Tag: Cam Hart

Chargers take a dip in NFL power rankings after Week 7 loss to Cardinals

Find out where the Chargers stand in the national eye after Week 7

The Chargers fumbled the game away on Monday night, falling short to the Cardinals.

After Week 7, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 19 (Previous: 17)

“You could say a lot of things about the Bolts over the years, but rarely that they were boring. Welp. HC Jim Harbaugh’s Big Ten approach probably further lowers this team’s already limited ceiling.”

NFL: 17 (Previous: 15)

“This one is going to sting. Jim Harbaugh was irate with a pair of late officiating decisions — a non-call while his offense had the ball and an unnecessary roughness on his defense — but the Chargers really lost Monday’s game at Arizona by failing to finish drives. Los Angeles bled off more than eight minutes on its final march, but ultimately had to settle for Cameron Dicker’s fifth field goal of the night to go up, 15-14. On the Cardinals’ ensuing drive, the 15-yard flag on Cam Hart hurt, but giving up a 33-yard catch-and-run to James Conner on the very next play was what truly allowed Arizona to score the final three points and nab a 17-15 win. Justin Herbert passed for a season-high 349 yards and made some pretty throws — some caught, some not — when he wasn’t under heavy pressure. L.A.’s lack of offensive weaponry right now is glaring, especially with the run game stalling out. The Chargers crossed midfield seven times, but ran just one play inside Arizona’s 10-yard line. The schedule lightens in the coming weeks, but this loss is going to stick in Harbaugh’s craw for a while.”

ESPN: 18 (Previous: 17)

Young riser: FB/DT Scott Matlock

“As a rookie defensive tackle last season, Matlock played primarily on special teams. He was expected to have an increased role on the interior defensive line this season, but coach Jim Harbaugh switched Matlock to fullback and he has been an essential part of the Chargers’ rushing game. Matlock, 24, still plays defense and special teams; his 236 snaps are the 11th most on the team. He’s emerging as an unlikely but crucial part of one of the NFL’s best rushing offenses. ”

CBS Sports: 20 (Previous: 14)

“They are limited on offense with the injuries at receiver, and it showed up in the loss to the Cardinals. They need to get bodies back. The defense let them down late in that loss.”

Sports Illustrated: 19 (Previous: 15)

“Too low? I was impressed with the team’s ability to grind out an eight-plus minute drive to take the lead late in Monday night’s loss to the Cardinals, but Jim Harbaugh is going to have the time and space to build out his weapon set here in Los Angeles … and he’s going to need it. Will Dissly led the way tonight in receiving for the Chargers.”

Bleacher Report: 20 (Previous: 16)

“This is the sort of loss that comes back to haunt a franchise late in the season—the sort of defeat that can be the difference between a Wild Card spot and watching the postseason on TV. The Chargers outplayed the Cardinals in some respects. But the run game never got going, and Los Angeles only reached the red-zone once and settled for a field goal then. The argument can be made that Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers got out-toughed Monday night—and that’s a bad look for a squad that has hung its hat on physicality over the first month-plus of the season.”

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 7 loss to Cardinals

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the loss to the Cardinals.

In Week 7, the Chargers lost on the road to the Cardinals, 17-15.

Along the way, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

Here are the best and worst performers from Monday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert — 89.7

WR Josh Palmer — 80.3

OT Joe Alt — 76.2

TE Will Dissly — 74.6

OL Zion Johnson — 71.6

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 92.1

LB Denzel Perryman — 76.4

DT Poona Ford — 72.2

S Derwin James — 72.0

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 70.3

Bottom 5 Offense

TE Eric Tomlinson — 45.8

WR Ladd McConkey — 47.9

FB Scott Matlock — 48.3

WR Jalen Reagor — 56.0

OL Trey Pipkins — 56.2

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu — 29.0

LB Junior Colson — 29.2

S Alohi Gilman — 35.7

EDGE Bud Dupree — 43.1

CB Cam Hart — 44.3

Social media reacts to Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals

Here is how the general population reacted to the Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals, which includes thoughts on the questionable penalty on the final drive.

The Chargers lost to the Cardinals on Monday night.

The Bolts are now 3-3.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Week 7 game:

https://twitter.com/joereedy/status/1848573973220487596

Everything to know from Chargers’ loss to Cardinals

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 17-15 road loss to the Cardinals.

The Chargers lost to the Cardinals on Monday night, falling to 3-3.

