Tag: Daiyan Henley

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ Week 14 loss to Chiefs

Despite the tough Week 14 loss to the Chiefs, the Chargers showed why they are a legitimate threat in the AFC.

It was a devastating loss for the Chargers in Week 14, all but ending their chances at the AFC West title. After a slow start, Jim Harbaugh’s squad responded with a stellar second half to give them a chance at getting the win.

There were still things to be satisfied with in the loss, including these five standout players:

QB Justin Herbert

Despite the absence of top wideout Ladd McConkey, Herbert still played exceptional. The impressive play came despite the fact that the game was on the road against a good defense, in addition to him playing through injury throughout the game. Herbert completed 70% of his passes for 213 yards through the air and his first passing TD since Week 11 against the Bengals. Most importantly, he continues to take care of the ball as still has just one interception this year across 366 pass attempts.

WR Quentin Johnston

With McConkey out, Johnston stepped up with five catches for 48 yards and a late third quarter TD that gave the Chargers the lead. He held on for a huge third down conversion early in the game despite taking a big hit. Johnston continues to show signs of being an improved player after his disappointing 2023 rookie season.

TE Stone Smartt

The Chargers’ tight end room has struggled throughout the 2024 campaign. Will Dissly has stepped up at times, but he left Sunday night’s game with a shoulder injury. That forced Smartt into action, who played a season-high 22 snaps. The third-year tight end finished with three catches and a career-high 54 yards and could see more playing time moving forward.

LB Daiyan Henley

Henley has not only emerged as the Chargers’ best linebacker this season, but he’s been one of the best defenders in the AFC altogether. In the loss, he was all over the field with a team-high eight total tackles. Henley provided two pressures and was exceptional in coverage, which included a forced incompletion.

CB Kristian Fulton

Fulton continues to have a breakout season for Jesse Minter and the Chargers. The veteran helped lock up Kansas City’s wide receivers, as they finished with just 210 passing yards. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Fulton was the fourth-best corner in Week 14 in terms of limiting separation from opposing wideouts. With Asante Samuel Jr.’s injuries this season, Fulton’s emergence has been even more crucial.

Chargers defense can’t make critical stops in loss to Chiefs: ‘Just gotta finish the game’

The defense was good for most of the game, but couldn’t come up with a stop when needed the most.

The Chargers defense was effective for nearly the entire game before failing to make a stop on the final drive in Sunday night’s 19-17 loss to the Chiefs.

“Just gotta finish the game,” Daiyan Henley said, per the team’s official website.

They had their chances, however.

It started with a kickoff penalty on Cameron Dicker, which allowed the Chiefs to start at their own 40.

On 3rd-and-10, Patrick Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy for a 14-yard gain to move the chains.

A few plays later, on 3rd-and-7 at the Chargers 20, Mahomes evaded an attempted open-field tackle by Henley and hit a wide-open Travis Kelce for nine yards and the first down to let the clock bleed.

“We thought it was likely [they would throw],” Jim Harbaugh said. “We predicted a couple of those, the roll pass early. But just executed, it wasn’t a surprise or a shock.”

Matthew Wright’s 31-yard field goal hit off the left upright and in for the win as time expired.

It was the same story, just a different day with Mahomes getting the ball at the end of the game.

The Chargers held the Chiefs to less than 300 yards of total offense. Mahomes was kept contained for most of the game and sacked three times, but that doesn’t matter when you can’t close out Kansas City.

“We gotta be ready,” Derwin James said. “As a defense, we want to be on the field, we want that challenge and I feel like we didn’t make the plays in the third and fourth quarter to get off the field.

“I know looking at the tape, we’re going to be sick to our stomach,” James added.

4 Chargers players in top 10 of Pro Bowl voting

A handful of Chargers players have contributed to the team’s success, and they are being recognized for their efforts.

The Chargers are in a great position. They are currently 8-4 and the leader of the AFC Wild Card. A handful of players have contributed to the team’s success, and they are being recognized for their efforts.

