Tag: chargers news

Where the Chargers rank statistically after Week 9

The Chargers’ passing game makes strides, while the defense continues to be one of the best in the NFL

The Chargers improved to 5-3 after beating the Browns in Week 9.

Los Angeles has found its stride in the passing game, while the defense continues to be one of the best units in the league.

With Week 10 coming up, how do the Bolts compare to the rest of the NFL? Here is where Los Angeles ranks:

Offense

Category Stat Rank
Points per game 19.9 ppg 24th
Passing offense 200.5 ypg 21st
Rushing offense 114.5 ypg 20th
Total offense 315.0 ypg 22nd
3rd down conversions 39.82% 11th
Red zone scoring 52.63% 22nd
Sacks allowed 24 24th
Turnovers 4 2nd

Defense

Category Stat Rank
Points allowed 12.6 ppg 1st
Passing defense 195.9 ypg 11th
Rushing defense 107.9 ypg 8th
Total defense 303.8 ypg 8th
3rd down conversions 32.71% 5th
Red zone defense 40.00% 2nd
Sacks 24 10th
Takeaways 13 11th

 

Report: Chargers have shown interest in trading for WR K.J. Osborn

The Chargers are looking to add another weapon for Justin Herbert.

According to Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi, the Chargers are one of the teams that has shown interest in trading for Patriots wide receiver K.J. Osborn.

Osborn hasn’t been that productive this season in New England, only with seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in six games. But he’s proven to be impactful in his professional career.

In four seasons with the Vikings, where he played before signing with the Patriots, Osborn caught 160 passes for a total of 1,865 yards and 16 touchdowns in those games

Currently sitting at 5-3 and well positioned to make the playoffs, Los Angeles finds itself as buyers ahead of the trade deadline. And it appears the team wants to bolster the wide receiver room.

Ladd McConkey has impressed in his rookie season. Quentin Johnston has shown signs of improvement in his sophomore campaign. D.J. Chark has yet to make his Charger debut due to a hip injury.

This is a position that could benefit from another playmaker for Justin Herbert, as the Bolts continue to find their stride in the passing game.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh applauds complete team effort in second consecutive blowout win

The Chargers are playing their best football of the season, and it’s due to how all three phases of the game have complemented each other.

In the Chargers’ wins this season, head coach Jim Harbaugh has echoed a similar message. That is, their victories have come from a complete team effort.

It was more of the same in Week 9 in which the Bolts blew out the Browns, 27-10. Cleveland was coming off an impressive win over the Ravens, but the Chargers were able to slow them down on Sunday.

Jesse Minter’s defense was particularly impressive, as the Browns had three points up until a late touchdown in the final minute of the game. They finished with six sacks and three interceptions in arguably their best performance of the 2024 campaign.

“The way they played today, just a great team effort… There will be a lot of guys to talk about, a lot of guys that shined big time in this game,” Harbaugh said after the win.

Tarheeb Still is one of those guys that Harbaugh is likely referring to. He had a career game on Sunday and was one of the standouts that I listed in our weekly “5 game balls” segment. Still caught his first career interception in addition to three pass deflections.

Harbaugh later applauded Derius Davis as well, whom provided a major spark in the return game. Complementary football.

“Great to see his explosion… Really proud of him,” Harbaugh said about Davis.

It’s something that the 2024 Chargers have done quite well. It’s a major reason why they are 5-3 with an inside track at the postseason.

The defense has yet to allow more than 20 points in a game this season, quite the feat in their first season under Minter. This goes without mentioning how the offense continues to get better.

Justin Herbert has finally looked like his old self over the last few weeks.

A lot of credit goes to Harbaugh as well as he’s done a tremendous job with this team. He’s been able to completely revamp the identity of this team, and it’s given fans hope of a bright future in Los Angeles.

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ blowout win in Week 9

The Chargers put together yet another impressive performance with a blowout victory over the Browns.

The Chargers dominated the Browns from the first snap on Sunday. The victory moves Los Angeles to 5-3 on the season, and their sights are fully set on making the postseason now.

