Tag: Chargers vs. Washington

Chargers Week 1 Report Card: How we graded defense in victory over Washington

Grading every position on the defensive side of the ball in the Chargers’ season opener.

The Chargers took care of business in Week 1, defeating Washington by the score of 20-16.

Here’s how every position on the defensive side of the ball graded out in the team’s victory on Sunday:

Interior defensive line — C

The defense was stout against the pass but the run on the other hand, they struggled immensely – allowing 4.7 yards per attempt and 126 rushing yards. The only player who consistently showed up in the department was Christian Covington, who finished with four stops. Linval Joseph and Justin Jones combined for three quarterback pressures, while Jerry Tillery was nonexistent. This a group that needs to improve or else opposing teams will continue to exploit them on the ground.

Edge defender — B

Joey Bosa had the assignment of going up against rookie tackle Samuel Cosmi for the majority of the game, and he gave him his welcome to the NFL. Bosa logged his first sack of 2021 and an additional four quarterback pressures. Uchenna Nwosu also made his presence known with two quarterback hits, one of which knocked Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the game. Kyler Fackrell had a quiet game. Chris Rumph’s playing time came on special teams.

Linebacker — B

Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White primarily made up all of the playing time at the position. Murray led the team with 10 tackles. White did have two missed tackles, but he forced a big fumble to set up a Chargers touchdown late in the game. White finished with five tackles. The two looked comfortable in their new roles, roaming around more freely and having more opportunities to make plays on the football.

Cornerback — B+

Washington was held to 133 yards passing. Yes, it helped that the opposing quarterbacks were pressured 14 times on 30 dropbacks, but it goes to show that the corners played their assignments well and primarily kept everything in front of them. Outside of a play that resulted in Terry McLaurin gaining 34 yards, Michael Davis had a solid game, especially as a tackler. Rookie Asante Samuel Jr. was dinged for a ticky tacky pass interference call, but he followed that up with a few standout plays in coverage on Dyami Brown. Chris Harris Jr. was also strong against the pass, only allowing two passes for 15 yards.

Safety — B+

Derwin James made an impact in his return to the field after missing all of last season. James finished second on the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection. What stands out the most, however, is that he recorded a 90.0 grade (second among safeties) and a 90.2 coverage grade (first among safeties), per Pro Football Focus. Nasir Adderley had a bit of an up-and-down day. Adderley failed to make a play on McLaurin’s long reception and he gave up a touchdown to Logan Thomas on the following play. In addition, Adderley made a bad read on a deep ball that resulted in Samuel being penalized, which ended in points for Washington. Adderley showed improvement as a tackler, which is a plus.

Chargers Week 1 Report Card: How the offense graded in victory over Washington

Grading every position on the offensive side of the ball in the Chargers’ season opener.

The Chargers took care of business in Week 1, defeating Washington by the score of 20-16.

Here’s how every position graded out in the team’s victory on Sunday:

Quarterback — A

While many believed he was going to endure sophomore struggles, quarterback Justin Herbert did not lose a step from his phenomenal rookie campaign. Delivering beautiful darts at all levels of the field, Herbert finished 31-of-47 passing for 337 yards – leading the offense on three long scoring drives (75, 76, and 68 yards). His most impressive work came on third-down situations, as he completed 13 of 16 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Had the dropped passes not occurred, Herbert could have been sitting with over 370 yards and two scores.

Running back — B-

After dealing with a hamstring injury leading up into the contest, Austin Ekeler still played and took the majority of the carries. Running the ball 15 times, Ekeler totaled 57 yards. He was a non-factor in the passing game, not being targeted on any of his 26 routes. Aside from a carry of 13 yards, Larry Rountree did not do much with his other opportunities. The bulk of Justin Jackson’s playing time came on special teams, finishing with only one carry for five yards. All backs played key roles in pass protection, however.

