Tag: joe alt

Game Balls: 5 standouts from Chargers’ dominant Week 6 victory

The Chargers dominated the line of scrimmage in their Week 6 victory over the Broncos.

The Chargers returned to above-.500 territory after a huge win on Sunday. In the team’s first game after the Week 5 bye, they dominated the Broncos throughout the contest.

It was a complete team effort in which they controlled the game in all facets. With that being said, there were still five particular Chargers players who stood out in the win.

RB J.K. Dobbins

A key to this Week 6 contest was for the Chargers to get their running game back on track. They were able to do just that against one of the best defenses in the league. The offensive line opened up big lanes for Dobbins, and he took complete advantage of it. He continued his resurgent 2024 season with 102 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown.

QB Justin Herbert

On Sunday, we were reminded of just how good Herbert is. We haven’t gotten to see much of that this season, but he put in his best performance of the year in Week 6. Herbert threw for 237 yards and a touchdown against a stout defense. Broncos star Pat Surtain II left on the first play of the game and didn’t return. Herbert took clear advantage of that the rest of the day, although his top two wideouts also got injured in the game.

CB Elijah Molden

Molden continues to shine as one of the breakout players on this year’s roster. The 2021 third-rounder snagged an interception on the third play of the game, his second of the season. That set the tone early, and the Chargers never looked back. In addition to the takeaway, he added four total tackles and a pass deflection as well.

Offensive Line

You could put anyone here really, namely Zion Johnson or Rashawn Slater. This unit deserves an A for their performance on Sunday, as they completely controlled the game. Jim Harbaugh continues to leave his imprint on this team, and it shows more and more each week. This offensive line is set up to help protect Herbert for years to come.

Khalil Mack

Mack has made this list this year, and he continues to be an absolute game-wrecker in 2024. While Joey Bosa remains out, Mack continues to show his worth. While he didn’t register a sack, the veteran had two tackles, a forced fumble, pass deflection, and quarterback hit. He was Denver’s backfield throughout the day, and one can only imagine how this defense will look when Bosa returns to the lineup to go along with Mack’s elite play.

Everything to know from Chargers’ win over Broncos

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 23-16 win over the Broncos.

The Chargers snapped their two-game losing streak after defeating the Broncos on Sunday.

Here’s our recap of the Week 6 win.

It was over when…

The Chargers kept scoring points to go up 23-0. The Broncos attempted to make a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points, but it was a little too late.

Notable number

This win marks the first time the Chargers have defeated the Broncos in Denver since 2018.

3 stars of the game

  1. QB Justin Herbert: Herbert benefited from the bye week, as he didn’t show signs of his ankle hindering him. He threw for a season-high 237 yards and a touchdown.
  2. RB J.K. Dobbins: Dobbins was efficient on the ground, finishing with 96 yards and a score on 25 carries.
  3. RB Kimani Vidal: Vidal’s first NFL touch, a 38-yard wheel route reception, went for six points. He didn’t do much as a rusher, but Vidal flashed in the passing game.

Quick hits

  • The Chargers finally allowed Herbert to let it loose, which benefited the offense. He finished with over 30 passing attempts and 200 yards, the first time he surpassed those marks this season. Herbert was sharp in third-down situations, delivering nice passes and keeping the chains moving.
  • Herbert distributed the wealth as nine different pass-catchers had a reception. Ladd McConkey had the most targets (8) and turned them into four catches for 43 yards. McConkey left the field on at least three occasions, including one to be checked for a concussion, but returned each time and finished the game.
  • Having Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt on the field made a huge difference. The pass protection was solid for most of the game and they created running lanes for Dobbins.
  • Even though the Chargers won, they must keep their foot on the gas for all four quarters on the offensive side of the ball. Their only points in the second half came on a field goal. Los Angeles hasn’t scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter since Week 1.
  • The Chargers won the time of possession battle, 37:23 to 22:37.
  • The defense dominated except for the fourth quarter when the Broncos scored 16 points. Asante Samuel Jr. is on injured reserve and Kristian Fulton came into this game already dealing with an injury. Once Fulton left in the second half, Denver had its way passing the football against a Chargers defense with two rookie cornerbacks on the outside.
  • The Chargers would’ve had more than two sacks, but there were a couple of instances of them not being able to bring down Box Nix, including one by Derwin James on fourth down that ultimately resulted in a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton on the next play.
  • JK Scott had a good game. Scott didn’t come on the field until the second half, but of his four punts, three of them were within the Broncos’ 20-yard line and two within the 5-yard line.

What’s next?

