Tag: Jared Cook

Studs and duds from Chargers’ loss to Chiefs

Highlighting the Chargers players who shined and struggled in the loss to the Chiefs.

The Chargers lost to the Chiefs by the score of 34-28 on Thursday night.

Outcome aside, here is a look at some players who shined and struggled.

Studs

RB Justin Jackson

Talk about a breakthrough performance. We knew the talent with Jackson was there, but the nagging injuries kept him from playing to his potential. Nevertheless, Jackson led the Chargers with 13 carries for 86 yards (6.6 yards per carry). With him stepping up, it is a good sign for the backfield that has been missing a second running back behind Austin Ekeler. 

QB Justin Herbert 

Herbert benefited from the running game, but regardless, he still enjoyed another good outing – finishing with 236 yards through the air, two touchdowns, and one interception on 22-of-38 passing. Also, he broke another record; what’s new? Herbert earned the record for most passing yards in a quarterback’s first two seasons with 8,394 yards. Additionally, Herbert passed Dan Marino for most passing and rushing scores in a quarterback’s first two seasons with 71. 

Offensive line

A big question mark heading into the game was how the Chargers offensive line would hold up without rookie sensation Rashawn Slater, who was on the COVID-19 list. With three backups, including Trey Pipkins, who filled in for Slater, Herbert wasn’t sacked once and was pressured just six times. Not only did the group perform well in pass protection, but they were also road-graders in the run game, paving the way for a 192-yard rushing performance.

Defensive line

One of the keys to beating Patrick Mahomes is getting pressure on him without sending more than four or five guys, and that’s what the Chargers did. It was a collaborative effort, but Joey Bosa led the pack with nine pressures and his ninth sack of the season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darell Williams were also limited to 44 yards on 13 carries (3.3 yards per carry).

Duds

Joshua Kelley

Kelley had the opportunity to not only score his first touchdown of the season but extend the Chargers’ lead by a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Instead, his diving attempt into the end zone ended up leading to a fumble. Fortunately, they were able to intercept Mahomes a few plays later and score, but that could have been a difference-making play.

Trey Marshall

We have talked about how much of a difference-maker Derwin James is. When James left the game with a nagging hamstring issue, Marshall was the one who relieved him of his duties and that’s when the Chiefs started to turn things around in the fourth quarter. He was responsible for Travis Kelce’s 69-yard catch-and-go that ended up tying the game at 21 apiece.

Despite decision disagreements, Chargers HC Brandon Staley sticking to his guns

Chargers HC Brandon Staley is going to continue to roll the dice.

Known for consistently going for it on fourth down, Brandon Staley has established himself as someone who isn’t afraid to gamble.

The Chargers entered the game 13-of-21 on fourth downs this season, marking the fourth-highest conversion rate in the league.

However, rolling the dice did not necessarily go in Staley’s favor in the loss to the Chiefs on Thursday night.

“I felt really comfortable with all those decisions,” Staley said. “That’s the way we’re going to play around here. That’s the way we’re going to play.

When we have a quarterback like ours, and we have an offense like ours, that’s the way we’re going to play because that’s how you need to play against Kansas City, for sure. That’s how we’re going to become the team that we’re ultimately capable of being, by playing that way.”

In five attempts on fourth down, the Bolts successfully converted just two. Of the three failed attempts, two came inside the Chiefs’ five-yard, and the other was still within field goal range.

The first came on the opening drive on 4th-and-5 from Kansas City’s five-yard line when Donald Parham injured himself while attempting to come down with a catch in the back of the end zone, which would’ve given the Chargers a very early lead.

The next came four drives later on fourth down from the Chiefs’ one-yard line. Looking to go to Keenan Allen on a quick out, Justin Herbert’s pass was tipped by Daniel Sorensen as time ran out before the half, which would’ve put the Chargers up 21-10.

The last unsuccessful conversion came in the third quarter at Kansas City’s 28-yard line when Herbert and Jared Cook couldn’t connect on a 4th-and-2 pass, which would’ve extended the lead to 17-13 had they gone with a field goal.

Cook was also responsible for a dropped pass on a likely touchdown on the drive before the half.

The argument will be made that Staley should’ve just taken the points after the first two failures. Still, regardless, that’s not his philosophy, and he will choose to trust his Herbert-led offense, roll with the analytics, and be aggressive almost every time.