Wide receiver — B

Herbert distributed the wealth to nine different skill players, with all five receivers on the roster being targeted. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were the stars of the show, combining for 17 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown on 25 targets. Allen went for over 100 yards and Williams caught a career-high eight passes in his new role in Lombardi’s offense. Jalen Guyton and K.J. Hill each had three receptions, averaging over 10 yards per catch. Rookie Josh Palmer was only targeted once, but he turned it into a 17-yard gain. Had there not been some bad drops, this unit would have received an ‘A’ grade.

Tight end — B

Jared Cook did the majority of the work in the passing game out of this group. The chemistry between Herbert and Cook was there, as the two linked up five times for 56 yards on eight targets. Cook, however, did have one of the team’s few drops on the afternoon. In a surprising manner, Donald Parham was primarily used as a blocking tight end. Parham had 20 run blocking snaps and eight pass blocking snaps, while only running routes 13 times. Stephen Anderson wasn’t a factor as a receiver, but he was arguably one of the better blockers, especially in the run game.

Offensive line — A

It’s been quite some time since this position group received anything higher than a ‘C’ grade, but the newly revamped line held their own against one of the best defensive fronts in this league. Herbert had 52 dropbacks and he was only pressured five times. Rookie tackle Rashawn Slater was a major contributor, going up against Chase Young and Montez Sweat, not allowing a single pressure and paving the way in the run game.

CB Asante Samuel Jr. has impressive debut for Chargers

Asante Samuel Jr. showed in his regular season debut why the Chargers drafted him.

The Chargers held Washington to just 133 yards passing in the season opener this past Sunday.

While the pass rush took some of the pressure off of the secondary, there were a handful of positive plays that occurred in the defensive backfield.

Among the notable contributors was rookie cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.

Samuel’s name was first called early in the second quarter when he committed a pass interference penalty in coverage on wide receiver Dyami Brown. It led to a Dustin Hopkins field goal.

Even though he got a little handsy, Samuel was not entirely responsible for the penalty. After the game, head coach Brandon Staley said Samuel was doing his job on the play, and that safety Nasir Adderley made a “poor read.”

While it resulted in 35 yards being tacked on the play, how Samuel responded is what demonstrated his resiliency.

On the following drive, Samuel was targeted on back-to-back plays and his tight coverage on Brown both led to incompletions, with the end result being a punt.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter, Samuel made a big stop on Brown in the open field that went for a tackle for loss. The play led to Hopkins attempting and missing a field goal from 51 yards out.

Another noteworthy play also came in the fourth quarter when Samuel made the initial contact on running back Antonio Gibson’s fumble which came after quarterback Justin Herbert’s interception in the red zone.

Samuel finished the day with five tackles and a tackle for loss, as well as an 84.5 tackling and 73.3 run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

Aside from the penalty, he showed why Los Angeles drafted him. The team needed another starting corner, and they got one in Samuel, who brings playmaking in both coverage and run support.

WR Mike Williams looks like completely different player for Chargers

In his new role, Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams will be an integral passing game piece.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi gave us a heads up that wide receiver Mike Williams was going to play a big role this season.

It showed up in the season opener against Washington.

Targeted 12 times, Williams posted a career-high in receptions with eight. The impressive stat is one thing, but how he produced the numbers is what stood out the most.

After being relegated to a jump ball specialist since entering the league back in 2017, Williams made the majority of his money in the short and intermediate levels of the field.

Instead of being restricted to primarily vertical routes, Williams made the most of an expanded route tree, using power in his strides and timing rhythm in his routes to create passing windows.

Williams finished with 82 yards and the touchdown late in the game that sealed the deal for Los Angeles.

“Analytically, statistics, they say red zone fades are low percentage,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “But what they don’t tell you is when you throw them to the right people with the right matchup, they’re real high percentage.

When you throw it to Mike Williams, that’s the different statistical movie, and you can just see the value there.”

He was close to having two scores, but Williams had a bad drop in the end zone on a beautiful pass from quarterback Justin Herbert.

At the end of the day, Williams looks like an entirely different player in Lombardi’s system as the ‘X receiver.’ With his contract up at the end of the season, the former Clemson product could play his way into cashing in.

“I think he’s an incredible receiver,” Herbert said. “He’s one of those guys that goes up and 50/50 balls are more like 75/25. He showed up today and he’s a trustworthy guy.”

