Tag: Derwin James

Ladd McConkey sets Chargers rookie receiving records in win over Patriots: ‘He’s a baller, man’

The Patriots watched the player they passed on in this year’s draft dominate them.

The Patriots wanted a wide receiver in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

New England had the opportunity to select Ladd McConkey with the No. 34 overall pick. They passed on him because they saw him as a slot-only receiver and swapped picks with the Chargers, who took him.

Fast forward eight months later, the former Georgia product came to Foxboro and made the Patriots feel regretful for not drafting him with a monstrous performance that saw him shatter a couple of franchise rookie records.

McConkey set new Chargers rookie records in receptions and receiving yards, as he currently has 77 receptions for 1,054 yards.

McConkey surpassed the player he was asked to fill the shoes of, shattering Keenan Allen’s previous records of 71 catches for 1,046 yards, which he set in 2013.

McConkey finished the game with eight catches for 94 yards and two scores.

After the game, some of McConkey’s teammates heaped high praise on him after reaching such outstanding feats.

“He’s such a tough player. He’s a playmaker and finds ways to get open,” Justin Herbert said, per the team’s official website. “He’s done such a great job of battling injuries and being out there for us.

“He’s a guy we trust on third down. Anytime we go out there, he’s a threat,” Herbert added. “All I have to do is get him the ball and he makes my job so much easier.”

Safety Derwin James, Jr., added: “Ladd is that guy. I told him before the game I wanted him to get to 1,000 yards. I’ve been keeping track for him all year. He got there today and I’m proud of him. He’s a baller, man.”

McConkey will have the opportunity to crack the top 10 for receiving yards among rookie receivers next Sunday against the Raiders. He needs 84 yards to surpass Michael Thomas (1,137).

Statistical Breakdown: How the Chargers and Patriots stack up before Week 17 game

Here’s how the Chargers and Patriots stack up statistically on offense and defense ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

The Chargers and Patriots are set to square off this Saturday.

Here’s how Los Angeles and New England stack up statistically on both sides of the ball ahead of the Week 17 matchup:

Offense

Category Chargers Patriots
Points per game 21.9 ppg (18th) 17.3 ppg (30th)
Passing offense 200.8 ypg (28th) 178.5 ypg (32nd)
Rushing offense 106.5 ypg (23rd) 119.7 ypg (14th)
Total offense 307.3 ypg (24th) 298.3 ypg (29th)
3rd down conversions 37.89% (18th) 35.75% (26th)
Red zone scoring 57.50% (14th) 47.73% (31st)
Sacks allowed 43 (21st) 47 (26th)
Turnovers 9 (2nd) 21 (20th)

Defense

Category Chargers Patriots
Points allowed 18.3 ppg (1st) 24.1 ppg (24th)
Passing defense 213.9 ypg (15th) 212.4 ypg (12th)
Rushing defense 124.1 ypg (17th) 130.4 ypg (24th)
Total defense 337.9 ypg (15th) 342.8 ypg (21st)
3rd down conversions 37.07% (10th) 42.08% (25th)
Red zone defense 44.74% (1st) 62.75% (24th)
Sacks 42 (7th) 28 (31st)
Takeaways 19 (14th) 12 (29th)

 

How Week 16 win affected Chargers place in NFL power rankings

The Chargers stood steady in the NFL Power Rankings after their win over the Broncos.

The Chargers improved to 9-6 after beating the Broncos last Thursday.

After Week 16, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 12 (Previous: 16)

“It took a 48-year stretch, but the Bolts have now converted the NFL’s last two successful fair catch kicks. Bummer that Bill Belichick, who enjoys an arcane football rule as much as anyone, won’t be on the sideline at Foxborough on Saturday when the Chargers visit.”

NFL: 10 (Previous: 13)

“First things first: The Chargers earned some serious nerd points from me with their fair-catch free kick. Like Jim Harbaugh, I find it to be my favorite play in football. Fair-catch free kicks come around about as often as Halley’s Comet, and they’re almost never successful, so that one from Cameron Dicker was a big yes from me, dawg. And when Justin Herbert carried his team on his back with a gutsy effort against the Broncos on Thursday — with the free-kick field goal giving them a boost heading into halftime — it reinvigorated me a bit when it comes to the Bolts, who have their flaws but remain plucky. I’m not quite convinced that the final 2.5 quarters of defense atone for everything we saw over multiple games prior to that point, but it was a much-needed start. If Los Angeles’ D can perform like that again at New England on Saturday, I’ll buy back even more shares. The Patriots don’t score a ton of points, but Drake Maye can stress the Chargers’ secondary if they’re not careful.”