Remember, the last time the two teams met in Week 3, the Bolts scored 14 points off drives where they decided to go for it on fourth down. They ended up winning by six points.

Despite the offense not converting them, Staley does not regret his decisions, and he will continue to stick to his guns moving forward.

“We felt like it was an advantage situation for us,” Staley explained. “That’s why we did it. If we didn’t feel like that was the case, then we would have kicked a field goal or we would have punted.

That’s the way that we’re going to do things around here. I know that our team embraces that mindset. We’re going to continue to do it every game we play moving forward.”

Jared Cook’s bad game in Chiefs-Chargers brings up ugly memories for Saints fans

Chargers TE Jared Cook had several negative plays against the Chiefs in prime time, dredging up bad memories for New Orleans Saints fans:

Come on, man. New Orleans Saints fans sent veteran tight end Jared Cook out of town riding a rail, and hoped it was the last of him after a 2020 season filled with dropped passes and fumbled receptions. But Cook followed former Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi to the Los Angeles Chargers (where Lombardi was hired as offensive coordinator), and he ended up playing a pivotal role in Thursday night’s prime-time matchup between the Chargers and their AFC West-rival Kansas City Chiefs.

And Cook finished that game by catching 3 of 7 targets thrown his way for 32 yards, dropping a crucial walk-in touchdown pass just before halftime. L.A. lost the game 34-28. That brought back a lot of bad memories for Saints fans tuning in for the national broadcast, and they were quick to air their ire on social media:

Chargers take lead over Chiefs after back-to-back touchdown drives

The Chargers found their groove on offense after a turnover on downs and an interception.

It was a cold start for the Chargers’ offense after going turnover on downs on their first possession and following it up with a tipped pass that was intercepted.

Down 10-0, Los Angeles finally found its spark, finding the end zone on back-to-back offensive drives.

The first came on a Justin Herbert carry from one yard out, and the other was a touchdown pass to Jalen Guyton.

The Bolts came away empty-handed both times inside their own five-yard line.

At the half, L.A. leads Kansas City, 14-10.

DFS Fantasy Football: Favorite Pro Plays – Week 14

WinDailySports’ CEO Jason Mezrahi checks in with his top Week 14 DFS fantasy football for FanDuel and DraftKings

Top-ranked daily fantasy sports pro Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite DFS plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL season. We are back for another year of DFS domination and we have some new tools to take advantage of from my team over at WinDailySports.com.

Our projection model, lineup optimizer, and data tools have been revamped and back tested to start the season off right. So what I will do in this article is list some of our highest projected players based off raw points and our highest point-per-dollar plays based on DraftKings.com pricing. Special Huddle Member Discount: If you would like to give our membership at Win Daily a try, take advantage of a FREE 2-week promotion where you will gain an all access gold pass to our DFS package. Use promo code “thehuddle” at checkout for 2 weeks FREE for our DFS Gold Package. Sign up now.
 
 
These are some of the players Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for this weekend’s slate.

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

$6,700 DRAFTKINGS
$8,100 FANDUEL

Dak and the passing attack have had rough games in two of the last three weeks, but this should be a get-right spot. With a full complement of weapons now, he is set up for a big week at a nice discount in salary on DraftKings. On FanDuel, I will take the higher floor of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, but the DraftKings discount may be too big to pass up. The matchup is the best on the board as Washington ranks 32nd against opposing quarterbacks and are allowing the 30th-most passing yards. Vegas has the Cowboys projected to score 26, and Prescott has a passing prop of 287 yards. So if Dak can eclipse that passing prop and get us to 300 and three touchdowns, we should be in a great position in both cash games and tournaments.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

$5,600 DRAFTKINGS
$7,700 FANDUEL

I haven’t looked back and checked yet, but to score 27.7 DraftKings points while throwing four interceptions is a rare occurrence and pretty impressive. The rushing upside that Hill possesses is second to none other than Lamar Jackson, and he scored 27 last week without a rushing touchdown. With Mark Ingram on the shelf with COVID-19, combined with a matchup with the New York Jets, we can easily see a repeat performance out of Hill. Like with Prescott, the price is just too cheap on DraftKings to pass up. Similar to Dak on FanDuel, I may just pay up for Allen or Mahomes, but DraftKings has mistakenly kept his price too low. This is the last week to enjoy the discount, so get a full share of Taysom in both cash games and tournaments on DraftKings. 

