The Chargers went into Cleveland and found a way to win, moving to 3-2 with a 30-28 victory over the Browns after rookie kicker Cade York missed a potential game-winner.
Los Angeles finally found a rhythm offensively, but there are still a few areas for improvement.
Here’s who helped secure the victory and who needs to step up next week.
Stud: Austin Ekeler
Ekeler carried his momentum from last week’s three-touchdown performance into this one, finishing with nearly 200 yards from scrimmage on just 19 touches. The star running back looked like his usual self in Cleveland, finding plenty of running lanes and making defenders miss at nearly every turn. Even if you subtract his 71-yard scamper in the first quarter, Ekeler averaged 6.8 yards per carry. He also passed Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson for most games with a rushing and receiving touchdown in franchise history with eight.
Dud: Pass rush
Jacoby Brissett’s known weakness is pressure. The veteran isn’t a particularly mobile quarterback, so pressure forces him to speed up his decision-making and forces him into mistakes. But Los Angeles simply couldn’t generate anything in that area all game. Khalil Mack was shut out by left tackle Jedrick Wills, while Chris Rumph struggled to get close to Brissett all game. Per ESPN, only three Chargers logged a QB hit: Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, and Jerry Tillery. Tillery’s hit resulted in him and Rumph being unable to finish a sack, leading to a Brissett scramble for a first down.
Stud: Joshua Kelley
Kelley’s 4.9 yards per carry average understates how effective he was in this game after finally getting the complement of reps Chargers fans had been begging for him to get. On ten carries and two receptions, Kelley produced 82 yards from scrimmage, combining with Ekeler to produce the best performance from the running backs all season. If there was any question about who RB2 should be behind Ekeler, there isn’t now. Keep getting Kelley the ball, and let the two of them get to work.
Dud: Run defense
Listen, it’s always going to be a tough week when you’re matched up with Nick Chubb and the Browns’ offensive line. But for as much as the Chargers invested into the defensive line this offseason, you cannot give up 7.9 yards a carry to Chubb and 213 yards total. Los Angeles still has a big-play problem in the run game, evident from the jump as they gave up a 40+ yard touchdown run for the third consecutive week. The run defense did come up big in a few moments, holding Chubb to zero or negative yardage a few times in the red zone and coming up with a huge fourth down stop of Kareem Hunt in the third quarter. But overall, the unit needs to improve if this team is going to compete.
Stud: Mike Williams
Sometimes, you just have to let your star players do what they’re good at. What is Mike Williams good at? Winning at the catch point. Williams made life difficult for Cleveland’s corners all game, bringing in 10 receptions for 134 yards on 13 targets. One of those incomplete targets was a failed toe-tap attempt in the end zone. Williams won nearly every one of those ten receptions by simply being bigger and more physical than his defender, essentially playing basketball on grass and coming down with rebounds. Getting Williams into a rhythm like LA did today has proven to be a key factor in moving the ball for the Chargers as Keenan Allen works his way back from his hamstring injury.
Dud: Derwin James
James wasn’t bad in this game by any means, but he’s held to a higher standard than most players because of his superstar status. Today was not his best performance: he got bailed out by a Nick Chubb drop after playing too aggressively on a flat coverage that Chubb leaked upfield and had to fight tooth and nail with David Njoku for large stretches of the game. James seemed to be on the wrong end of plays a bit more often than is typical for the All-Pro but did lead the team in tackles with 14. Typically, a safety leading the team in tackles is a bad sign.
Stud: Responding ability
The Chargers have not had to play from behind very often this season. Typically, the script has been jumping out to an early lead and then hanging on for dear life. But down 14-0 in the first quarter, LA was forced to respond, and they did so. Ekeler’s 71-yard carry in the first quarter got the Chargers on the board and made it clear to them that they would be able to run the ball. They followed that up with two unanswered touchdowns to take a 17-14 lead. A touchdown to open the second half was followed by Christian Covington’s big fourth down stop that led to a Chargers field goal. The questionable decision to go for it on fourth and two late in the game put the defense in a disadvantageous position, but the Bolts’ defense clamped down and forced Cade York into a 54-yarder that he could not convert. It was complementary football all around: when the defense faltered, the offense responded, and vice versa.
Dud: Joshua Palmer
Something about Palmer’s timing with Herbert still seems off five weeks into the season, even after all of the offseason stories lauding the chemistry between the two. Palmer converted only half of his six targets into receptions today, finishing with three catches for 24 yards. Nobody outside of Williams was particularly effective today because of how physically the Browns’ secondary was playing in coverage, but Palmer’s struggles extended beyond the rest. The second-year player dropped two passes and bobbled a couple more, making for an all-around performance to forget.