ESPN: 11 (Previous: 12)

Rookie of the year: Wide receiver Ladd McConkey

“Right tackle Joe Alt and cornerback Tarheeb Still have strong cases, but McConkey has been the Chargers’ most important offensive player not named Justin Herbert. McConkey and Herbert have already become one of the league’s best quarterback-receiver pairings. Out of 34 QB-receiver combos with at least 75 targets this season, the two rank in the top five of QBR, completion percentage and yards per attempt. McConkey leads the Chargers in receptions (69), targets (94) and yards (960).”

CBS Sports: 12 (Previous: 13)

“The Chargers bounced back from the blowout loss to the Bucs with a nice division victory over the Broncos. One more victory and they are in the playoffs.”

Sports Illustrated: 12 (Previous: 14)

“Roughly 11 compensatory draft picks for Jim Harbaugh to completely overhaul the front end of this roster.”

Bleacher Report: 13 (Previous: 10)

“Watching two of the NFL’s stingiest defenses allow 55 points was a little odd, but this was an impressive gut-check win the Chargers. The run game in Los Angeles remains a question mark (this week’s stats were skewed by one long Gus Edwards run), but the Chargers play excellent defense and have the sort of high-end quarterback in Justin Herbert who can make all the difference in the world in a playoff game. The Bolts are not a team folks want to have to face in the Wild Card round.”

How Week 15 loss affected Chargers place in NFL power rankings

After their loss on Sunday, the Chargers took a little bit of a slide.

The Chargers fell to 8-6 after losing to the Buccaneers last Sunday.

After Week 15, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 16 (Previous: 12)

“After surrendering no more than 20 points in their first nine games, they’ve allowed at least 27 in three of the past five, including a forty-burger to the Bucs in Sunday’s loss.”

NFL: 13 (Previous: 9)

“Holding a 17-10 lead with just over five minutes left in the second quarter on Sunday, the Chargers fell on a Bucs fumble, and the game appeared to be tilting in their direction. From that point on, Tampa outscored L.A. 30-zip. The Bolts have had some unbelievably poor halves this season, but they absolutely crumbled after halftime in this one and were completely out of it midway through the fourth quarter. It was a hard fall for this team, which has now dropped three of the past four games and appears to be treading water — at best — even with a pretty darned good grasp on a playoff spot. A few weeks ago, the Chargers looked like the kind of first-round opponent no division winner wanted to face in the postseason. Now the defense has been humbled, and a flatlining Justin Herbert is dealing with a left ankle injury heading into a big game against Denver with seeding on the line.”

ESPN: 12 (Previous: 9)

Biggest improvement: Play-action offense

“Before the Chargers’ Week 5 bye, they used play-action just 25.4% of the time. And it wasn’t particularly effective, either, as quarterback Justin Herbert had a QBR of 40.1 on those plays. Some of this likely had to do with his high ankle sprain from Week 2. Still, since Week 6, they’ve run play-action 34.4% of the time and Herbert has a 61.1 QBR. He also averages 12.1 yards per completion and 7.7 yards per attempt on these plays in that span, which is higher than the first four weeks of the season.”

CBS Sports: 13 (Previous: 9)

“That was a horrible showing against the Bucs. They have lost two straight and now face a big Thursday game on the road against the Broncos.”

Sports Illustrated: 14 (Previous: 13)

“I have been accused of being a silver linings guy and that’s a disposition I’m happy to have been saddled with. So I’ll say this after the Chargers were totally boat-raced by the Buccaneers: this isn’t indicative of some developing issue, it’s merely the point in which Los Angeles’s current level of talent and health has met the realities of their situation. I think we can all agree that this team has looked and felt different than the cardiac Chargers of the past, but Jim Harbaugh was saddled with one of the worst rosters—QB removed—in the NFL and is counting on a lot of young talent.”

