Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Highlighting everything from the Chargers’ win over the Rams in Week 17.
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In the first Battle of L.A., the Chargers beat up the Rams, winning 31-10.
To recap the Week 17 win, here is everything to know.
Joey Bosa is expected to be back on the field this weekend against the Rams.
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After missing the past few months with a groin injury, edge defender Joey Bosa is expected to be back on the field this weekend against the Rams.
Head coach Brandon Staley said Friday that the Chargers plan to activate Bosa for Week 17.
Staley added that Bosa will likely be on a snap count as he works his way back into live-game action.
Bosa has been sidelined since Week 3 after undergoing surgery to aid some chronic issues in his core. He was designated to return this week and said he’s feeling better than he has in years.
Bosa recorded ten pressures, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble before being placed on injured reserve.
Devin McCourty responded to Kyle Van Noy’s Bill Belichick and Brandon Staley comparison.
New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty is defending his coach, following comments made by a former teammate.
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Kyle Van Noy told media members on Wednesday that Chargers head coach Brandon Staley builds relationships with every player on the team, while also indicating Belichick did not do that.
McCourty appeared on WEEI Friday morning and came to the defense of his coach. The former Rutgers product has spent 13 seasons in New England. If nothing else, he’s become familiar with Bill Belichick’s mannerisms and the way he does things.
McCourty has been a constant in what has been a changing Patriots roster over the years. With two Pro Bowl appearances and multiple Super Bowl rings, the safety has become a mainstay on the Patriots defense. He also recognizes that Belichick may differ a bit from Staley.
“You gotta realize, Van Noy’s a very ‘make-me-feel-good’ kind of guy,” said McCourty. “So, he’ll love for a coach to text him like happy birthday on his birthday in March. So when his birthday shows up in March, I’m sure Staley might shoot him a text.
“If he needs that kind of communication, no, we’re not getting that from Bill. You’re not going to get like a reminder text about your anniversary that’s coming up. But as far as communicating with the team, like what you need to do, as a player football-wise, we get that. Like, that’s what it is here. I think each coach is different.”
McCourty helps lead a veteran defense that has been a bright spot this season for New England. The Patriots are currently ranked eighth in the NFL in total defense. McCourty is having a solid season in his own right, as he has three interceptions on the year.
He might not always get texts from Belichick, but he did get three Super Bowl rings, while contributing to the greatest dynasty in NFL history. Surely, that counts for something, right?
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Kyle Van Noy believes relationships are the biggest difference between Brandon Staley and Bill Belichick.
When it comes to comparing Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Chargers linebacker Kyle Van Noy boiled everything down to relationships.
Van Noy, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, admitted that “not everybody” has a great relationship with Belichick, despite the six Super Bowl rings sitting on his head coaching mantle. The veteran defender thinks Staley has a deeper connection with a wider range of players than his former coach.
“I would say the biggest difference between Bill and Staley is relationships,” Van Noy said, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “He has relationships with every single player on the team. It’s really impressive how he can work a room.
“He’s got everybody number in their favorites. He can call them right then and there. Any player, he reaches out, and I respect that. In this new age of players, you got to do that, and he’s done a great job of that. And I’m not saying Bill—I have a great relationship with Bill, but not everybody does.”
"Brandon Staley loves football and he's so energetic" ~@KVN_03#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fVhWOZ4LRu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 28, 2022
Staley just turned 40 years old in December, while Belichick is a 70-year-old legend with multiple championships to his name. So there’s obviously a clear difference of coaching techniques at this point.
Whether Belichick’s brand of coaching is outdated or not remains to be seen, but honestly, it hasn’t been a good season this year. If the Patriots miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, no one will be forced to look into the mirror more than Belichick.
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Recapping the Chargers’ win over the Colts on Monday night.
The Chargers defeated the Colts on Monday night to clinch their spot in the playoffs.
Here are my final takeaways from the Week 16 win.
Highlighting the good and bad from the Chargers’ win over the Colts.
The Chargers officially booked their playoff ticket on Monday night with a 20-3 mercy killing of a Colts team starting their third different quarterback of the season.
Here’s who got Los Angeles there and who should count themselves lucky to be on the ride.
Stud: Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy built upon his last two weeks of stellar performances with a near-game-breaking one on Monday. The veteran edge rusher/linebacker hybrid was everywhere against Indianapolis, making Nick Foles’ life harder by chasing after him, blowing up screens, and shutting down the run game. From the jump, Van Noy got pressure on Foles, including a QB hit in the first half that he followed up with a tackle for a loss of 9 on a screen to Deon Jackson. A fourth-quarter sack got him on the board, capping a fabulous game from one of the Chargers’ best players over the last few weeks.
Dud: Third quarter execution…again
It feels like beating a dead horse at this point, but this felt like the week LA could break out of their third-quarter slump, given the state of the Colts team. Instead, the Chargers extended their streak of third quarters without a touchdown to 10 games, the longest streak in any quarter this season in the NFL. A Trey Pipkins holding penalty negated a 30-yard pass to DeAndre Carter. LA turned an Asante Samuel Jr. interception into a 21-yard field goal after failing to punch the ball in. Carter muffed a punt, which didn’t result in a change of possession thanks to Deane Leonard touching the ball while out of bounds, but it was followed by a Justin Herbert fumble on which all four Colts defenders got pressure on the QB. As soon as the fourth quarter started, the defense got a fourth down stop that the Chargers turned into a touchdown. It’s bizarre!
