Tag: Chargers Panthers

Chargers dominated in the trenches in loss to Panthers

Both sides of the line for the Chargers were outmatched, and penalties were another killer.

The list of reasons why the Chargers lost to the Panthers can go on and on. But one of the areas that had a factor in Los Angeles’ loss was their inability to win the battle in the trenches.

L.A. has leaned heavily on their pass-rush the first two games of the seasons, and while they had a favorable matchup against a Carolina offensive line that has struggled in the past couple of weeks, they were unable to generate consistent pressure or push.

Star edge defender Joey Bosa, who acquired the clutch sack in the fourth quarter, was outperformed by tackle Taylor Moton for the majority of the game. Other than the sack, Bosa only finished with two quarterback pressures.

Bosa was hindered by an ongoing tricep issue, which could have been a reason for his lackluster performance. But regardless, the Panthers did a great job with their game-plan by double teaming him.

Opposite of Bosa was Uchenna Nwosu, who filled in for the injured Melvin Ingram. Nwosu showed promise in the starting role, leading the team in quarterback pressures with five. He also played a role in slowing the run on a few plays.

The interior defensive line was not much better. Defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Jerry Tillery only combined for one quarterback pressure, and both players struggled to hold their own against the run.

As a result, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had plenty of time to distribute the wealth. Bridgewater was efficient at attacking the middle of the field, where the rest of the team’s defenders hardly had any answer for wide receiver Robby Anderson and company.

On the other side of the ball, the Chargers offensive line was outmatched against a Panthers defensive line that had not posted a sack in the first two games of the season.

Edge defender Brian Burns forced a fumble on quarterback Justin Herbert in the first half. They kept pressuring the rookie quarterback and getting in his face anytime he dropped back.

The offensive line also lost tackle Bryan Bulaga to a back injury. They had already been without guard Trai Turner, who was inactive with a groin injury. Ryan Groy played the majority of the game at right guard in place of Trai Turner, and Trey Pipkins replaced Bulaga in the first half.

In total, Carolina produced 22 quarterback pressures, eight QB hits and sacked Herbert twice.

Luckily, Herbert’s pocket presence and mobility bailed the group out on a handful of occasions. But that’s not guaranteed moving forward, especially since they’re facing a Buccaneers defensive line that boasts Shaq Barrett and Ndamukong Suh next weekend.

Penalties on both lines were another thing that killed the Chargers.

Tillery was called for illegal-formation on a field goal attempt, which led to the Panthers lone touchdown. Bosa was dinged for neutral zone infraction/offsides in crucial moments. The Chargers had three red-zone penalties from offensive linemen.

Los Angeles will look to execute better and limit the mistakes on the lines this upcoming Sunday against the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers.

3 keys to victory for the Chargers in Week 3 vs. Panthers

The Los Angeles Chargers look to get back above .500.

The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to bounce back after last Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend against the Carolina Panthers.

Here are Los Angeles’ keys to victory over Carolina on Sunday:

Take advantage of suspect defense

Led by rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, the Chargers will have a favorable matchup against a Panthers defense that has allowed 32.5 points per game through the first two games of the season.

Los Angeles has established themselves as one of the better teams at running the football, averaging 169 yards per game, which ranks No. 6 in the NFL. Meanwhile, Carolina’s defense has allowed six rushing scores already.

While the offense can win solely on the ground, they will have the opportunity to exploit a young secondary.

If L.A. can create some big plays early and often with their plethora of play-makers, they should be able to control the clock the rest of the way out with handing the ball off to running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley.

Pressure, pressure, pressure

The defensive line has been the bright spot for the Chargers, as they are second in the league in quarterback pressures. It was evident last Sunday when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was suffocated through the first three quarters, struggling to connect with his pass-catchers.

Los Angeles needs to keep the heat turned on against QB Teddy Bridgewater. They will face a Carolina offensive line, which features former Chargers offensive linemen Russell Okung and Michael Schofield, that has allowed six sacks in the first two games of the season.

The line will be without edge defender Melvin Ingram, who was placed on the injured reserve. But they will have the ascending outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu in place of Ingram.

Limit explosive plays

The Chargers’ pass-rush has been key to their defensive success, but they’ve been victims of giving up big plays at crucial moments. Last weekend, they allowed a game-changing 54-yard touchdown to Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

The Panthers will be without their best offensive player, running back Christian McCaffrey, who was used religiously both in the running and passing game. However, Carolina still has a weapon that is bound to make a big play at any given moment.

Wide receiver Robby Anderson, who was signed this past offseason, has recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games with his new team. The Panthers also have a couple of other players that can make an impact, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel.

Pounding the rock can lead to Week 3 victory for Chargers

The Chargers have had a lot of success on the ground through the first two games of the season.

The Chargers have ran the ball more than they have compared to recent seasons.

The tandem of running backs Austin Ekeler and rookie Joshua Kelley has thrived in the first two weeks of the season, averaging 169 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL.

Ekeler has touched the football 30 times for 235 yards while Kelley has touched the ball 37 times for 173 yards and one touchdown.

Going into their Week 3 matchup with the Panthers, Los Angeles has the opportunity to pick up the win by relying on the ground game.

Carolina allowed 93 yards and three touchdowns to Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and 103 yards and two scores to Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette.

The Panthers defense has allowed six touchdowns so far in two games this season.

After seeing how well rookie quarterback Justin Herbert played and knowing that Carolina doesn’t have that talented of a secondary, the Chargers could resort to the air.

But the team could get on the board early and often with a balanced approach, and force the Panthers to slow L.A. from running the clock out.

If you’re fantasy owners of either Ekeler and/or Kelley, they’re must starts this weekend.

What the Panthers are saying about Chargers QB Justin Herbert

Panthers coaches and a player had high praise for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

It’s official.

Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert will make his second straight start this Sunday against the Panthers. It was announced that Herbert would start after Tyrod Taylor was ruled out “indefinitely.”

Herbert’s surprise start raised some eyebrows, as the first-round pick passed for 311 yards and two total touchdowns in the overtime loss to the Chiefs last Sunday.

After seeing his performance against the defending Super Bowl champions, Carolina knows not to take Herbert lightly this weekend.

Coach Matt Rhule called Herbert “a special young talent.”

“Justin is a really, really smart guy just from the draft process, has a great arm, can run 4.5, he’s a great athlete, big powerful guy. You watch him in his first start and he goes and plays at a really high level so he’s a special young talent and is a person I have a lot of respect for.”

Taken one pick after Los Angeles, rookie defensive tackle Derrick Brown reiterated what Rhule said, calling Herbert “a very talented guy.”

Brown’s familiar with Herbert because their two former programs, Auburn and Oregon, played each other last year.

What might the Panthers’ defensive game plan look like? Putting the pressure on Herbert.

Defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who said the team was considering drafting Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft, said that the Chiefs did not blitz him hardly at all last weekend.

“A lot of people don’t blitz this team and they’ve had some issues when they do blitz. They have a lot of screens that can bother you. You look at Kansas City last week, Herbert is in there and they blitzed hardly at all and normally they pressure. Each week is a little different in your approach in when you blitz, so we’ll have to see what their game plan is,” Snow said.

Making case for and against Chargers acquiring QB Cam Newton

Chargers Wire states why the Los Angeles Chargers should and shouldn’t look into acquiring quarterback Cam Newton.

Could the Chargers starting quarterback in 2020 be Cam Newton?

There’s some buzz that the Panthers could be moving on from the 30-year old as a part of their rebuild with their new head coach, Matt Rhule.

Should Carolina elect to release or trade Newton, Los Angeles might see this as a perfect opportunity to acquire him.

Here is the case for and against the Bolts bringing in Newton:

Case for

Newton, the No. 1 overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft, has a polished resume. He is a three-time Pro Bowler with a league MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has led the Panthers to the Super Bowl during the 2015 campaign and the playoffs four times.

Newton, who only played two games in 2019, isn’t far removed from a solid campaign in 2018 when he completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while adding 488 yards and four scores on the ground.

In nine seasons, Newton has amassed 29,041 passing yards, 182 touchdowns. On the ground, he has compiled 4,806 yards and 58 touchdowns on 934 carries.

Newton would benefit from having wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and tight end Hunter Henry to throw to, but he would finally add the unique element that coach Anthony Lynn has been wanting, giving the offense the ability to run option plays and keep defenses on their toes.

As the Bolts move into a brand-new stadium this year, Newton, who wants to be seen as an icon, would also supply some much-needed buzz with his stylish wardrobes during each post-game press conference.

Case against

Even though he is one of the more accomplished signal-callers in the league, Newton does come with some concern.

He suffered a foot injury during a 2019 preseason game, and after struggling through the first two games of the regular season, Newton missed the remainder of the campaign and was forced to get surgery. Prior to that, he had two injuries, including a shoulder injury that required surgery.

As a passer, Newton does struggle with accuracy. In his nine years in the league, the former Auburn product has thrown 108 interceptions and he has a completion percentage of 59.6. Lynn has boasted about needing to take care of the ball as a quarterback – which might be seen as a red flag with Newton.

Newton has also struggled with the deep ball. Over the past five seasons, he’s completed more than 28% of his throws of 20+ yards downfield only once, which came back in 2015 when he won the MVP award.

Bottom line 

Many pundits see Newton and the Chargers as the perfect fit, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the front office and coaching staff does. Tyrod Taylor, who was signed to a two-year deal last offseason, could actually have been penciled in as the starter all along after the departure of Philip Rivers.

General manager Tom Telesco hasn’t been one to make big moves in the past and despite the opportunity to land the big fish in the pond, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take the conservative route by drafting-and-developing whoever that is.

I still believe the Chargers should roll with Taylor and draft a rookie at No. 6. But acquiring Newton could pay huge dividends (assuming he’s healthy) by giving the Chargers a talented dual-threat quarterback who could quickly help them get back into contention, while adding some excitement to a team that’s desperately in need of it.