Here’s our recap of the Week 7 loss.

It was over when…

Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

Notable number

Justin Herbert threw for 349 yards with a 97.1 passer rating tonight. No other quarterback in NFL history has thrown for that many yards with that high of a passer rating and yet had his team fail to score an offensive touchdown and lose the game, according to OptaSTATS.

3 stars of the game

  1. QB Justin Herbert: Despite not having much of a supporting cast around him to throw to, Herbert was still sharp and kept the Chargers in this game. He finished the contest 27 of 39 passing for 349 yards. Herbert also averaged 8.9 yards per pass, which is incredible, given the lack of talent in the receiving room.
  2. TE Will Dissly: Dissly was signed primarily as a blocking tight end. But on Monday night, he stepped up as Los Angeles’ top target in the passing game. Dissly caught eight catches for 81 yards.
  3. K Cameron Dicker: All the Bolts’ points came from field goals. Dicker made all five field goals he attempted, connecting from 59, 50, 29, 47 and 40 yards out.

Quick hits

  • Herbert played his best game of the season, throwing for over 300 yards. However, the Chargers still came up short. He connected with nine different pass-catchers. Five of them had catches that went for over 20 yards. But the group still struggled to create consistent separation and dealt with dropped passes.
  • Coming into this game, many, including myself, thought the Chargers would have success running the ball against a Cardinals defense that ranked 29th against the run. Los Angeles failed to do so. J.K. Dobbins only had 40 yards on 14 carries (2.9 YPC). Arizona did a good job of winning at the line of scrimmage and filling holes.
  • The Chargers failed to find the end zone in their only trip to the red zone. They have had 14 straight drives without a touchdown. The lack of talent among the skill players has been a factor, but Greg Roman’s playcalling is also to blame.
  • The Cardinals had their way against the Chargers on the ground. James Connor ran 19 times for 101 yards. Los Angeles had a hard time bringing down Connor the entire game, including on the final drive when he scampered for a 33-yard gain to get Arizona in position for the game-winning field goal.
  • We emphasized how imperative it was for the Chargers to contain Kyler Murray. For the most part, Murray was kept in check until he wasn’t when he ran along the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown.
  • The Chargers had a few plays they wish had gone the other way. It started with Teair Tart’s interception, which the Cardinals punched out and recovered. Shortly after, Jalen Reagor caught a deep pass and had it popped out into the end zone for a touchback. Cam Hart forced a fumble on Connor early in the second quarter, but Trey McBride recovered it.
  • The Chargers committed five penalties, but the last two were the most detrimental. As it approached the two-minute warning, a third-down flag was thrown for illegal contact/holding, but it was picked up. That would’ve resulted in a fresh set of downs. Then, Hart was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit to Marvin Harrison Jr.

What’s next?

The Chargers are back home to face the Saints (2-5) on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 1:05 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on FOX.

Sights and sounds from Chargers training camp: Day 3

A quick roundup of the highlights from Day 3 of Chargers training camp.

The Chargers continued training camp on Friday at The Bolts in El Segundo, CA.

Training camp can be attended for free (with tickets), but if you cannot be there, you will still be kept up with all the action throughout the session.

I will have training camp coverage with updates from practice below, courtesy of media members and fan posts.

Projecting the Chargers’ cornerback depth chart in 2024

Taking a crack at projecting what the Los Angeles Chargers cornerback room will look like entering the 2024 season.

Over the next few weeks ahead of training camp, I will continue to break down the depth chart for each Chargers position.

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Edge rusher

Interior defensive line

Linebacker

Next, I project what the cornerback room will look like heading into the 2024 season.

Asante Samuel Jr.

Samuel is coming off his best season in coverage, finishing with a 75.6 overall grade in that department. He posted a career-high 13 passes defended and has nabbed two interceptions in each of his three seasons. Samuel will play a vital role in Jesse Minter’s defense, as they will be counting on him as the No. 1 corner. He must continue to shine in coverage while showing improvements in run defense.

Kristian Fulton

The Chargers signed Fulton to a prove-it deal after he battled injuries during his four-year tenure with the Titans. He has showcased the coverage skills to stick with starting wide receivers, but due to the injuries, the sample size isn’t large. He is the front runner to start at outside corner opposite Samuel, but Fulton must stay on the field to hold down that spot.

