Michael Davis was a key piece in slowing down the Dolphins’ passing attack.
Michael Davis wasn’t even supposed to be on the field this much this season.
After a down 2021, the Chargers signed J.C. Jackson, a seemingly obvious replacement for Davis, given second-year corner Asante Samuel Jr.’s progress on the opposite side. Like Davis, Jackson is a corner who excels playing press, but the former Patriot is also a ballhawk. Once Davis officially lost his starting gig to Samuel in the preseason, it seemed like he’d be a clear-cut candidate to open the 2023 offseason.
Then, Jackson ruptured his patellar tendon. 43, you’re back up.
Davis came out swinging from the jump with a series of solid to good games, but his performance against Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins was his best yet. It shouldn’t be a surprise if you’re familiar with his game: Davis has always been the Hill shadow dating back to the speedster’s time in Kansas City.
Let’s head to the film to see what made Davis successful on Sunday.
Right away, the Chargers’ defense came out playing fired up. The play before the above was a pass deflection from Derwin James’ replacement Alohi Gilman on a deep shot targeting Hill. Tua Tagovailoa went back to Tyreek on second down, trusting him to beat Davis on an intermediate crossing route. Instead, Davis stayed in phase all the way through and didn’t let the former Chief get any space, sticking his arm in for the PBU to force a third down and keep the energy going.
You’ll notice a theme as this film room goes along: Davis played Tyreek Hill about as physically as you legally can. On this slant in the shadow of Miami’s goal line, the corner stays patient as Hill makes his release, already a critical factor in limiting football’s fastest player. Feet lie, hips don’t. Davis does a great job staying at home as Hill tries to sell an outside route before breaking back in. From there, it’s about staying connected, which Davis can do without garnering a flag before logging another pass breakup.
This play was so deflating for so many reasons. It was the first time Davis was “beat” all game; the first time Hill got free all game save for the fumblerooski touchdown in the first half. Watching the replay and wide zone angle above, it’s clear Davis has a read on this route before he trips on Hill’s feet, trying to track the ball in the air. Before that, however, Davis again has Hill locked down. Tagovailoa is only throwing this ball, in my opinion, because it’s one-on-one with Hill, but his receiver is not open on this play. It was just bad luck from Davis, and for a while, it felt like the latest stroke of bad luck for a Chargers team that has been stricken with it all season.
Cut ahead to the fourth quarter after a slowing offense in the third quarter put pressure on Davis and the defense to make plays to keep the Dolphins from storming back. Davis’ man isn’t part of the play here because of Tagovailoa’s progressions, but sometimes your coverage, when nobody is looking, is just as crucial as when all eyes are on you. You can see the same things that crop up all over this game film on this play: Davis allowing zero space to his man, making sure that the Dolphins know that he’s not to be trifled with, especially in crunch time.
This time, Davis’ corner route is the primary read for Tagovailoa, who quickly realizes that despite almost bumping into Drue Tranquill, Davis has the corner route from Trent Sherfield locked up. Tagovailoa has to check the ball down and live to see another play. Again, Davis can stay ideally in phase with his receiver, even as he has to get skinny to avoid a natural collision with Tranquill. Again, Davis stays connected without drawing a flag to get a read on where Sherfield’s next break is coming. And again, it’s blanket coverage.
Davis benefited tremendously from a Chargers game plan that sought to get after Miami’s speedy receivers. LA played more press coverage than they have all season on Sunday, and on pretty much every play included here, you can see that what that meant was that Davis played press while the rest of the secondary played off the line. That’s when Davis is at his best; he always has been. When LA backed off to prevent a big play in the fourth quarter, Davis gave up two catches to receivers running short routes he had to break on. When he was eye to eye with his man on the line, he allowed only the touchdown to Hill, based on my viewing of the game.
So, where does LA go from here? This is Davis’ best performance of what’s been a stellar season after 2021 was a massive letdown. His cap hit next season is $9.4 million, a steep price to pay for a CB3 once Jackson returns from injury. Samuel has continued to develop and his lower price tag and higher upside will entice Chargers brass. That said, you can’t write Davis off as a cap casualty any longer; he’s played too well for that to be a realistic option. Jackson will likely miss part of the early season as he recovers, and even when he does, bringing in Davis alongside him to run some real aggressive press looks is a possibility for this defense.
Either way, Davis has redeemed himself this season. Sunday was merely the coup de grace.