Chargers’ Derwin James makes presence felt in return

Derwin James is a rare breed, and the Chargers are a better team when he’s on the field.

It was exactly a year, eight months and 14 days when Derwin James last made an appearance in a regular season game.

After missing the entire 2020 season with a knee injury, James returned to the action on Sunday against Washington, and the All-Pro safety did not lose a step.

Playing every defensive snap and lining up all across the formation, James made his presence felt – moving at a different speed than everyone else on the field, staying in phase in coverage, showing the range and body control to make plays on the football and the power as a tackler.

As a result, James finished second on the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection. But the feat that stands out the most is that he recorded a 90.0 grade (second among safeties) and a 90.2 coverage grade (first among safeties), per Pro Football Focus.

Following the Chargers’ victory, head coach Brandon Staley gave out three game balls, and one of them went to James. While he earned it with his performance, it’s the message that Staley shared that validates how much of a difference-maker James truly is.

“One guy has been through a lot the past two years. We all know what our record is with Derwin James. We all know what our record is without the guy. We all know what he means. Without this guy, this whole movie is different,” Staley said.

At the end of the day, if James can stay on the field for the remainder of the season, Los Angeles’ chances of making a deep run will be at an all-time high.

Chargers OT Rashawn Slater plays well beyond his years in debut

Chargers rookie OT Rashawn Slater exceeded even the highest expectations in his debut in the professional ranks. 

In need of quarterback Justin Herbert’s blindside protector, the Chargers selected offensive tackle Rashawn Slater with the No. 13 overall pick.

The selection of Slater was adored by many, included myself, who had him as the No. 2 tackle in this year’s draft class.

“While many believe he should get kicked inside at the next level, Slater is technically sound and has the athleticism and smarts to overcome any measurement concerns, projecting as a top-notch blindside blocker,” I wrote.

Leading into the draft, there were rumblings that Slater was going to have to play guard due to his height and length not being to NFL standards. This all came after he dominated elite competition at the position at Northwestern

Los Angeles did not think so.

The team knew they were going to have him protect the edge all along, and his regular season as a professional against Washington showed why Slater was destined to be an NFL offensive tackle.

Drawing two tough matchups in edge defenders Chase Young and Montez Sweat, Slater’s play resembled one similar to a veteran Pro Bowler returning for his fourth season in this league.

Slater handled everything thrown his way, showing great technique with his upper and lower half, functional strength and agility to keep rushers at bay, as well as the athleticism to take advantage of positioning and angles to get the job done in the run blocking department.

On the afternoon, Slater did not allow a single pressure to arguably the stiffest competition that he will face this season.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Slater coming out of college, and it’s safe to say that the former Wildcat exceeded even the highest expectations in his debut in the professional ranks.

Chargers’ players of the game vs. Washington

Highlighting the most impactful players for the Chargers in their Week 1 victory over Washington.

The Chargers kicked off the 2021 regular season in the win column after downing Washington on the road.

Who had the biggest impact on the game in all three phases?

Here are the players of the game in Week 1:

Offensive Player of the Game: QB Justin Herbert

Either one of wide receiver Keenan Allen or Mike Williams could have been slotted here after their stellar performances but at the end of the day, the engineer of the offense gets the nod.

A stat line of 337 passing yards and a touchdown is seen as pretty normal in today’s NFL, but it is what Herbert did that earned him the award, managing to overcome a fumble into the end zone that resulted in a touchback and a red zone interception.

He led an offense that went 14 of 19 on third down, scoring drives of 75, 76 and 68 yards to close out the game, and a go-ahead touchdown pass to Mike Williams prior to that to make up for the hiccups.

So much for all that talk of a second season regression. Herbert is the real deal.

Defensive Player of the Game: LB Kyzir White

This would’ve gone to Joey Bosa, Derwin James or Asante Samuel Jr. for their outings as a whole but for today, I’m giving it to the player that made the biggest defensive play of the game.

Following Herbert’s interception in the red zone, all the momentum was on Washington’s side. That was until running back Antonio Gibson took a carry up the middle, only to meet White who was able to punch the ball out and have it recovered by Kenneth Murray.