Ja’Sir Taylor

Taylor is coming off his first full season as a starter after his rookie campaign was primarily spent on special teams, with some starts towards the end of 2022, including a masterful performance against the Dolphins that year. His sophomore season was a mixed bag of results. While he was solid in coverage for the most part, Taylor struggled as an open-field tackler. Entering Year 3, Taylor has the opportunity to really break out under Minter. He will have to fend off rookie Tarheeb Still for the starting slot corner spot.

Deane Leonard

Primarily a core special teamer, Leonard was called on to start in three games last season. He showed some good things, forcing three incompletions. An ankle injury prevented him from finishing out the year. Heading into his third season, Leonard will make money on special teams, but he could also push for meaningful playing time.

Tarheeb Still

Still was selected in the fifth round out of Maryland. He finished his final collegiate season with five picks, tied for the fifth-most in the FBS. Still has already raised eyebrows, as he was a summer standout at minicamp. He can play outside or inside but will likely play in the slot and compete with Taylor for the starting job.

Cam Hart

After drafting Tarheeb Still, Los Angeles dipped at the position by adding Hart, who was a great value pick. He fell because of limited ball production and some shoulder injury concerns. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, Hart is a big corner with good speed to carry receivers downfield and plus zone coverage skills to read, react and make plays on underneath routes. He has the traits to push for playing time early on.

PFF’s cornerback rankings: Asante Samuel Jr. among the top 20

Asante Samuel Jr. is coming off his best season in coverage.

Asante Samuel Jr. is entering his fourth season with a significant role to fill as the Chargers’ No. 1 cornerback.

Samuel was recognized for his efforts this past season by Pro Football Focus, which listed him as the No. 20 player at his position in the league.

Samuel has big shoes to fill, but his play over the last two years has shown that he is more than capable of doing so. His 80.8 grade since 2022 is 12th at the position, even though he has given up 11 touchdown passes. He’ll need to prevent separation at a higher rate if he is to move up the rankings.

Samuel is coming off his best season in coverage, finishing with a 75.6 overall grade in that department. He posted a career-high 13 passes defended and he has nabbed two interceptions in each of his three seasons.

Samuel will play a vital role in Jesse Minter’s defense, as they will be counting on him in a relatively thin cornerback room. He must continue to shine in coverage while showing improvements in run defense.

Chargers lock up six rookies to contracts, three remain unsigned

The Chargers officially signed six members of their 2024 NFL draft class to four-year contracts.

The Chargers officially signed six members of their 2024 NFL draft class to four-year contracts.

Linebacker Junior Colson, cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, running back Kimani Vidal and wide receivers Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson inked their rookie deals.

The players who remain unsigned are offensive tackle Joe Alt, wide receiver Ladd McConkey and defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe.

Coaches saw their draftees at work this past week, as Los Angeles held its rookie minicamp at Hoag Performance Center in Costa Mesa, CA.

NFL executive heaps praise on Chargers’ Day 3 selections

An NFL executive feels like Joe Hortiz had an all-around great draft.

The Chargers were lauded for their draft selections in the first two days, but their Day 3 selections were just as deserving of praise.

An NFL executive, per The Athletic’s Mike Sando, said that Los Angeles used to draft well in the first round and would then reach in the middle to late rounds, but that didn’t seem to be the case in Joe Hortiz’s first draft.

“Time will tell, but I think (Tarheeb) Still is going to be a good nickel, Cam Hart has a chance to start and the running back (Kimani Vidal) has a chance to be a three-down starter,” the executive said.

At the time of the selection, Still was a head-scratching pick for many fans based on the unfamiliarity. But he is a confident ball magnet, having posted six interceptions last season. He should push for a starting job early on.

Hart was seen as a top-100 pick but took a slide due to injury concerns and limited ball production. Nonetheless, he has elite traits at 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds and has proven to shut down good competition, including Marvin Harrison Jr.

Vidal is a great and productive player with the explosiveness, vision, contact balance, lateral agility, and passing game impact to contribute early on in his pro career.

Chargers rookies get their jersey numbers

Here’s a look at the jersey numbers of the newest Chargers additions.

The Chargers announced the jersey numbers for their 2024 rookie class on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the first-year players and the numbers they will be sporting:

  • OT Joe Alt – 76
  • WR Ladd McConkey – 15
  • LB Junior Colson – 25
  • DT Justin Eboigbe – 98
  • CB Tarheeb Still – 29
  • CB Cam Hart – 20
  • RB Kimani Vidal – 30
  • WR Brenden Rice – 82
  • WR Cornelius Johnson – 86