Category: Latest Chargers news

Expert panel says Chargers have most difficult future QB situation in NFL

The Chargers will have their toughest decision to make when the 2019 season comes to an end.

The Chargers will have their toughest decision to make when the 2019 season comes to an end. The team will have to decide whether or not they will move forward with their quarterback of the past 16 seasons.

Our good friends at Touchdown Wire spoke with a panel of experts (one former head coach, two former general managers and one current general manager) and asked what they thought of the future quarterback situation for each team in the league.

Here is what they thought about the situation in Los Angeles:

This is perhaps the league’s most difficult quarterback situation to assess at this moment. Philip Rivers, 37, is in the last year of his contract. Backup Tyrod Taylor is signed through 2020, but he’s not a long-term answer as the starter. The Chargers likely will try to re-sign Rivers. But it’s time to find his heir apparent. Easton Stick, a fifth-round choice this year out of North Dakota State, is viewed as nothing more than a backup. The Chargers may use an early-round pick on a quarterback with the potential to be a starter. “Keep Rivers if he wants to keep playing. But it’s time to draft a quarterback for the future,” a panelist said. “They’re not going to have a top pick, but they still should be high enough to get a good quarterback.”

Rivers, who will turn 38 in December, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Rivers is coming off a 2018 season, where he threw for 32 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. But it’s been the exact opposite in 2019.

Rivers has thrown 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, which ranks as the second-most in the league. The reason for his poor play has been resulted from an inconsistent offensive line, as well as his own signs of regression, including mental miscues and lack of velocity on his passes.

It’s unfortunate to see a decline in play from a player that has carried the team for such a long time, and it has been done with a below average offensive line for the majority of his professional career.

The Chargers have not addressed the quarterback position in the first four rounds of the draft since Rivers became the full-time starter since 2006.

Los Angeles has Tyrod Taylor and rookie Easton Stick behind Rivers, but there isn’t anything that suggests one of those guys will be the long-term solution, which means that the team could heavily consider one in the 2020 NFL draft.

The way we see it, there are one of three things that will happen.

The Chargers will re-sign Rivers to a short, but large contract and address the offensive line heavily this offseason. They re-sign Rivers and still draft his successor early on. Or, the team lets Rivers walk, they draft a quarterback in the early rounds and let Taylor be the bridge in 2020.

The bottom line is that Los Angeles will have a big decision to make when this offseason rolls around and it will be one of the heftier headlines when that time comes.

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Ranking Chargers’ 5 remaining regular-season opponents

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez ranks the Chargers’ remaining opponents from the toughest to the weakest.

The Los Angeles Chargers have five opponents to face before their 2019 season comes to an end.

Sitting at 4-7, their playoff chances aren’t mathematically diminished, but they will still have a tough road ahead, and they will likely have to get some help from other teams if they wish to keep playing in January.

With that, we decided to rank the Bolts’ remaining regular season opponents from the toughest to the weakest to show what they will be tasked with in the final stretch of the year.

1. Week 15 vs. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

The Vikings are looking to be crowned NFC North champs, and they have certainly been playing like it in all facets of the game.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is having one of his best seasons yet, passing for 2,020 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception since Week 5. Running back Dalvin Cook has been a threat out of the backfield. Wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are still one of the most dynamic duos.

Meanwhile, their defense continues to be impactful on a weekly basis, particularly the front seven, who’s allowing 94.2 yards per game on the ground and has gotten to the quarterback 31 times.

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Chargers TE Hunter Henry lights out since returning from injury

Hunter Henry is making his case to get a nice paycheck after the season.

It’s like he never lost a step.

Since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him on the season-opener for four weeks, tight end Hunter Henry has been remarkable. Henry has caught 39 passes for 487 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.5 yards per reception and has caught 72.2% of his targets.

With the injuries that hit the wide receiver position within the time he was out, it only allowed for his opportunities to increase. That has been the case and it has been evident that Henry has been quarterback Philip Rivers’ main man, as he’s received nearly eight targets per game since his return.