Running Backs

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

$8,300 DRAFTKINGS
$9,200 FANDUEL

The COVID bug is unfortunately spreading fast through NFL locker rooms, and the Chargers may be extremely short-handed with offensive skill players this week as Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both leaning on the wrong side of questionable right now. If they are both out, I will be loading up on Ekeler and the cheap receiver options. This slate has a ton of value, and Ekeler is one of the safer pay-up options. Ekeler has a nice matchup against the 25th-ranked rushing defense of the New York Giants. Game script will be in his favor as well with the Chargers favored by 10 and projected to put up 26.5 points as per Vegas. In lineups you want to fade the Taysom Hill chalk, you can play Alvin Kamara and fake Ekeler, but I will be loading up on both in cash games and my tournament lineups.  

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

$5,900 DRAFTKINGS
$6,700 FANDUEL

With Melvin Gordon on the shelf last week, Williams shined for a 32.8-point performance on DraftKings. The rookie was effective as the lead back rushing for 102 yards and hauling in six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. If Gordon is out again this week, Williams will be a lock in my lineups at his current price tag with a dream matchup versus the Detroit Lions. The Lions are ranked 30th against opposing running backs, and Vegas has the Broncos favored by nine with a projected point total of 25.5. All in all, this is a great spot for Williams if Gordon sits out, and still a good spot even if Gordon is in. 

Wide receivers

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

$8,100 DRAFTKINGS
$8,200 FANDUEL

The Bills face off against the Super Bowl champs in Week 14, and we could see fireworks if Vegas has this 53.5-point total projected right. With the Bucs favored by 3.5, the game script should be in favor of the Bills’ passing attack. After one of the oddest games ever with high winds in Buffalo, the Bills need to bounce back and get this offense moving in the right direction if they want to make a serious playoff run. Diggs is the No. 1 option in this entire offense, and if the Bills can keep pace, Diggs should be in line for a monster game. With the Bucs ranked 19th against the pass and second against the run, everything points to a big game for Diggs. Without an effective run game to even lean on, I will be loading up on Diggs in both cash games and tournaments in Week 14.

Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers

$3,000 DRAFTKINGS
$4,700 FANDUEL

Like I stated above, the Chargers will most likely be without Allen and Williams, so Justin Herbert will be working with Palmer and Jalen Guyton. The passing attack won’t stop just because the No. 1 and 2 receivers may be out. Herbert will continue to air it out, and we have several cheap options to target. I will be taking shots on Palmer, Guyton, and TE Jared Cook in most of my lineups. Along with Ekeler, I will be looking to load up on a couple of other Chargers as well. If I had to choose only one receiver, I would lean on Palmer in the slot. Without much sample size with the two big dogs off the field, I will be splitting up my shares of the passing attack in Week 14 to play it on the safe side. 

Tight ends

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

$7,400 DRAFTKINGS
$7,500 FANDUEL

Kelce and the Chiefs put up a ton of points in Week 10 versus the Las Vegas Raiders, and we can expect more of the same this week. If I’m paying up for a tight end this week, Kelce is my go-to guy. My only worry with playing any of the Chiefs’ skilled players is whether or not the Raiders can keep pace in this one. It didn’t matter much in the 41-14 blowout a couple weeks back where Kelce went for eight receptions and 119 yards. If Deebo Samuel is out for San Fran, I would prefer George Kittle. So check back in as the week progresses and you can always check out our free live stream at WinDailySports.com Sunday morning at 11 am.

Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers

$3,200 DRAFTKINGS
$5,100 FANDUEL

Out of all the value plays in LA, Cook may be the safest option on the board. Cook already has an established connection with Herbert and his role is set. The play is simple and doesn’t need too much explanation. Presuming the big guns are out for LA, Cook is priced way too cheap, and we have a plus-matchup against the New York Giants. Long story short, the Chargers are the easiest value on the board, so pick wisely and get the right shares of this offense in Week 14. 

Good luck in Week 14, and if you ever have any questions, please hit me up on Twitter!

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than eight years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, expert chat, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

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Jared Cook answers Justin Herbert’s prayer for Chargers

Jared Cook with a miracle catch for a Chargers touchdown

It wasn’t a Hail Mary but it night as well be considered one.

Justin Herbert had been having a rough time against the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers were down 21 on Sunday.

