After losing their last two heading into Week 9, the Chargers went across the map and defeated the Eagles by the score of 27-24.
Here are five quick takeaways from Los Angeles’ shootout victory over Philadelphia in Week 9:
The Herbert we all know
After being neutralized by two of the best defenses, Herbert returned to form. He only had six incomplete passes on the day, throwing for 356 yards, and posting three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). The Eagles’ defense is not of the same caliber as the Ravens or Patriots, but Herbert was much more decisive with his reads and his throws were on the money for the most part. In particular, Herbert favored wide receiver Keenan Allen, who had 12 catches for 104 yards on 13 targets.
Play-calling was better, but…
The execution in the red zone early on and on fourth down left a lot to be desired. The Chargers had six trips to the red zone but only converted on three of them. One example of a head-scratching play call came in the second quarter when they ran a pitch play with running back Joshua Kelley on 4th-and-2 but came up short. Other than that, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi did an excellent job of protecting Herbert, getting him more on the move and getting the skill players consistently open in the shorter and intermediate parts of the fields, including…
Big day for the tight ends
In August, I wrote about the Chargers’ tight ends having the potential to be a real strength, and the group was spotlighted throughout the evening, as Lombardi did a fine job of getting them open in space. Jared Cook finished with four catches for 48 yards. Donald Parham had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Also a stud in the blocking department, Stephen Anderson posted a season-high four catches for 39 yards and a score. Rookie Tre’ McKitty was not on the field that much, but he made some key blocks.
Did enough defensively
When you look at the stat sheet, you’ll see that the Chargers gave up 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. While not ideal numbers, there weren’t many chunk plays. The front did its job, with Linval Joseph making an assortment of plays on the ball, finishing with nine tackles. Kyzir White and Drue Tranquill cleaned up a lot of plays as well, combining for 17 tackles. Edge defender Joey Bosa, when not being held, generated a good amount of pressure. QB Jalen Hurts did not throw the ball that much, but when he did, it was primarily to WR DeVonta Smith, who had his way against Chris Harris Jr. All in all, not a great but not a bad performance defensively.
Shoutout to the special teams
The Chargers made investments during the bye week, bringing in returner Andre Roberts and kicker Dustin Hopkins, who had positive impacts on the game. Roberts averaged 24 yards per kick, with a long of 39 yards. He also made something out of nothing on his lone punt return. Despite missing one of his two extra-point attempts, Hopkins had the game-winning field goal. Furthermore, the return units looked a lot better, allowing an average of just 11.5 yards per kick.