Henry has either racked up 80+ yards or a touchdown in four of his six games back to the lineup.

Like former Chargers great Antonio Gates once was as Rivers’ go-to guy, Henry appears to have filled the shoes in the former Arkansas product’s first season as the featured tight end.

Henry, 24, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Los Angeles will have a slew of players that they will have to re-sign and he is atop of the list. Even though staying healthy has been an issue throughout his professional career, he is easily one of the league’s best tight ends and the production is there to back it up.

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Chargers’ Joey Bosa among top vote getters in early Pro Bowl voting

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa is getting the recognition he deserves.

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa currently leads all players at his position in the AFC conference in early Pro Bowl voting.

With one week of voting now complete, the NFL released the first set of Pro Bowl voting Wednesday and they show Bosa at the top with 62,029 votes.

Right underneath him is his brother, Nick, who’s leading the NFC conference in votes among all defensive ends with 72,506 votes.

It’s not all that surprising that Bosa is leading in votes. This season, he’s been a force in the trenches once again. Whether it’s getting after the quarterback or defending the run, his presence is known on a weekly basis.

Bosa has amassed 50 tackles (33 solo), 21 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks through 11 games.

The former Ohio State product has benefited from having his partner-in-crime, Melvin Ingram on the field. When both Ingram and Bosa are aligned on the same side, opposing offensive tackles are simply outmatched.

To solidify Bosa, along with your other favorite Chargers, you can go vote for them here.

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3 Chargers players that have exceeded expectations in 2019

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three players that have rose to the occasion, which many may have not anticipated.

Despite being hampered by injuries this season, the Chargers still possess one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. While there are players that had high expectations heading into the year, there were a few that weren’t talked about as much and have exceeded many people’s expectations.

With that, here are three Chargers players that have been good in a surprising manner in 2019.

C Scott Quessenberry

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Starting center Mike Pouncey was a hit with a season-ending injury in October, which forced the Chargers to turn to the former UCLA product to fill the void.

Quessenberry, the La Costa native, grew up as a Chargers fan. He wears the number that former Charger great Nick Hardwick wore in No. 61 in hopes to have a big impact on the team that he’s always supported.

In five games played, he’s made an impact on the offensive side of the ball that many may have not been expecting from him when filling in for a four-time Pro Bowler.

But you can tell that the second-year player has used that time learning from one of the best at the center position.

Quessenberry has kept pressure away from quarterback Philip Rivers on the inside by using his high football IQ to recognize blitzes and execute his blocks, along with opening up running lanes for running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler.

Pouncey is slated to become a free agent after the 2020 season, which means that if the Chargers feel like they have something in Quessenberry, they could move on from Pouncey and make Quessenberry the long-term center.

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Chargers offensive line not to blame for Philip Rivers’ woes vs. Chiefs

The Chargers offensive line had their best performance last Monday against the Chiefs.

The Chargers offensive line has taken a hit all season for being the reason why quarterback Philip Rivers has underperformed.

Following the Monday night game, the narrative that Rivers’ four-interception performance was because he didn’t trust his offensive line, thus making him feel rushed to make throws was still arisen.

The truth is, the offensive line wasn’t the issue. In fact, the unit that boasted two backup tackles and center had their best outing of the 2019 season against a stout Chiefs front.

After re-watching the game, there were only a couple plays in which Rivers was under duress. The first came when defensive end Frank Clark beat offensive tackle Trey Pipkins with speed and a dip move to force Rivers into throwing the interception.

The second came in the third quarter. Clark beat Pipkins with power off the line of scrimmage and caught him off guard with a chop-dip move to disrupt Rivers’ throw.

Outside of those plays, along with a couple others, the protection for Rivers was rock solid.

Trent Scott holds his own against Clark’s long arm move, giving him no ground.

Here, Pipkins latches on to Clark, resetting his hands and giving Rivers enough time to throw. On this play, you can see Hunter Henry is open in the middle of the field, but Rivers is locked on Austin Ekeler, which shows he isn’t going through his reads.