Herbert was running out of time and space when he heaved the ball to the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter.

There was a gaggle of players back there. Somehow, tight end Jared Cook soared above all and came down with the pass for the touchdown.

Hard to believe he was able to come down with both feet in the field of play but he did.

The play was good for 16 yards. It looked and felt like many more.

Stars, studs and duds from Chargers’ 41-37 victory over Steelers

Highlighting the Chargers players who shined and struggled in the victory over the Steelers.

The Chargers took care of business in primetime, defeating the Steelers by the score of 41-37.

With that being said, here is a look at the players who helped en route to Los Angeles’ victory and the others who had a rough night.

Stars

QB Justin Herbert

After an uneven performance against the Vikings, Herbert shined under the lights. He benefited from getting out of the pocket, the designed play actions, and the simplified reads. Herbert held defenders with his eyes and showed off excellent anticipation, ball placement, and rare velocity on his throws. Furthermore, we got to see his athleticism plenty on the ground. Herbert completed 30 of 41 attempts for 382 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, and three touchdowns.

RB Austin Ekeler

When a team is struggling in a specific area, you look to exploit it. That is what the Chargers did, knowing the Steelers were susceptible to running backs. So Los Angeles got Ekeler going early and often not only on the ground but also as a pass-catcher. He carried the ball 11 times for 50 yards and caught six of his seven targets for 65 yards to go along with four total touchdowns.

Studs

WR Keenan Allen & Mike Williams

Pittsburgh was without cornerback Joe Haden and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and the pass-catching duo of Allen and Williams took advantage of the thin Steelers secondary. The two got plenty of open looks and turned it into a combined 19 targets for over 200 receiving yards. While Allen had more receptions (9) and yards (112), Williams was the unlikely hero with the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes.

Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler & Corey Linsley

Running left means running right. The combination of Slater, Feiler and Linsley has proven to pay dividends this season, but they were incredibly dominant on Sunday, paving the way for Ekeler’s big performance. Even with the imposing presence of defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Feiler and Linsley ensured he was a non-factor in the run game. Despite allowing one sack, Slater continued to play at a Pro Bowl level. He has allowed just 15 pressures in 10 games.

Defensive tackles

Even without Linval Joseph, Christian Covington, and Jerry Tillery, the interior part of the defensive line played arguably its best game. Showing grit and energy on each rep, Justin Jones, Breiden Fehoko, Forrest Merrill, and Joe Gaziano limited the Steelers’ rushing attack to just 3.1 yards per carry.

EDGE Joey Bosa

The Chargers’ pass rush steadily got to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throughout the course of the game, but it was Bosa who lived in the backfield the most. Bosa ended up with seven quarterback pressures, four hurries, three run stops, two hits and his lone sack that came on the final drive in which he was lined up along the interior.

Duds

CB Michael Davis & Tevaughn Campbell

After returning to the action from an injury the week before, Davis showed some rust on the field. He allowed seven receptions on 10 targets for 97 yards. But it wasn’t any better for Campbell, who entered the game in place of Asante Samuel Jr. after he left the game due to a concussion. He gave up four catches on five targets for 80 yards. This is the second straight week that the pass defense struggled, and it does not help that Samuel will have to miss some time.

Special teams coverage units

Here we are yet again. This group still has plenty of work to do. The Chargers allowed an average of 31.5 yards per kick return, and their lone punt was blocked, which led to the momentum switch in the fourth quarter. It was Drue Tranquill and Matt Overton who let Miles Killebrew through.

TE Jared Cook

Cook had opportunities to make himself a presence in the passing game like any other week, but blew them with dropped passes. He dropped two, and is now tied for the league lead in drops among tight ends with 5 and is second in drop percentage at 13.9%. It has not been the best year for the veteran.

Tight ends play integral role in Chargers’ victory over Eagles

The tight ends are a sneaky strength of the Chargers.

Before the regular season, I mentioned how the Chargers’ tight end group was a sneaky strength of the team.

On Sunday, the entire unit backed up my words, playing a crucial role in the victory over the Eagles.

Jared Cook, the veteran of the crop, finished with four catches for 48 yards. In addition, Cook caught the two-point conversion after Justin Herbert’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Donald Parham had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Parham made a monstrous catch over Darius Slay. Soon after, Parham made an agile move in space and put a stiff arm on Slay to find the end zone.