Once again, it was a total team effort from all three phases of the ball on Sunday. With that, here are five of the Chargers who stood out the most in the 27-10 win.

RB J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins didn’t have a game with over 4.0 yards per carry since Week 2 against the Panthers. A large reason for that was his inability to break longer runs as of recent. That changed on Sunday when he reeled off a 34-yard run, something we haven’t seen since those first few weeks of the season. Dobbins finished with an efficient 85 yards on just 14 carries in addition to two touchdowns on the ground. He added in two catches for 20 yards, and this running back job continues to be his.

WR Quentin Johnston

Johnston returned to action after missing the last two games, and he looked phenomenal. It was arguably the best game of his career, which included a 66-yard touchdown. The second-year product finished with four catches, a career-high 118 yards, and that long touchdown. It was the first 100-yard game of his NFL career, and he’s already doubled his touchdown total from 2023.

CB Tarheeb Still

The fifth-round rookie had the best game of his young career. Still snagged one of the defense’s three interceptions, which was the first one of his career. Additionally, he added three impressive pass deflections. Still was tremendous in coverage throughout the day and may have just earned himself more playing time moving forward.

S Derwin James Sr.

Similar to Still, James was phenomenal in pass coverage on Sunday. The star safety registered two pass deflections on the day as well as seven total tackles. It was one of his better performances in 2024, and the Chargers secondary as a whole was extraordinary in Week 9.

EDGE Tuli Tuipolotu

Make that back-to-back impressive performances for Tuipolotu. As a result, he receives his second consecutive game ball. He was continuously in Cleveland’s backfield on Sunday and finished with a career-high 2.5 sacks in the contest. All 3.5 of his sacks on the season have now come in the last two games. It’s been quite the response from the second-year edge rusher, as he continues to get better each week.

Chargers vs. Bengals flexed into Sunday Night Football

The Chargers will have three primetime games in a span of four weeks.

The Chargers will be playing in primetime in Week 11.

The NFL announced that Los Angeles’ matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 17, will now be Sunday Night Football on NBC. The game will kick off at 5:20 pm PT.

Originally, L.A. and Cincinnati were scheduled to play at 1:25 pm, with the game set to be televised on CBS. Now, it replaces the contest between the Jets and Colts.

With the Chargers slated for Sunday night, they will play three primetime games in four weeks, with the other two being against the Ravens (Monday night in Week 12) and the Chiefs (Sunday night in Week 14).

The last time the Bolts and Bengals met was in 2021. Los Angeles won, 41-22.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 9 win over Browns

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Browns.

In Week 9, the Chargers defeated the Browns, 27-10.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 75.7

QB Justin Herbert — 74.7

WR Ladd McConkey — 72.6

WR Joshua Palmer — 70.8

WR Quentin Johnston — 70.1

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 89.0

LB Troy Dye — 86.9

S Derwin James — 85.7

S Alohi Gilman — 81.4

CB Tarheeb Still — 79.4

Bottom 5 Offense

OL Zion Johnson — 41.9

TE Will Dissly — 45.7

TE Eric Tomlinson — 51.5

RB Kimani Vidal — 51.9

WR Jalen Reagor — 53.8

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Joey Bosa — 46.0

CB Cam Hart — 47.6

DL Otito Ogbonnia — 48.0

LB Denzel Perryman — 53.3

EDGE Bud Dupree — 64.0

Social media reacts to Chargers’ win over the Browns

Here is how social media reacted to the Chargers’ win, with most praising Jesse Minter for engineering another strong defensive performance.

The Chargers defeated the Browns on Sunday.

The Bolts are now 5-3.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Week 9 win:

Everything to know from Chargers’ win over Browns

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 27-10 win over the Browns.

The Chargers beat the Browns on Sunday afternoon, improving to 5-3.

Here’s our recap of the Week 9 win.

It was over when…

The Chargers went up 20-3 right before the half. The offense was rolling, and the defense was stymying Jameis Winston and company. The defensive dominance carried over into the second half.