Herbert followed that up with his lone touchdown pass to Williams which ultimately sealed the deal.

White finished the game with five tackles and the forced fumble.

Special Teams Player of the Game: K Tristan Vizcaino

The coaches made the decision to make Vizcaino the starting kicker over Michael Badgley, and he did not disappoint in his regular season debut for the Chargers. Vizcaino was a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goals of 33 and 27 yards and both extra points.

Everything we know about Chargers’ victory over Washington in Week 1

Highlighting everything notable in the Los Angeles Chargers’ victory over the Washington Football Team.

In a neck-and-neck battle between the Chargers and Washington, Los Angeles came out victorious by the score of 20-16.

To recap the season opener, here is everything we know:

It was over when…

Washington decided to punt with a little less than seven minutes in the fourth-quarter. With the ball back in the hands of quarterback Justin Herbert, the offense put together a 15-play, 72-yard drive to eat up the remainder of the clock.

Keys of the game

The Chargers were 14-of-19 on third down.

Washington was held to 133 yards passing.

Los Angeles controlled the time of possession. 36:03 to 23:57.

4 stars of the game

QB Justin Herbert: 31-of-47 for 337 yards, 1 touchdown

WR Keenan Allen: 9 catches for 100 yards

WR Mike Williams: 8 receptions for 82 yards, 1 touchdown

S Derwin James: 7 tackles, 1 pass deflection

Quick hitters

Aside from the work in the red zone, Joe Lombardi called a terrific game by letting Herbert do his thing early and often. The blocking scheme and personnel allowed him to stay clean for the most part and receivers were put in optimal positions with a variety of route concepts/combinations.

Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have the makeup of a phenomenal wide receiver duo in this system.

The newly revamped offensive line did a fantastic job of holding their own against a tough Washington front. Rashawn Slater, in particular, swallowed up everything that came his way, including reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young.

While the passing game was the focal point, the run game was not all that efficient, only averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Austin Ekeler was limited to 15 carries and was not used as a receiver. Larry Rountree had more carries than Justin Jackson, finishing with eight to one respectively.

The defense was stronger in the first half than in the second, but against the run was where they struggled throughout the entire game aside from a clutch fumble forced by Kyzir White. Washington finished with 27 carries for 127 yards (4.7 yards per carry).

Generating pressure in a multitude of ways is Brandon Staley’s calling card and it paid off, especially with Joey Bosa and Uchenna Nwosu. Aside from a big play to Terry McLaurin and their only touchdown, the Chargers held Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke to 133 passing yards.

The two best defensive players were Derwin James and Asante Samuel Jr. Both players consistently flew around the field, making big plays in big moments, both in the passing and run game.

Dropped passes and costly penalties in critical situations could have ultimately costed the Chargers this game. I don’t like to blame NFL officiating, but there were a couple of questionable calls, including the roughing the passer on Joey Bosa late in the game.

What’s next?

The Chargers return home to take on the Cowboys in the first regular season game at SoFi Stadium in front of fans on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 1:25 pm PT.

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ victory over Washington in season opener

What the general population thought of the Chargers’ Week 1 victory over Washington.

In the debut of head coach Brandon Staley, the Chargers took care of business against Washington.

It wasn’t pretty considering the game was full of head-scratching turnovers and penalties, but quarterback Justin Herbert and company dominated a very good defense and controlled the time of possession.

On the other hand, Los Angeles’ defense kept Washington’s offense in check for the most part, holding them to only two trips to the red zone.

After the Bolts picked up their first victory of the season, here’s a look at how social media reacted:

Watch: RB Austin Ekeler scores first touchdown of season for Chargers

Check out the Chargers’ first touchdown of the 2021 regular season.

It was the Chargers who struck first in the season opener against Washington.

Facing one of the league’s best defenses, Los Angeles scampered down the field with ease on the opening drive.

Quarterback Justin Herbert engineered the majority of the production on the 10-play, 75-yard drive but it was running back Austin Ekeler who found the end zone from three yards out.

Check it out: