Tag: kenneth murray

Studs and duds from Chargers’ loss to Bills

Highlighting the good and the bad from the Chargers’ loss to the Bills.

Despite managing to keep the game close without Justin Hebert and several key starters, the Chargers came up just short against the Bills as they lost 24-22. Buffalo took control of their playoff destiny, while LA was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

The Chargers have known their fate for weeks, though. It’s why Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were fired in-season. At this point, all you’re watching for are performances to be used as an evaluation tool in the off-season. What stood out, positively and negatively, for the Bolts?

Stud: QB Easton Stick

As mentioned last week, what you’re looking to see from Easton Stick is competent fill-in play. Nothing more, nothing less. Last week in Las Vegas, Stick’s processing and decision-making were just a step slow. Turnovers made the margins of the game even worse for LA.

It was a much better performance for Stick this week. 23-33, 218 yards and a rushing touchdown is about what I’d expect from the NDSU product in executing the offense efficiently.

Also important for Stick as a game manager: zero turnover-worthy plays against Buffalo. He had six in his first two starts this season.

Dud: The anemic run game continues 

Relative to his recent efforts, this wasn’t a bad game for Austin Ekeler, as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry for 65 yards. But the total production and efficiency for the running back room wasn’t there.

After a 50-yard performance against Las Vegas, Isaiah Spiller had two carries for one yard. Joshua Kelley had one run that went backward yardage-wise. 18 runs for 64 yards between the backs is just more of the same in terms of what we’ve seen this season. The interior line struggled in a run-blocking capacity as they turned to Brenden Jaimes.

The absence of Corey Linsley and the athletic decline of Austin Ekeler are hard factors to work with. But Kellen Moore’s run game has not met expectations this year.

Stud: S Alohi Gilman

Alohi Gilman created two massive turnovers for the Chargers in this game. Left by himself with Stefon Diggs over the top, Gilman came up with a huge interception while undercutting Josh Allen’s pass. A forced fumble in run support also gave the Chargers another opportunity to swing the game.

By any conceivable metric, Gilman is having his best season in a contract year. As uncertainty looms around the rest of the Chargers’ expensive roster, he’s proven to be a critical piece of this defense. Whichever GM comes in needs to get Gilman back for 2024.

Dud: 4th down decision making

Staley took a lot of media heat on his fourth-down decision-making, but the truth is that his calls usually added to the Chargers’ in-game winning percentages. His aggressiveness in 2021 won that team some games. Conservatism and inconsistent decision-making made the offense less potent in ‘22 and ‘23.

On the first Chargers’ drive that gained traction to the tune of 90 yards, Giff Smith elected to take a field goal on the two-yard line. For an LA offense that has struggled to put up points on the board, I get the decision. But a touchdown there might’ve won the game for the Chargers, considering the defensive effort.

Again, the game was irrelevant from a playoff positioning standpoint. But had it been a must-win game, I think that decision at home against Josh Allen would’ve generated more discussion.

Stud: TE Gerald Everett

Somewhat quietly, Gerald Everett has put together a really solid stretch for the Chargers after a bit of a target drought. From October 1st to November 12th, Everett averaged under 14 yards in a five-game span. Since then, Everett has put up 41.8 yards per contest in his last five games.

He also has a five-game streak of 4+ receptions in that span. Whether with Stick or Justin Herbert, Everett has been a valuable piece in an otherwise depleted offense.

As mentioned before with Gilman, I also would try to keep Everett next year at the right value for the Chargers as draft/offseason insurance.

Dud: LB Kenneth Murray

Kenneth Murray has had his most erratic season as a pro. The run defense has largely been decent for the most part. But while that support aspect of his game is serviceable now, coverage is still a struggle. A miscommunication put him 1 on 1 vs. Gabe Davis downfield. 82 yards allowed in coverage was Murray’s most since the Dallas game.

Opposing offenses know that the middle and deep parts of the field are attackable with the Murray-Eric Kendricks duo that’s started all year. The Chargers took a run defense improvement while sacrificing coverage, and I’m not sure that tradeoff has worked out.

Chargers quarter season awards: MVPs, top rookie, most improved and more

The NFL is at the quarter mark, so this is a good time to reflect on the Chargers’ first four games and hand out some awards.

The Chargers were off this week, getting some rest before they endure a 13-game stretch. Players used the time to get much-needed rest and the coaching staff did some evaluating as they identified what they needed to improve on for the remainder of the season.

With that, let’s look back at the first four games of the season and give out some awards.

Chargers defensive snap count leaders at the bye week

Taking a look at the Chargers’ defensive players who have seen the field the most.

With four games played and the Chargers on their bye week, I figured it’d be a good time to take a look at which players are going to benefit the most from this time to rest and recover before entering the final stretch of the season.

With that said, here’s a glance at the Bolts’ top-10 defensive snap count leaders after four weeks.

4 takeaways from Chargers’ 28-24 victory over Vikings

Here’s what stood out from the Chargers’ Week 3 win over the Vikings.

Well, folks, they did it. The Chargers won a football game. It was hardly comfortable, of course, because that’s Chargers football. But they did, crucially, win the game.

Here’s what to take away from a whirlwind game.

Chargers final injury report vs. Vikings: Austin Ekeler, Eric Kendricks ruled out

The Chargers will be without Austin Ekeler and Eric Kendricks for the second straight week.

The Chargers had their final practice ahead of the Week 3 game against the Vikings this weekend.

Los Angeles is set to be without Austin Ekeler and Eric Kendricks for the second straight week as they continue to nurse their ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Joey Bosa, Daiyan Henley, Christopher Hinton, Chris Rumph are all questionable.

Without Ekeler, Joshua Kelley will fill in as the primary back. Kelley finished with only 13 carries for 39 yards against a stiff Titans run defense last Sunday.

Isaiah Spiller and Elijah Dotson are the other two backs on the 53-man roster. Last weekend, Dotson out-snapped Spiller so we will see if that changes this time around.

Without Kendricks, Kenneth Murray will wear the green dot and be the primary defensive play-caller again. Murray had arguably the best game of his career against Tennessee.

Chargers’ reasons for optimism vs. Vikings

Here are four reasons to believe the Chargers come out on top.

The Chargers meet a spiritual equal on Sunday, facing a Vikings team well acquainted with the sort of heartbreak LA’s fans have come to expect.

With both teams standing at 0-2 despite productive offensive performances, something has to give.

Here are four reasons to believe Los Angeles comes out on top.

2 truths and 2 overreactions from Chargers’ loss to Titans

Sharing the biggest overreactions to the Chargers’ Week 2 loss to the Titans, as well as some truths.

The discussions amongst fans and media following the Chargers’ loss to the Titans have spanned all sides of the spectrum – from being factual and objective to being completely over-reactionary.

Here are two truths and two overreactions from Week 2:

Studs and duds from Chargers’ 27-24 loss to Titans

Highlighting the highs and low from the Chargers’ loss to the Titans.

The Chargers failed to get back on track in Tennessee against the Titans as they dropped a 27-24 heartbreaker in OT.

There were some solid individual performances to highlight, but the day’s conversation was dominated by some team inefficiencies on offense and defense.

Let’s start with the positive:

Stud: EDGE Joey Bosa

Joey Bosa needed a bounce-back game after the pass rush struggled against Miami. He got two critical sacks for the Chargers in big moments. Particularly, he looked even better rushing next to rookie Tuli Tuipulotu. That was a nice new wrinkle from Brandon Staley.

Bosa was questionable entering this game after he hurt his hamstring in last week’s contest. That’s something the Chargers will have to manage going forward.

It’s worth pointing out it was an optimal matchup for Bosa, given the state of the Titans’ offensive line. Still, the execution of the defensive line on the designed looks he got was critically important for a pass rush that looked anemic previously. Hopefully, it materializes into continued momentum for the star pass rusher when he goes against the banged-up Minnesota offensive line next week.

Dud: Third down offense

It wasn’t a bad day for Kellen Moore’s offense. But the one area where they struggled was third down offense. 2 for 14 is probably an outlier performance, but it’s worth talking about. A team conversion percentage of 14% is worse than any individual Chargers game last season.

No play better demonstrates some of the dysfunction and communication than the Chargers’ final 3rd down in overtime. The offense was not ready for the play, with several players out of position, and yet the ball was snapped. The result? A ball from Justin Herbert that was essentially a throwaway out of bounds, 20 yards past Josh Palmer.

Another 3rd down resulted in Herbert checking out of a play to instead hand it off to Elijah Dotson with four yards to gain. Simply put, it was a tough day on third when otherwise they were efficient on the other downs. Considering the shootout potential with the Vikings, it has to look cleaner next week,

Stud: WR Keenan Allen

After Keenan Allen returned from injury last season, he finished the year with 80+ yards in four of his final six games. So far, he’s on the same torrid pace in 2023. Allen is up to 187 yards receiving and two touchdowns on the season. From a route-running perspective, 2.64 yards per route run was his best single-game performance since he played the Colts last year.

His connection with Herbert on his first touchdown was a fantastic play from them both. Herbert staying on his feet and having the arm talent plus faith in Allen to reel it in with it was a sight to see.

Assuming Allen stays healthy, he’s on track for a career year if his current level holds.

Dud: Brandon Staley’s secondary

The story of the day for me is the state of Staley’s secondary. The Chargers yet again allowed more explosive plays off of blown coverage assignments. Chris Moore managed to blow past Michael Davis with no safety help over the top. Treylon Burks did the same against Asante Samuel Jr. just a few plays later.

Allowing Ryan Tannehill to take the top off your defense cannot happen. The Chargers gave freebies to a quarterback who was struggling entering this game. They allowed him to gain more confidence and get into a rhythm as the game went on.

After the game, Staley said he wants the secondary corners on the outside to compete for playing time. It would be putting it nicely to say that this secondary is in flux with personnel entering Week 3. It is a group of underperforming corners with zero synergy.

While a lot will fall on the shoulders of the corners themselves, Staley cannot be absolved of blame here. As he discusses finding a “rhythm” in the secondary, he keeps benching J.C. Jackson and Davis mid-game for underperforming. Something tells me that corners who sit for quarters at a time on the bench will not find instant chemistry easily.

It gets worse: they play Justin Jefferson next week. The cornerback play and communication have to improve, or this team is in deep trouble.

Stud: LB Kenneth Murray

Staley caused an uproar on social media when he announced that Kenneth Murray would play the green dot role last week instead of the injured Eric Kendricks. Most people, myself included, thought the move wouldn’t work.

But Murray had a far improved game from last week, and it was a complete effort. The former Oklahoma product had a sack, two pressures, and six tackles for the day. He allowed one completion on the day for nine yards.

Murray has had good games in the past. The 2022 Niners game, for example, was great, but his play regressed mainly in the following weeks. Hopefully, Murray’s intensity and decisiveness in this game will carry over to next week.

Dud: Lack of involvement of Quentin Johnston

The Chargers invested a first-round pick in star TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston in April. It certainly hasn’t felt that way in their first two games.

Johnston had just ten snaps in his second game of NFL action. Fourth-round selection Derius Davis had 11.

From the Chargers’ standpoint, it’s understandable that they have a loaded receiver room. Yet, at the same time, it’s on the coaching staff to get Johnston involved. Through two weeks, there have been jet sweeps and end-around opportunities given to Gerald Everett, Derius Davis, and Mike Williams. The Chargers haven’t even given Johnston a quality screen look to take advantage of his YAC potential.

There’s having faith in your top rostered receivers and there’s neglecting a freak talent that the organization spent a significant draft pick on. Moore has to emphasize getting Johnston involved.

Danny Stutsman named to PFF’s College Football Team of the Week

Danny Stutsman is playing at an All-American level and we should start giving him his flowers.

It’s time to have a serious conversation. It might be too early to say this but [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] might be the best linebacker in the nation.

The growth he’s shown in year two in [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ defense is incredible. He’s playing the best of any Oklahoma Sooners linebacker since maybe [autotag]Curtis Lofton[/autotag], and that’s saying a lot. [autotag]Kenneth Murray[/autotag] was great. [autotag]Travis Lewis[/autotag] was great, but Stutsman might be outperforming both.

For the second straight time, he was named to a national list. In Week 2, he was named National Defensive Player of the Week, and in Week 3, he was named to PFF’s Week 3 College Football Team of the Week.

The only week he was not named to a list or given a national award was in Week 1 when he played just 23 snaps in the Sooners’ blowout of Arkansas State.

He currently ranks No. 18 nationally in tackles per game, but if you take away Week 1 because of the few snaps, he would rank second in the nation and only 0.3 tackles per fame from first place.

He’s the only Big 12 player in the top 43 in the nation in tackles per game. But we knew Stutsman could tackle. He led the Big 12 in that department a year ago.

The most impressive thing is how much improved his coverage skills are, which were on full display on the pick-six against Tulsa.

The game looks slower to him. He’s not second-guessing himself like he was a year ago. He’s seeing it, reacting to it, and ultimately making the play. We’re at the point with Stutsman that most Sooner fans don’t want to even think about this early in the season.

It’s a real possibility this is the last year we’ll see him in the Crimson and Cream. Better enjoy it.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Highlight: Chargers LB Kenneth Murray sacks Titans QB Ryan Tannehill

Watch Kenneth Murray make a splash play on fourth down.

Maybe Kenneth Murray should keep the green dot beyond this week.

(Okay, probably not.)

With a fourth and four from the Chargers 46, the Titans lined up to go for it and keep the pressure on LA’s defense. Ryan Tannehill took the snap and had no time to throw, as Murray came unblocked on a blitz and wrapped up the quarterback for a sack.

Tannehill lost 6 yards on the play, giving the Chargers the ball on the Titans’ side of midfield.