The NFL kicked off Pro Bowl voting on Nov. 25 as fan voting opened for the public. Pro Bowl players are selected by consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Voting ends on Dec. 23.

Four Chargers players currently rank within the top 10 at their respective positions: Daiyan Henley (9th among inside linebackers), Scott Matlock (8th among fullbacks), Cameron Dicker (4th among kickers) and Joe Alt (6th among offensive tackles).

In his first season as a full-time starter, Henley has been a playmaker in the middle of the Chargers’ defense. He is currently tied for sixth in total tackles (114).

Since coming over to the offensive side of the ball while maintaining his role as a defensive tackle, Matlock has been a reliable two-way player and integral as a lead blocker.

Dicker has accounted for a good grip of the Chargers’ points when the offense struggled to find the end zone. He’s tied for the third-most field goals this season (27), with his longest coming from 59 yards out.

Alt is only in his first season as a pro, but he’s already looked like he’s been in the league for 10 years. He’s been a stonewall in pass protection and a road grader as a run blocker.

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ clutch victory over Falcons

The Chargers defense carried the team to victory in Week 13, which included four interceptions off Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The Chargers improved to 3-0 against the NFC South on Sunday with a narrow win over the Falcons. Los Angeles’ defense finished with four interceptions, a major difference in the comeback win.

Here were the team’s biggest standouts in the massive Week 13 victory that vaulted the Chargers to an 8-4 record:

CB Tarheeb Still

What a game for the rookie fifth-rounder. Still had the play of the game in the third quarter with a 61-yard pick six. It completely flipped the momentum in the game and gave the Chargers a 17-10 lead. Earlier in the game, he had another interception. Still was impressive in coverage throughout the day and has earned even more playing time moving forward.

S Derwin James

This was one of the best performances of the season from the star safety. He was all over the field in this contest with several timely plays. The three-time Pro Bowler finished with 10 total tackles, which included a huge tackle for loss on a 3rd-and-1. James clinched the win with a game-sealing interception, his first of the season and ninth of his career.

WR Ladd McConkey

McConkey is quite clearly the Chargers’ best weapon, and he proved that again on Sunday. The rookie caught a career-high nine passes, eight of them in the first half, for 117 yards. Perhaps even more impressively, McConkey continues to play through injuries. He’s quitely become one of the most valuable players on the team, as no other Charger finished with more than two catches.

Daiyan Henley

Henley has been an underrated part of this year’s stellar defense, and that continued on Sunday. He was all over the field and finished the day with 10 total tackles. The Chargers held the talented Falcons offense to just 13 points, and Henley was a huge part of that.

Cameron Dicker

Fans often don’t fully appreciate the advantage of having a reliable kicker. Sunday illustrated just how valuable it is, as it was a primary difference in the result of the game. Dicker went 3-for-3 on his field goal tries, while Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a chip shot in the first half. Ultimately, these two were the difference in the Chargers leaving Atlanta with a win.

Chargers final injury report: Los Angeles rules out 4 starters ahead of Week 13

The Chargers will be without three defensive starters.

The Chargers had their final practice on Friday in preparation for the Week 13 game against the Falcons.

Los Angeles will have a backfield with its top running back, J.K. Dobbins, who is out with a knee injury he sustained in the Week 12 game against the Ravens.

L.A. will be without two starters from the secondary: Safety Alohi Gilman and cornerback Cam Hart.

Gilman is dealing with a hamstring injury. Hart is sidelined with an ankle injury.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman was also ruled out for the second consecutive week. Perryman is nursing a groin injury.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley is questionable with a calf injury. Henley was added to the injury report on Friday.

Chargers players explain why 2024 team ‘feels different’

Fans can feel the difference this season, and the players admit the same.

The Chargers nearly let one get away from them in Week 11 against the Bengals. Unlike in recent similar situations, the Chargers persevered and pulled out a victory this time around.

