Category: Latest Chargers news

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon set to have field day vs. Chiefs

Chargers running back Melvin Gordon could have a season-high performance against the Chiefs on Monday night.

After a few lackluster games since returning to the Chargers lineup after his holdout due to contract disputes, running back Melvin Gordon is starting to pick things up and display the player that everyone has been anticipating.

The past two games combined, Gordon has rushed for 188 yards on 42 carries (4.4 yards per carry), including three touchdowns. His performance against the Raiders last Thursday marked the first time a Chargers player has rushed for over 100 yards.

Gordon will have an opportunity to have a season-high game, facing a Chiefs run defense that is allowing 148.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks second-worst in the NFL.

Gordon’s first few performances showed a rusty player that had been out of live game action for so long. But since he’s been getting more reps and is getting into a flow, along with the change to the offensive coordinator, it’s all starting to come together for the former Wisconsin product.

Starting out of the backfield, Gordon’s vision has improved significantly. He is quickly diagnosing defenders coming his way and seeing holes that are made for him instead of relying purely on his strength to drive through a pile of scrap.

Along with that, Gordon is running with the grit and toughness that he’s known for, refusing to go down and delivering blows to defenders to keep the play churning.

Going into the Week 11 matchup, expect the offense to rely heavily on pounding the rock with Gordon and Austin Ekeler to exploit the weakness of the Chiefs defense.

If you own Gordon on your fantasy team, start him this week.

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3 key matchups to watch in Chargers vs. Chiefs

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three key position matchups to watch when the Chargers take on the Chiefs in Week 11.

The Chargers and Chiefs are set to be featured in primetime on Monday Night Football.

Here are three key matchups to watch that could ultimately determine the outcome of the game:

CB Casey Hayward vs. WR Tyreek Hill

Hayward continues to shutdown the league’s most prolific wideouts on a weekly basis, but now, he will be tasked with limiting not only one of the best, but the fastest that he’s faced this season.

Since missing the first four games of the season due to suspension, Hill has come back and has been a headache for opposing secondaries. He has scored five touchdowns in the last four games. Over his last two performances, Hill is averaging 148.5 receiving per game.

Hayward will have to keep Hill in front of him and eliminate the dink and dunk plays turning into big plays. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins will have a bigger role as he needs to come up and make plays from the single high role, whether that be as an open-field tackler or breaking up deep passes.

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Chargers designate safety Adrian Phillips for return from IR

The Los Angeles Chargers designated safety Adrian Phillips for return from the injured reserve.

The Chargers have designated safety Adrian Phillips for return from injured reserve, per the league’s transaction log.

Phillips was placed on the IR on Sept. 17 after sustaining a broken forearm against the Detroit Lions.

He will have a three-week window to practice before the team must make the decision to activate him to the 53-man roster. If Los Angeles does not activate him within 21 days, he will not be eligible to play this season.

Phillips, along with his teammate Derwin James are the two players that’ll likely return. They have both been doing speed and agility drills in hopes of making a return as soon as Week 13, which is right after the team’s bye week.

Their presence will be a boost to a defense that needs reinforcements if they look to win the remaining games on their schedule, which would most likely be enough to clinch a playoff berth.

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First injury report for Chargers ahead of matchup vs. Chiefs

The Los Angeles Chargers released their first injury report ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chargers had their first practice ahead of the Week 11 matchup against the Chiefs, which was held at Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.

Here is the full injury report:

Six players did not practice on Thursday.

Offensive tackles Russell Okung’s (groin) status remains up in the air. If Okung can’t play, rookie Trey Pipkins will get the start at left tackle. Meanwhile, Sam Tevi (knee), who’s recovering from a minor surgery, won’t play. Trent Scott will start at right tackle.

Defensive tackle Cortez Broughton (illness) remains out of practice while dealing with mono. Meanwhile, Justin Jones was a full participant and all signs are pointing to him playing on Monday. Jones hasn’t played since Week 6.

Los Angeles was also without running back Justin Jackson (calf), wide receiver Geremy Davis (hamstring) and long snapper Cole Mazza (illness).

If Mazza can’t play, the Chargers will have to make a roster move prior to the game.

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ESPN names Chargers’ greatest one-hit wonder

ESPN named the Chargers’ biggest one-hit wonder. Who do you think it is?

When we hear the term “one-hit wonder”, we instantly think about a band or an artist that put out a great song and nothing came after that from them.

In this case, ESPN decided to do a fun exercise using that concept by listing a player from each NFL team that had one great game or season and never made an impact ever again.

For the Chargers, running back Branden Oliver’s Week 5 performance against the Jets and the rest of the way out in the 2014 season demonstrated a player that flashed, but became nearly nonexistent soon after.

Thanks to injuries to running backs Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, Oliver — an undrafted rookie — got a chance to shine early in the 2014 season. In Week 5, he ran for a career-high 114 yards in a 31-0 victory over the Jets in San Diego. Oliver finished the rout with 182 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns. He led the Chargers with 582 rushing yards that season but had just two more touchdowns the rest of the way.

Following the best season of his professional career, injuries hindered Oliver’s stint with the Chargers. He remained on the roster until 2017 after amassing only 192 rushing yards in a three-year span. Oliver then joined the Colts, but he was released during final cuts last year.