Notable number

According to NextGen Stats, Justin Herbert has reached 100+ passing yards on passes over ten air yards in three straight games since their Week 5 bye. He totaled just 145 yards on such attempts in Weeks 1-4.

3 stars of the game

  1. QB Justin Herbert: Herbert put together yet another strong performance, completing 18-of-27 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
  2. WR Quentin Johnston: Johnston led the team in receiving with 118 yards on four catches, including a 66-yard TD.
  3. Defense: 6 sacks, 3 interceptions

Quick hits

  • The Chargers defense pitched a near-shutout. Jesse Minter’s unit allowed a field goal before a garbage-time touchdown in the final minute. The Browns managed only 57 yards in the first half. They sacked Jameis Winston six times and picked him off three times.
  • The Chargers had the best scoring defense coming into the game, and they only improved as they gave up just 10 points.
  • Fifth-round pick Tarheeb Still played a vital role in the defense’s solid day. Still had an interception and two passes defended.
  • The interior pass rush hasn’t been effective this season, but they finally got a spark from Morgan Fox, who had two sacks.
  • The run defense was stout, limiting Nick Chubb to just 2.9 yards per carry.
  • Herbert posted his third straight total of over 275 passing yards and second consecutive contest of multiple passing touchdowns. He also didn’t throw an interception, marking his sixth straight game without a pick.
  • J.K. Dobbins had two rushing touchdowns, including a scamper for 34, but he was largely ineffective outside of that carry as he struggled to find running room.
  • The Chargers’ second-half offensive struggles popped up again. They only managed one first down on their first five drives.

What’s next?

The Chargers are back home to face the Titans next Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1:05 pm PT.

Chargers highlight: J.K. Dobbins breaks through for 16-yard touchdown

Los Angeles is starting to pour it on.

Los Angeles is starting to pour it on.

After the Chargers defense forced another three and out of the Browns offense, aided by a Jerry Jeudy illegal motion penalty, LA took over for another offensive drive on their own 40 yard line.

The Chargers found another third down conversion after Browns cornerback Denzel Ward dropped back too far in anticipation of another deep pass, leaving Quentin Johnston open for a 21 yard gain on an out route. On the ensuing first down, Justin Herbert found Ladd McConkey over the middle for 19 yards to bring the Chargers into the red zone.

JK Dobbins had been having a tough game, with 4 carries for just 5 yards. But because of the strength of the passing game, a sweep handoff to the left fooled the Browns into thinking it was a play action pass. Dobbins cut the handoff back inside and found running room up the middle for a 16 yard touchdown.

Dobbins’ score, his fifth of the season, gave the Chargers a 20-3 lead in the second quarter. It’s the second straight game Dobbins has scored in after finding the end zone against the Saints and his third touchdown in the last four games.

https://x.com/chargers/status/1853154173996413088

Chargers highlight: Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston connect for 60-yard touchdown

The Chargers have gotten two huge coverage busts from Cleveland in the first half.

The Chargers have gotten two huge coverage busts from Cleveland in the first half.

Joshua Palmer scored on a third and 20 play in the first quarter, when a miscommunication between the Browns secondary left the receiver wide open down the sideline for a 27 yard touchdown to open the scoring.

With a third and 6 from their own 34 after Myles Garrett’s third sack of the game earlier in the drive, it seemed like the Chargers were well on their way to their third straight three and out.

Justin Herbert dropped back and ran a few feet to his right before resetting his feet and delivering a strike downfield, revealing a wide open Quentin Johnston down the sideline as the broadcast camera panned downfield. Browns cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Juan Thornhill had miscommunicated about who was supposed to take Johnston’s route.

Johnston looked the ball into his hands, making the catch and speeding down the sideline to beat Thornhill to the corner for a 66 yard touchdown, the longest reception of his career. The touchdown was also his fourth of the season and first since Week 3.

It was also Herbert’s tenth passing touchdown of the season, giving the Chargers a 13-3 lead after Cameron Dicker missed his third extra point of the season.

https://x.com/chargers/status/1853150947049943520