With Jim Harbaugh leading the team, this game felt different. The Bengals erased a 21-point deficit, but Los Angeles’ defense made a few crucial stops while the offense scored a game-winning touchdown.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley put in another stellar performance with a team-high 11 tackles on Sunday. After the game, he admitted that this year’s team feels different.

“This is a different team. This is not what the Chargers have been or what the fans here are used to… And the best part about it was that we rallied together.”

In previous years, the Chargers have lost several of these close, one-score contests. Not this time around, though.

Los Angeles improved to 7-3 with their fourth straight win and are in a great spot for the postseason. Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, who is in his fourth year with the team, echoed a very similar sentiment.

“Resiliency. Poise. Mental toughness. That’s the culture around here now,” Slater said after the primetime victory.

This isn’t a team that is still run by incompetent coaching. Instead, the Chargers now have one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL led by Harbaugh.

Fans can feel the difference this season, and the players admit the same.

Chargers acknowledge Jesse Minter might not be in Los Angeles for long

Jesse Minter has transformed the Chargers’ defense into being one of the best units in the NFL in 2024.

The Chargers have undergone a complete identity change in 2024. It starts with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has always been known to have physical football teams.

Los Angeles has prioritized winning in the trenches, which was evident when they selected Joe Alt fifth overall over an elite wide receiver talent. Beyond Harbaugh, though, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has also played a large role in the team’s identity change.

The defense has looked much better in 2024 under Minter, who is in his first year in the NFL. Harbaugh acknowledged Minter may not be with the team for long.

“We’re probably gonna have to just enjoy Jesse Minter while we have him because I have a feeling he’s gonna be a head coach next year. We’re gonna be competing against him,” Harbaugh said on The Pat McAfee Show.

If things continue as they are, Minter will undoubtedly be a prime coaching candidate this upcoming offseason. A few obvious spots around the league will have an opening, and the young DC will likely get a few interviews, at minimum.

In 2024, the Chargers are the league’s lowest-scoring defense. In fact, they have allowed 28 fewer points than the next-best defense, the Steelers. Minter’s unit ranks in the top 10 in both run defense (9th) and pass defense (9th).

“He’s just intuitive. He knows offensive football almost as well as defensive football. He knows how an offense is going to try to attack. There’s some playcallers that just have ‘it’ too, he has it,” Harbaugh said of Minter.

Suddenly, the Chargers seem to have one of the best coaching staffs in the league. That’s not something we could have said in past seasons, and it has completely transformed this team.

This stat shows how good Jesse Minter’s defense has been

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Jesse Minter has the Chargers’ defense playing at an elite level.

Since the start of the season, no team has scored over 20 points on the Bolts. This is the fourth time since 1990 that a defense has limited its opponents to that mark, per NFL Media’s Peter Schrager.

Los Angeles ranks No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game.

Minter’s coaching has the defensive unit firing on all cylinders.

In the trenches, they’ve been stout against the run and the pass rush is finally starting to come alive. The linebackers are rallying to the football. The coverage has been tight, and the scheme has confused opposing quarterbacks.

Minter is just in the first season as the team’s defensive coordinator, but it might be his only stint in this role.

“We’ve gotta enjoy Jesse Minter while we have him because I think he’s gonna be a Head Coach next year,” Jim Harbaugh said in his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Chargers stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down after close loss in Week 7

Despite the Chargers’ close loss in Week 7, there are still plenty of positives to work with moving forward.

In some ways, the Chargers looked like the better team on Monday night against the Cardinals. In other ways though, they were the less disciplined squad and it ended up costing them a potential victory.

The team fell back to .500 at 3-3, but it was one that they let slip away it seems. Per usual, here are some players that boosted and hurt their stock in the Week 7 defeat.

Stock up: QB Justin Herbert

What a performance from #10. Despite Quentin Johnston’s absence, Herbert still put together his best performance of the season with 349 passing yards. His numbers could have been even better too, but his pass catchers dropped a handful of throws on the night. Herbert was phenomenal under pressure in particular and reminded everyone why he’s still an elite quarterback in this league.

