we discuss it all this week on TDU. Don’t miss it!
Nov 30, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min
Chargers Bye Week Lessons!
Fresh off Bye Week, the Chargers will be seeking to improve their 7-4 record against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, at home. Today – on a special TDU YouTube Live show – we welcome our buddy, Ryan Watkins from the PowderKeg Podcast. Together, we share our biggest lessons and takeaways from the season so far, enjoy some lightning Q&A, and answer questions from our #BoltFam audience. Don’t miss it!
Nov 19, 2025 · 50 min
No Revenge for Chargers in Jacksonville!
It was déjà vu for the #BoltFam on Sunday, as the Chargers strolled into Jacksonville in Wk 11 with a quiet confidence, but left knowing they’d experienced a seismic season-shifting loss. The Jags 35-6 Bolt Beatdown was the most lopsided time of possession imbalance of any game in Coach Harbaugh’s NFL Career. Not wanting his Coach to suffer the ignominy of a career low statistical mark alone, Herbert also passed for his lowest career yardage total in a game (81). As the team now enters their bye week, admittedly their chances of making the playoffs remain high. Their overall season record is 7-4 and their AFC West record is 3-0. However, have all these wins been for a lost cause? We discuss both sides of the coin today on TDU. Don’t miss it!
Nov 12, 2025 · 55 min
Chargers Make Statement on Sunday Night Football! | 7-3 Record After Dominating Steelers
On Sunday Night Football in Wk 10, the Chargers showed the world they have what it takes – even with Joe Alt out for the season – to challenge the very best teams in 2025. It was a night where Keenan Allen surpassed Antonio Gates as the All-Time Franchise Receptions Leader, and the #BoltFam were treated to a special team performance. In an absolute beatdown of the Steelers, Jesse Minter’s Defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Offense to 3 total points until junk time in Q4. The Chargers Offense, relying on Justin Herbert and the rush Offense, did just enough to keep the Steelers fearsome pass rush at bay. The final score (25-10) flattered the visiting team and the Chargers’ victory took their season record to an impressive 7-3. With only a trip to Jacksonville standing between the Bolts and their bye week, are fans now feeling confident that a deep playoff push is on horizon? Or do doubts still linger? Join us on another episode of TDU to hear our views on all of the Chargery topics. Don’t miss it!