Let us know who you think the Bolts’ greatest one-hit wonder is.

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LB Thomas Davis nominated by Chargers for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Thomas Davis is the nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

The Chargers signed linebacker Thomas Davis this past offseason not only for because of the contributions on the field, but for who the person he is to add spark to the locker room and on the field with his leadership skills.

It didn’t take long for Davis to deliver that type of energy to the team upon his arrival from Carolina.

On Thursday, Davis was honored by Los Angeles as their nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The award recognizes players who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

Last season, the Chargers nominated tight end Antonio Gates. Gates was one of the eight finalists for the award, but quarterback Drew Brees went on to win the award.

The winner will be announced before the Super Bowl at the NFL Honors show and will be determined by a vote from current players. Eight finalists will be selected in December.

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4 Chiefs players the Chargers must game-plan for in Week 11

The Chiefs are a talented team, but Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out who the Chargers must really hone in on.

The Chargers are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Chiefs are looking to get back on track after losing their last four of six games in Week 11 of the regular season.

With an enticing division battle set for Monday night, here are four Chiefs players that the Bolts have to game-plan for if they wish to come away with a victory.

QB Patrick Mahomes

It didn’t take long for Mahomes to establish himself as one of the best players in the league. After a season that resulted in winning the league’s most valuable player, he continues to take the league by storm. In eight games played, Mahomes has thrown for 2,628 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only one interception.

The former Texas Tech product missed two games with a knee injury, but he quickly recovered and nearly put up a career-high game against the Titans, passing for 446 yards.

Mahomes can beat you in a multitude of ways, whether it be with his cannon of an arm or with his legs to evade the pocket. The Chargers will need to pressure him early and often, not only with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, but additional pass rushers off the edge to make him feel uncomfortable and to keep him off the field.

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Chargers players not fond of practicing in Colorado

Some of the Chargers players aren’t happy with practicing in Colorado for a few days prior to the matchup against the Chiefs.

The Chargers’ home for the next few days will be at Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Chiefs in Mexico City.

Coach Anthony Lynn moved the team from California to Colorado because he wants to get the players acclimated to the altitude they will be playing in Mexico City, which is about 7,300 feet above sea level.

Lynn has his purpose for having the Bolts practice in Colorado for a few days, saying that even though science suggests it could take seven or eight days to acclimate to it, as a former player it pays dividends.

But some of the players aren’t too thrilled with it.

Running back Austin Ekeler, grew up in Colorado, doesn’t mind practicing there because he’s used to it, but he elaborated that it’s a different story for his teammates, saying that some of them would’ve rather practiced in Costa Mesa, CO.

“I think there’s a lot of mixed feelings about us coming here. Me personally, I kinda like the change-up. I’m probably a little biased, obviously, because I’m from here. I was looking forward to being back in Colorado for a week, but I know some people disagree with that. They would rather have it at our own facility, back in our regular routine,” Ekeler said.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen went to his personal Twitter account to express some frustration. It’s all not certain what it’s about, but based on the day, it seems like he’s talking about being in Colorado.

“I hate everything about this,” Allen tweeted on Tuesday.

Defensive end Joey Bosa made it seem like he didn’t care the team was in Colorado, but would’ve rather stayed home in California and practice if he had the choice.

“You notice a difference out there a little bit with breathing. I don’t know if a few practices is enough to get acclimated to it. But, we’re here. We’ll make the most of it.”

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Report: Chargers ‘not sure’ about attending QB Colin Kaepernick’s workout

The Los Angeles Chargers are not certain whether or not they will be attending quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be working out in Atlanta, GA on Saturday for a workout in front of multiple NFL team owners and coaches.

The Chargers told ESPN’s Josina Anderson they were not definitely sure whether a team rep would attend Kaepernick’s workout. The said the team might send a scout, but emphasized they’re good with the position.

Had it been two years ago, it might’ve been a different story.

With Philip Rivers, Tyrod Taylor and rookie Easton Stick, it is not a pressing position of need. If Kaepernick had this workout a couple years back, the Bolts might have been more enticed by it because then, the team had Cardale Jones and Kellen Clemens as the backups to Rivers.

Kaepernick last played in the NFL in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers and stirred up attention after kneeling during the national anthem, which ended up being a legal suit. The lawsuit has been settled and he will look to make his return to the league.

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Look: Chargers and Rams’ new stadium continues to take shape

The Chargers and Rams’ new stadium in Inglewood, California is really starting to come to life.

No, the Chargers will not be moving to London.

Owner Dean Spanos said Los Angeles is the team’s home, and they’re planning to be there for a long time.

It’s been almost three years since the Chargers moved to the L.A. area. The team has been playing in Dignity Health Sports Park, a 27,000-seat soccer stadium in Carson, as a temporary spot. But in 2020, they and the Rams will have their permanent home: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The $5 billion stadium complex is expected to be 3.5 times larger than Disneyland, and the stadium itself will seat 70,000 people. Spanos is hoping those seats will be filled with Chargers fans after failing to draw them to their current stadium, which has been overtaken by supporters of the visiting teams.

The crew that’s been hard at work to ensure that the Chargers and Rams have one of the best-looking stadiums in the league continues to make it all come to life before the grand opening in 2020.

Take a look at some of the most recent photos, courtesy of USA TODAY’s Harrison Hill:

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