The Chargers are on the road again to face the Cardinals (2-4) on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:00 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

Social media reacts to Chargers’ win over Broncos

Here is how the general population reacted to the Chargers’ victory over the Broncos.

The Chargers beat the Broncos on Sunday.

The Bolts are now 3-2.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Week 6 game:

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 6 vs. Broncos

Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are active.

The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from kicking off Week 6 against the Broncos.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

QB Easton Stick (emergency 3rd QB)

S Tony Jefferson

DB Ja’Sir Taylor

OL Jordan McFadden

WR Brenden Rice

EDGE Joey Bosa

Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, who were out in Week 4 with their respective injuries, are active.

Chargers Week 6 Thursday injury report: Joey Bosa, Gus Edwards held out again

The Chargers’ injury report on Thursday was more promising.

The Chargers were still without a few key pieces in Thursday’s practice.

Joey Bosa (hip) remained out for the second straight day.

Also out were Gus Edwards (ankle) and Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula).

Justin Herbert (ankle), Deane Leonard (hamstring) and Rashawn Slater (pectoral) were limited participants.

Joe Alt (knee) was among ten players who either didn’t participate or was limited on Wednesday that was a full participant.

Chargers have lengthy injury report ahead of Week 6 game vs. Broncos

The Chargers had seven non-participants at practice on Wednesday.

The Chargers were back on the practice field on Wednesday to prepare for their Week 6 game against the Broncos this Sunday.

Despite having last week to rest and recover during their bye, based on their first injury report, you would assume they played.

Los Angeles had seven non-participants: Joey Bosa (hip), Cameron Dicker (illness), Gus Edwards (ankle), Kristian Fulton (knee), Derwin James (non-injury related), Deane Leonard (hamstring) and Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula).

Joe Alt (knee), Junior Colson (hamstring), Daiyan Henley (shoulder), Justin Herbert (ankle), Hayden Hurst (Achilles), Khalil Mack (non-injury related), Denzel Perryman (shoulder), Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder) and Rashawn Slater (pectoral) were limited participants.

Nick Niemann (hamstring), who was designated to return from injured reserve last week, was a full participant.

Chargers rookie report card at the quarter mark of the 2024 season

The Chargers’ rookie class has come with a mixed bag. The top two picks have been elite, but there’s been little production beyond them.

Joe Hortiz’s first draft with the Chargers has already produced mixed results. While the top two picks seem to be hits thus far, we’ve yet to see any significant production beyond those two.

The regular season is still early, and we will likely see more of those later-round players deeper into the year. Through four games, here are the grades for the rookies from the 2024 draft class.

OT Joe Alt: A-

Some pundits criticized the Chargers for not going after star playmaker with the fifth overall pick. While Malik Nabers has been playing at a high level, Alt has still proved to be a phenomenal pick. Coupled with Rashawn Slater, the Bolts have arguably the best offensive tackle duo in the NFL. The front office has done a tremendous job building this unit through the draft, and Alt seems to be the latest example. Alt is the highest-graded rookie offensive lineman and top 15 among all offensive tackles in the league.

WR Ladd McConkey: B+

The Chargers opted to wait until the second round to select a wideout. So far, McConkey has been quite solid. In an offense that has been the second-worst passing attack in the NFL, the rookie has been a bright spot. Looking ahead, he’s likely still more suited as a No. 2 option in the NFL, but nonetheless, he’s been better than expected.

LB Junior Colson: C-

Colson has played just 42 defensive snaps so far, so this grade feels more incomplete. The team’s depth at linebacker will allow him to learn and grow this season, which should only help him in the long term. In limited reps, he has shown some flashes in the run game.

DL Justin Eboigbe: Incomplete

It’s unfair to give him any sort of grade, as he has yet to appear on the field. He was active in Week 4, so his first career NFL snaps should be coming up.

Tarheeb Still: B-

Still was active for the first time in his career in Week 4 against the Chiefs. The rookie defensive back appeared in 42 (67.7%) defensive snaps in the loss to the division rival. While he provided a spark with a sack, Still allowed five receptions on the day. There’s plenty of room for improvement for him still, but he will have to see the field with the injuries in the cornerback room.

CB Cam Hart: C+

Hart has only played four defensive snaps, but he’s been a valuable member of the special teams. He’s appeared in 64 snaps there, so his grade gets a nice boost for those contributions. Still, we need to see more from him on defense for this grade to move at all.

RB Kimani Vidal: Incomplete

Similar to Eboigbe, Vidal hasn’t appeared in any snaps for the Chargers in 2024.