Stephen Anderson posted a season-high four catches for 39 yards and a score. But his work goes beyond the box score.

Anderson served as a key blocker, both in pass protection and on the ground. Furthermore, he pushed Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler beyond the marker on a pair of fourth-down situations.

Rookie Tre’ McKitty has been active the past two games. While he only played six snaps this past weekend, it is clear that he will develop a more of a role as an inline blocker as the season goes on.

Credit also goes to offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who was the one who drew up the play designs to get the tight ends consistently open in space for Herbert’s disposal.

“They make our offense so much more dynamic,” Herbert said of the tight ends.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in win over Eagles

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ studs and duds from the Chargers’ win over the Eagles.

In Week 9 of the 2021 regular season, the Chargers took care of business against the Eagles.

En route to victory, there were a handful of players who helped guide them to along the way.

With that being said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OL Matt Feiler – 86.4

OT Rashawn Slater – 84.0

QB Justin Herbert – 83.2

TE Donald Parham – 82.7

TE Jared Cook – 81.8

Top 5 Defense

LB Kyzir White – 91.4

DT Linval Joseph – 85.0

EDGE Uchenna Nwosu – 72.7

DT Christian Covington – 67.4

DT Jerry Tillery – 67.0

Bottom 5 Offense

WR Jalen Guyton – 57.9

TE Tre’ McKitty – 57.2

RB Larry Rountree – 56.7

OG Michael Schofield – 53.6

RB Joshua Kelley – 53.3

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Chris Rumph – 55.6

CB Chris Harris Jr. – 47.5

DT Justin Jones – 46.3

LB Amen Ogbongbemiga – 42.7

EDGE Kyler Fackrell – 37.5

5 quick takes from Chargers’ victory over Eagles

Highlighting everything notable from the Los Angeles Chargers’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

After losing their last two heading into Week 9, the Chargers went across the map and defeated the Eagles by the score of 27-24.

Here are five quick takeaways from Los Angeles’ shootout victory over Philadelphia in Week 9:

The Herbert we all know

After being neutralized by two of the best defenses, Herbert returned to form. He only had six incomplete passes on the day, throwing for 356 yards, and posting three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). The Eagles’ defense is not of the same caliber as the Ravens or Patriots, but Herbert was much more decisive with his reads and his throws were on the money for the most part. In particular, Herbert favored wide receiver Keenan Allen, who had 12 catches for 104 yards on 13 targets.

Play-calling was better, but…

The execution in the red zone early on and on fourth down left a lot to be desired. The Chargers had six trips to the red zone but only converted on three of them. One example of a head-scratching play call came in the second quarter when they ran a pitch play with running back Joshua Kelley on 4th-and-2 but came up short. Other than that, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi did an excellent job of protecting Herbert, getting him more on the move and getting the skill players consistently open in the shorter and intermediate parts of the fields, including…

Big day for the tight ends

In August, I wrote about the Chargers’ tight ends having the potential to be a real strength, and the group was spotlighted throughout the evening, as Lombardi did a fine job of getting them open in space. Jared Cook finished with four catches for 48 yards. Donald Parham had three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Also a stud in the blocking department, Stephen Anderson posted a season-high four catches for 39 yards and a score. Rookie Tre’ McKitty was not on the field that much, but he made some key blocks.

Did enough defensively

When you look at the stat sheet, you’ll see that the Chargers gave up 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. While not ideal numbers, there weren’t many chunk plays. The front did its job, with Linval Joseph making an assortment of plays on the ball, finishing with nine tackles. Kyzir White and Drue Tranquill cleaned up a lot of plays as well, combining for 17 tackles. Edge defender Joey Bosa, when not being held, generated a good amount of pressure. QB Jalen Hurts did not throw the ball that much, but when he did, it was primarily to WR DeVonta Smith, who had his way against Chris Harris Jr. All in all, not a great but not a bad performance defensively.

Shoutout to the special teams

The Chargers made investments during the bye week, bringing in returner Andre Roberts and kicker Dustin Hopkins, who had positive impacts on the game. Roberts averaged 24 yards per kick, with a long of 39 yards. He also made something out of nothing on his lone punt return. Despite missing one of his two extra-point attempts, Hopkins had the game-winning field goal. Furthermore, the return units looked a lot better, allowing an average of just 11.5 yards per kick.