Bleacher Report: 13 (Previous: 10)

“Sometimes, statistics don’t tell the whole story about a team. Los Angeles came into Week 15 with the No. 1-ranked scoring defense, slowing down mediocre and below-average offenses, some of which were led by rookies. Whenever Los Angeles plays a high-scoring opponent, its defense looks more porous than stout. The Buccaneers dropped 40 points on the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, and it should leave you questioning whether this club can hang with playoff-caliber teams.”

Statistical Breakdown: How the Chargers and Buccaneers stack up before Week 15 game

Here’s how the Chargers and Buccaneers stack up statistically on offense and defense ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

The Chargers and Buccaneers are set to square off this Sunday.

Here’s how Los Angeles and Tampa Bay stack up statistically on both sides of the ball ahead of the Week 15 matchup:

Offense

Category Chargers Buccaneers
Points per game 21.3 ppg (20th) 27.9 ppg (5th)
Passing offense 198.1 ypg (25th) 241.0 ypg (6th)
Rushing offense 111.5 ypg (19th) 138.3 ypg (7th)
Total offense 309.5 ypg (24th) 379.3 ypg (3rd)
3rd down conversions 38.37% (15th) 47.17% (2nd)
Red zone scoring 54.55% (19th) 68.63% (4th)
Sacks allowed 38 (23rd) 32 (16th)
Turnovers 6 (1st) 18 (20th)

Defense

Category Chargers Buccaneers
Points allowed 15.9 ppg (1st) 23.8 ppg (22nd)
Passing defense 206.1 ypg (8th) 253.4 ypg (30th)
Rushing defense 117.6 ypg (14th) 115.2 ypg (11th)
Total defense 323.7 ypg (11th) 368.5 ypg (28th)
3rd down conversions 35.03% (7th) 41.92% (23rd)
Red zone defense 41.94% (1st) 51.02% (10th)
Sacks 39 (5th) 35 (11th)
Takeaways 17 (10th) 16 (14th)

How Week 14 loss affected Chargers place in NFL power rankings

Despite their loss on Sunday, the Chargers did not move that much in the power rankings.

The Chargers fell to 8-5 after losing to the Chiefs last Sunday.

After Week 14, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 12 (Previous: 12)

“Pretty good effort Sunday night at Arrowhead, especially with RB J.K. Dobbins and WR Ladd McConkey, the Bolts’ leaders in yards from scrimmage, both unavailable. Their six turnovers are the league’s fewest, yet it still feels like a conservative, mistake-mitigating approach is one that isn’t going to pay many dividends in the playoffs.”

NFL: 9 (Previous: 9)

“With no Ladd McConkey against the Chiefs, the Chargers’ offensive struggles reached near-doldrum levels early on, coming off a win where they never reached the end zone offensively. Sunday night’s loss stings, for sure, and it gives the Bolts an idea of what more they need to do to beat quality teams. That’s now three straight one-score losses to Kansas City. Even still, Justin Herbert kept dealing and kept making big throws, and the play-action and run games both started working again. I think the offense will be OK once McConkey returns to the lineup, and as long as the Chargers don’t flounder down the stretch, they will be in the playoffs and will make for an especially thorny first-round opponent.”

ESPN: 9 (Previous: 9)

Most shocking ranking: 19th in rushing

“Throughout the offseason, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman boasted about the dominant rushing offense they would build in L.A., but it hasn’t panned out that way. Averaging 111.5 yards per game, the rushing offense is slightly improved from where the Chargers finished last season (25th), but it has largely been a disappointment and by far the worst of Harbaugh’s NFL career. During Harbaugh and Roman’s four seasons in San Francisco, they had the second-best rushing offense in the NFL; the lowest the 49ers ranked was eighth in Harbaugh’s first season.”

CBS Sports: 9 (Previous: 8)

“That was a tough loss to the Chiefs on the road, but they rallied back and the defense played well, which has been their calling card all year. At 8-5, they would be the sixth seed right now.”

Sports Illustrated: 13 (Previous: 9)

“Quentin Johnston has had issues with his hands since college, but the explosive get off from the line of scrimmage on Sunday night against Kansas City and the ability to hold on to the ball during a massive collision was impressive. If Johnston can develop on this kind of timeline we could have a beast on our hands in Year 3.”