Stock down: RB J.K. Dobbins

This was supposed to be a game in which the Chargers imposed their will in the running game. That did not go according to plan, as Dobbins’ longest run on the night was just 11 yards. Those explosive plays from the first two weeks of the season have all but disappeared. Dobbins averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on 14 attempts. That marks his fourth straight game finishing under four yards per carry.

Stock up: TE Will Dissly

With Hayden Hurst inactive, Dissly stepped up in a huge way. The veteran finished with a game-high eight catches and 81 receiving yards, which was the hightest total from a Charger this season. The performance further locks him in as the team’s clear No. 1 tight end even when Hurst returns to action.

Stock down: LB Daiyan Henley

A theme of the night was the Chargers’ missed tackling. While Henley has enjoyed a breakout season, he wasn’t at his best in Week 7. He missed four tackles on the night, which led the team. The linebacker core was poor in this particular department, and Henley stood out in negative way. He finished with four tackles, but still left a lot on the table.

Stock up: K Cameron Dicker

Dicker scored all 15 of the Chargers’ points on Monday evening. Unfortunately, that’s five opportunities squandered and were unable to reach the endzone. On the flip side, Dicker was five-for-five on field goal attempts, which included a 59-yarder in the second quarter. He’s now 15-for-16 on FG tries this season and has proven to be worth every penny of the $22 million extension that he signed back in August.

Everything to know from Chargers’ preseason win over Cowboys

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 26-19 win over the Cowboys.

The Chargers picked up a win to close out the preseason, defeating the Cowboys by the score of 26-19.

Here’s our recap of the Bolts’ victory.

It was over when…

Robert Kennedy intercepted Trey Lance in the end zone as time expired.

3 stars of the game

  1. S Tony Jefferson: Jefferson had a pretty quiet summer. But his performance on Saturday raised the eyebrows of the coaching staff to garner serious consideration of making the 53-man roster. The 10-year veteran led the team in tackles (14) and added two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble.
  2. WR Simi Fehoko: It’s going to be difficult to keep Fehoko off the roster. He showed out every day over the past month and capped it off with a 78-yard touchdown, beating Andrew Booth down the right sideline to haul Easton Stick’s deep pass.
  3. EDGE Tre’Mon Morris-Brash: Morris-Brash is another summer standout who capped off with an impressive showing. He picked off Lance and took it back to the end zone. His Pick 6 extended the Chargers’ lead late in the fourth quarter to put a stamp on the game.

Quick hits

  • Easton Stick played the whole game to try to prove to the coaching staff that he is a serviceable backup. And Stick’s performance left a lot to be desired. Aside from his pass to Fehoko for the 78-yard touchdown, Stick’s accuracy issues were still evident. Aside from that deep throw, he went 11 of 28 with 109 yards and an interception.
  • In the running back battle, Jaret Patterson continued to impress, rushing for 27 yards on six carries (4.5 YPC). Elijah Dotson posted 23 yards on four rushes. Isaiah Spiller was inefficient.
  • I mentioned how Fehoko further made his case to make the roster. The same can’t be said about rookie Brenden Rice, who finished the game with just 11 yards on one catch. Rice was targeted seven times. Stick and Rice could not get on the same page for the third straight week despite Rice consistently getting open.
  • The other seventh-round pick, Cornelius Johnson, finally made his presence felt after being fairly quiet this summer. Johnson had three catches for 34 yards.
  • Derius Davis’ speed is going to be a problem for opposing defenses this season. Davis scored the first touchdown on the Chargers’ first offensive play, scampering 70 yards on an end-around.
  • Jesse Minter’s defense finished with six turnovers, five being interceptions.
  • The unit held the Cowboys to 1-of-4 in the red zone.
  • JT Woods’ tackling in the open has improved tremendously. That was one of his issues since coming out of college.

What’s next?

The Chargers will have until 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday to reduce their roster to 53 players before they open the regular season against the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 1:05 p.m. PT.