Chargers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive, defensive performers through first 4 games

Looking at Pro Football Focus’ top five Chargers players on both sides of the ball at the bye week.

Which Chargers players have impressed the most so far this season?

That said, here are the best performers on both sides of the ball, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Note: To be more accurate, this is based on players who have played at least 40% of the snaps on offense (228) and defense (234).

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 81.7

WR Ladd McConkey — 80.2

OT Joe Alt — 77.0

OL Zion Johnson — 70.6

TE Will Dissly — 69.2

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 89.8

CB Kristian Fulton — 82.5

S Elijah Molden — 82.4

DL Poona Ford — 73.1

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 72.9

Top 5 burning questions Chargers must answer after Week 5 bye

The Chargers have some things to fix during the Week 5 bye. In the meantime, Jim Harbaugh has some questions to answer about his team.

The Chargers have a lot to figure out during their Week 5, something that Jim Harbaugh acknowledged after the team’s loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. The first-year head coach mentioned that they would use the bye week as a time for improvement rather than rest.

There are a lot of questions to be answered, particularly after they have lost the last two games.

How healthy will Justin Herbert for the rest of 2024?

The truth is, no one may know the true answer to this question. He’s played through several injuries in his career, but this season, it’s limited him more than ever. It forced him to leave the team’s Week 3 contest, but he was able to return and start in Week 4.

The early season bye week specifically helps Herbert in a big way and will hopefully help heal him up. Without a fully healthy Herbert, the upside of this offense is significantly limited. He’s thrown for just 578 yards on the season, which is on pace to be the worst statistical season in his career by a wide margin.

Will the interior offensive line hold back the team’s running game?

We know just how elite the Chargers’ tackle duo is, but the interior part of the line remains a concern. Specifically, center Bradley Bozeman has been less than stellar through four weeks. The team’s running game has slowed down significantly in the last two games, albeit each of which came against elite defenses.

Still, Jim Harbaugh’s squad needs to return to their ways in that aspect of the game. The right guard spot with Trey Pipkins III has been an issue as well, which has led to opposing defensive lines exposing the Chargers. If things don’t improve, Los Angeles will have to find reinforcements at these spots along the line.

Will anyone step up in the tight end room?

The easy answer to this would be no. Based on the opening few weeks, there’s nothing that would suggest that this will change. It was seen as a weakness of this team before the season, and the two veterans that were signed this offseason haven’t provided much of a spark. Will Dissly and Hayden Hurst have combined for just 15 catches and 144 yards without a touchdown.

Can they make the playoffs with an underwhelming cast of weapons?

This was arguably the most significant question heading into the season, and the first few weeks didn’t answer much. Quentin Johnston has shown some improvements, but the offense remains underwhelming overall.

That’s been due to a few different factors, but the Chargers lack top-end talent at the wide receiver and tight end positions. Rookie Ladd McConkey leads the team in catches (15) and receiving yards (176). The team lacks a true No. 1 wideout, which should be the top priority for general manager Joe Hortiz next offseason.

Who will continue to build off the first four weeks of season?

Through the first month of the season, a few players have stood out in impressive fashion for the Chargers. Most notably, guys like J.K. Dobbins, Quentin Johnston, Daiyan Henley, and Kristian Fulton have been the most surprising standouts.

They have all shown vast improvements from last season, which has helped the team be more competitive than some may have thought they would be. Coach Harbaugh will need more of the same from these guys if the team wants to make a run at the playoffs.

Jim Harbaugh takes blame for Chargers’ penalties in loss to Chiefs

Penalties hindered the Chargers in their 17-10 loss to the Chiefs.

Penalties hindered the Chargers in their 17-10 loss to the Chiefs.

Los Angeles committed nine total penalties during the game, including seven on offense.

“When it’s one guy, one guy, one guy, each has their one … that’s where we can improve,” Jim Harbaugh said. “That’s operation, that’s mechanics, that just needs to tighten up.

“I think when it shows up is one guy has one error, those add up,” Harbaugh added. “I take responsibility, just penalties in general. Keep training, keep working, keep coaching.”

Due to the penalties, the Bolts were behind the sticks on nearly every drive, which made it extremely difficult to generate anything on that side of the ball.

L.A. was without Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt due to their injuries. As a result, it wasn’t only challenging to keep pressure off Justin Herbert, but it was also challenging to keep everything in sync pre-snap.

“We were definitely trying to have some cadence variations so they couldn’t get off on the snap and that’s the fix… just needs more honing, more practice, more work,” Harbaugh said.

The Chargers will look to tighten that up during their bye week.