Very clean pocket here, as running back Melvin Gordon and fullback Derek Watt pick up the defenders attempting to blitz.

Again, Pipkins and Scott give there block no time to get into the backfield. Rivers has a clean pocket, but panics and opts to roll to the right when it’s too late.

Rivers has a clean pocket, but he steps up in a panic matter and is picked off by safety Tyrann Mathieu in a pass intended to wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Guard Michael Schofield is called for illegal hands to the face on this play, but look at Scott and Pipkins eliminate their blocks to give Rivers time. Just a very poor decision and great play by the Chiefs.

The offensive line isn’t as stout as others across the league, but they showed major improvement from the previous week against the Raiders, where they allowed five sacks.

With a lot of the focus being put on the line because of Rivers’ 14 interceptions this season, it is fair to say they weren’t the problem this past Monday.

Rivers’ issues are due to misreads, lack of anticipation and poor pocket awareness. It may not seem like it, but the Chargers offensive line has done well with their initial protections of Rivers with what they have after the slew of injuries to the position.

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Chargers’ Casey Hayward should be talked about among NFL’s best cornerbacks

Casey Hayward has made his mark as one of the league’s top cornerbacks.

It’s easy to overlook players when their team isn’t being headlined nationally. The Chargers, who are 4-7, have a handful of players on the roster who deserve more recognition at their perspective position. Among the crop is cornerback Casey Hayward.

A second-round selection of the Packers in 2012, Hayward didn’t receive a second contract offer in 2016. General manager Tom Telesco quickly noticed he was on the market and brought him to Southern California, where he’s become not only the team’s best corner, but tops in the entire league in a three-year span.

Lining up across the league’s top wide receivers, “Showcase” has stymied nearly every single one. As a result, he has made two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro second teams while producing the fifth-most interceptions (13) and second-most pass breakups (57) among NFL players since 2016.

Why isn’t he getting the attention he deserves?

For one, his statistical production has dropped the past two seasons. Hayward hasn’t popped on the stat sheet, because quarterbacks don’t throw in his direction due to the fear of a negative play.

When quarterbacks dare to pass in his direction, he’s making plays on the ball. Using his high football intelligence and instincts, he reads the eyes of the quarterback and goes off route concepts. Hayward reads formations better than any other player at his position.

Hayward has allowed only one catch over the last four games and has given up a reception on just 47.2% of his targets this season.

Hayward has proved that he deserves to be talked about as the current greatest cornerback, over the likes of the 49ers’ Richard Sherman, the Rams’ Jalen Ramsey, Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore and the Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr.

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How quickly we forget; Chargers’ Philip Rivers nearly perfect on this date, one year ago

On This Date: One year ago today, quarterback Philip Rivers had a career performance.

It’s amazing how much things can change within a year.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had his worst performance in the past three years on Monday night against the Chiefs. But exactly on this date, one year ago, Nov. 25, Rivers had arguably his best outing in that time span.

In a 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, it was highlighted by a career game from Rivers. The veteran quarterback set an NFL record for consecutive completions to start a game (23), and tied the record for consecutive completions (25).

Rivers completed 28 of 29 passes (96.6%), which was also a record for completion percentage in a single game (minimum 20 attempts) for 259 yards and three touchdowns, helping Los Angeles rack up 42 points in a row.

With Rivers’ struggles this season, which includes 14 interceptions in 11 games, it’s easy to forget about his promising two-year stretch in 2017 and 2018.

You can blame the carousel along the offensive line for his woes, but the truth is, a good chunk of it is indeed on him. Rivers is making a handful mental errors and his arm talent isn’t where it used to be, which is a reason for their current standing.

We’ve seen a lot of bad games from Rivers this season, especially this past Monday night. But in the 16 years that he has been under center for the Bolts, there have been a lot of great performances, including the one that happened on this date, a season ago.

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Chargers’ Anthony Lynn not considering benching QB Philip Rivers

Don’t expect to see Tyrod Taylor or rookie Easton Stick out on the field anytime soon.