Bleacher Report: 10 (Previous: 9)

“Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are more physical. They play tough defense. It’s a squad built to win. Yet they still can’t overcome the bully in the AFC West, with two regular-season losses to the Kansas City Chiefs. While Los Angeles remains in line to capture a wildcard postseason berth, it’s clear the Chargers aren’t quite ready to handle the league’s elite. A playoff run is possible, though it doesn’t feel likely since four of the Chargers’ five losses came against potential postseason opponents.”

Where the Chargers rank statistically after Week 14

The Chargers held the Chiefs to less than 300 yards of total offense, so how did that impact them in the rankings?

The Chargers fell to 8-5 after losing to the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Los Angeles’ defense held its own, limiting Kansas City to less than 300 yards of total offense and containing Patrick Mahomes for most of the game. Offensively, the Bolts couldn’t get anything going in the first half but had a surge in the second half.

With Week 15 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 21.3 ppg 20th
Passing offense 198.1 ypg 25th
Rushing offense 111.5 ypg 19th
Total offense 309.5 ypg 24th
3rd down conversions 38.37% 15th
Red zone scoring 54.55% 19th
Sacks allowed 38 23rd
Turnovers 6 1st

Defense

Category Stat Rank
Points allowed 15.9 ppg 1st
Passing defense 206.1 ypg 8th
Rushing defense 117.6 ypg 14th
Total defense 323.7 ypg 11th
3rd down conversions 35.03% 7th
Red zone defense 41.94% 1st
Sacks 39 5th
Takeaways 17 10th

 

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.

Statistical Breakdown: How the Chargers and Chiefs stack up before Week 14 game

Here’s how the Chargers and Chiefs stack up statistically on offense and defense ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

The Chargers and Chiefs are set to square off this upcoming Sunday night.

Here’s how Los Angeles and Kansas City stack up statistically on both sides of the ball ahead of the Week 14 matchup:

Offense

Category Chargers Chiefs
Points per game 21.7 ppg (18th) 24.1 ppg (11th)
Passing offense 198.4 ypg (24th) 229.8 ypg (12th)
Rushing offense 112.9 ypg (18th) 111.8 ypg (19th)
Total offense 311.3 ypg (24th) 341.6 ypg (15th)
3rd down conversions 37.74% (18th) 51.83% (1st)
Red zone scoring 53.33% (21st) 52.08% (24th)
Sacks allowed 35 (23rd) 32 (20th)
Turnovers 6 (1st) 14 (14th)

Defense

Category Chargers Chiefs
Points allowed 15.7 ppg (1st) 19.6 ppg (8th)
Passing defense 206.4 ypg (10th) 224.1 ypg (23rd)
Rushing defense 119.4 ypg (14th) 87.3 ypg (3rd)
Total defense 325.8 ypg (14th) 311.9 ypg (8th)
3rd down conversions 33.33% (2nd) 39.46% (18th)
Red zone defense 42.86% (2nd) 51.28% (10th)
Sacks 36 (6th) 24 (27th)
Takeaways 17 (10th) 10 (27th)

Derwin James heaps high praise on Ladd McConkey: ‘That’s the Rookie of the Year’

Ladd McConkey has been one of the best rookies this season, and Derwin James believes he should be recognized as it.

Ladd McConkey has been one of the best rookies this season, and Derwin James believes he should be recognized as it.

“That’s the Rookie of the Year,” James said about McConkey on a recent episode of FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams.

McConkey, the second-round pick, has established himself as Justin Herbert’s go-to target and a centerpiece in the offense. He paces the Chargers in catches (58), targets (81) and receiving yards (815).

McConkey has the second-most receiving yards among rookies, trailing his former college teammate and Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

“Ladd’s a great pro,” James added. “Every day, he shows up to work. He’s got his priorities in line off the field. And I feel like every day, he wants to be great and give it all to the team. Love Ladd so much.”

McConkey recorded 105 receiving yards before halftime in the win over the Falcons, which set a record for the most receiving yards in the first half of a game by a Chargers rookie.

McConkey is on pace to shatter another franchise record, as he currently sits third on the single-season rookie list with 815 yards. Keenan Allen holds the Chargers single-season rookie receiving record at 1,046 yards.

McConkey is currently tied with Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving for the fifth-best odds for the award, trailing Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (-250), Broncos QB Box Nix (+200), Bowers (+1200) and Bears QB Caleb Williams (+6600).