While quarterback Philip Rivers is coming off two consecutive games that were undoubtably the worst of the past three seasons, the question has come up if the the Chargers are going to bench him.

Coach Anthony Lynn has no intentions to bench the veteran signal-caller anytime soon on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to entertain that right now. I’m going to evaluate everything, and right now Philip Rivers is our starting quarterback. But I’m not going to single one position out. I’m looking at everybody. We’re 4-7. Everybody can be doing something better,” Lynn said.

The past two contests have been the difference between staying alive in playoff contention and having those chances being diminished, and a lot of it falls on Rivers’ shoulders. He has completed 54.2% of his passes with three touchdowns and seven interceptions as the Bolts have lost both games.

There are a lot of things that will have fingers being pointed at for the reason that Los Angeles is sitting at a surprising 4-7 record, but the 14 interceptions in the 11-game span is one of the reasons why the team is where they’re at entering their bye week.

The offensive line has been the narrative all season long, but Rivers’ decision-making, pocket awareness and lack of anticipation is a main ingredient for the team’s lackluster 2019 season.

Nearly eliminated from the postseason, the idea of benching Rivers and playing Tyrod Taylor or rookie Easton Stick has been brought up because the Chargers wouldn’t have much to lose.

There’s reason to believe that this could be Rivers final season in a blue and gold uniform, so giving Taylor or Stick some playing time before the season ends would give the coaching staff an idea what the two look like in live-game action.

Heading into bye week after the dreadful loss, the only thing that fans can think about is what the future holds for Rivers.

“I don’t have that luxury to think about Philip and the future, his contract. My focus is the next game against the Denver Broncos. At the end of the season that will take care of itself. Right now we’re trying to finish this season on a positive note,” Lynn said.

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4 Chargers whose stock rose in loss to Chiefs

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out four Chargers players that had standout games on Monday night against the Chiefs.

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a huge loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at Estadio Azteca.

There were some solid performances in Week 11, even though Los Angeles wound up falling, 24-17.

Here are four Chargers players whose stock rose:

RB Melvin Gordon

Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images

Gordon knew he was in line for a monstrous performance facing the 31st run defense entering the game, and he delivered in a big way for the third consecutive outing.

Once again, Gordon ran like the player we knew from a season ago, seeing openings and running through or spinning his way through defenders. He ended up totaling 80 yards from scrimmage.

Gordon moved into a tie with fullback Keith Lincoln for No. 5 among Chargers running backs all-time in yards receiving (’61-’68) at 1,689. His three receptions in the game also brought him to 200 in his career.

RB Austin Ekeler

While Gordon established the ground game, Ekeler provided a superb option in the passing game out of the backfield. Routinely being targeted underneath, Ekeler made a lot of huge plays happen, including a 37-yard reception on the first drive.

Ekeler finished the game with 24 rushing yards on five carries and 108 receiving yards on eight catches, his second career 100-yard receiving performance. He tied wide receiver Keenan Allen in receptions with his big outing.

The tandem of Gordon and Ekeler combined for 222 yards from scrimmage.

DE Melvin Ingram

The defense’s stout performance all started up front in the trenches, which was led by the dominance of Ingram.

Ingram was a force from the first snap of the game, but he came in clutch in the fourth quarter, making third-down stops on the Chiefs’ final three drives, which all led to punts.

He finished with five tackles, two passes defensed and one sack. Ingram’s lone sack in the fourth quarter allowed him to pass Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau for No. 4 in Chargers history (47.5).

FS Rayshawn Jenkins

The first line of defense made sure that quarterback Patrick Mahomes was under constant duress, buying him no time to throw the ball. But the rest of the members were solid in keeping everything in front of them, particularly Jenkins.

On one of the very few throws where Mahomes tried to go deep, Jenkins was there to click and close on the football. Jenkins’ interception of Mahomes was just the second of the season for Mahomes, whose touchdown to interception ratio entering the game was 18:1.

Jenkins knew that he would have to keep the speedy Chiefs wideouts from getting behind him and he rose to the occasion. Jenkins now has three interceptions on the season.

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