Stud: Keenan Allen
Allen was feasting against Gus Bradley’s zone defense all night, frequently finding gaps in the coverage on his way to an 11-reception, 104-yard performance. Allen was targeted 14 times out of Herbert’s 31 pass attempts, a reflection of how he was individually cooking the Colts’ defenders. If there’s one gripe to be had, Allen couldn’t keep his feet in bounds on the double pass bullet from Herbert. Had he done that, he would’ve gotten his elusive touchdown; instead, he only got another 25 yards. Still, it was a performance that made one thing clear: no matter how athletically gifted Allen is in any given week, his savvy will get him the ball.
Dud: Offensive playcalling
Let’s do a visualization exercise real quick. Pretend you’re Joe Lombardi. Your offensive line has given up 21 sacks in their last five games, while the Colts just had seven sacks last week. Herbert generates the third-best quarterback rating in the league when throwing the ball on the move, while the Colts give up the second-worst QBR to quarterbacks on the run. So, what would you do?
If you said, “drop back like normal and watch Herbert get hit seven times”, congrats! You’ve truly channeled the spirit of Lombardi.
Okay, second question. You have a 6-foot-4 receiver (Mike Williams) and a 6’8” tight end (Donald Parham Jr.) who have made a career off of high-flying red zone touchdowns. You haven’t been calling those plays and the red zone efficiency is cratering. In theory, something needs to change. So, what do you do?
If you said, “nothing. Throw a screen to Keenan Allen and a two-yard route to Austin Ekeler on third and goal from the 10”, please find a mirror immediately. I think you might be Joe Lombardi.
Stud: Pass rush
The Chargers racked up seven sacks on Monday: two from Morgan Fox and one from Drue Tranquill, Kenneth Murray Jr., Kyle Van Noy, Khalil Mack, and Chris Rumph II. That’s practically every front-seven player who has generated any pocket pressure all season for LA. (Sorry, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Breiden Fehoko. Great run defense game tonight, though!) The Chargers didn’t even blitz very much in this one, evidenced by the lack of pressures generated by secondary players. Rather, the defensive line was able to win one-on-one matchups consistently and get home to Nick Foles.
Dud: Conservation of momentum
Remarkably, the Chargers are on this winning streak while flatly refusing to capitalize on any momentum-tilting plays or events at any point in any game. Tonight, the defense forced the Colts into a three-and-out, interception, interception, and three-and-out in their first four drives. LA responded in those instances with a three and out, interception, three and out, and then a touchdown to go up 7-0. A third Nick Foles interception yielded an eight-play drive that gained less than 3 yards a play and resulted in a field goal. At an even more granular level, the Chargers frequently went away from the hot hands on offense as they started to get into a rhythm. This is a team that is actively making things harder for themselves at every junction, and yet, they’ve clinched a playoff spot with their third straight win.
Stud: Kickoff coverage
Indianapolis came in with one of the hottest kick returners in the league, as Dallis Flowers had averaged 34.1 yards per return coming into tonight’s contest. While Flowers averaged 28 yards a return on his three chances this week, the starting field position on those opportunities was as follows: Indianapolis 28, Indianapolis 13, and Indianapolis 26. So, even though Flowers was taking it nearly 30 yards, he never got more than 3 yards beyond the 25, where the ball would’ve been spotted on a touchback. Credit to Ryan Ficken and his unit, which this week plugged in Raheem Layne for the injured Kemon Hall just for Layne to lay the wood on that return that ended at the 13.
Dud: Justin Herbert
Herbert had his moments of brilliance – he always does – but this was far from his best game. It was also his second straight game without a touchdown pass, compared to four turnovers in that same timeframe. His two turnovers today followed a familiar pattern. On the interception, he’s trying to force a third down throw into a tighter-than-tight window because the play call has all five eligible receivers within eight yards of the line of scrimmage on the same side of the field. On the fumble, the Chargers allow pressure from all four Colts rushers, and Herbert gets the ball bullied out of his hands. That’s not to absolve the star from any blame: he’ll be the first to tell you he needs to be better, and he said as much in his postgame interview on ESPN. That the Chargers can win games with him playing this way is. However, a good sign from now on, assuming Herbert can find his stride as the playoffs begin.
Over the past two weeks, the Chargers’ defense has played at a high level.
Over the past two weeks, the Chargers’ defense has played at a high level.
Believe it or not, this has been without star safety Derwin James on the field. James has missed the past two games with a quad issue.
They rank third in defensive DVOA in that timeframe.
The most significant factor in the turnaround is head coach Brandon Staley. Staley put together effective game plans and groupings for the Dolphins and Titans, who are stylistically opposite in terms of offensive schemes.
Against Miami’s prolific passing attack, Staley utilized a heavy amount of late movement/disguise and press coverage to disrupt the timing.
And against Tennessee and the physicality of running back Derrick Henry, they were stout and disciplined in the trenches and second and third-level defenders tackled in open space.
After the season-ending injuries to Austin Johnson, Christian Covington and Otito Ogbonnia, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Breiden Fehoko and Morgan Fox have been integral in the improvement against the run.
The pass rush is piecing together after stalling following the groin injury to Joey Bosa. The pressure from Khalil Mack, Fox and Kyle Van Noy, in addition to the designed blitzes, has been vital to the pass defense.
On the back end, the coverage has been strong. Most notably, Michael Davis, who is playing excellent football. Davis has forced ten incompletions, more than any other cornerback in the league since Week 9.
Additionally, Nasir Adderley, Alohi Gilman and rookie Ja’Sir Taylor have come into their own and taken advantage of their opportunities.
This has also led to a drastic improvement in their third-down defense. In the last two games, the Chargers allowed just six conversions on 22 third-down attempts, which is a 27% conversion rate.
With just three games remaining and on the cusp of the playoffs, Los Angeles’ is finding its stride on the defensive side of the ball at the right time.
Combine the prolific play from the past two weeks and getting James and potentially Bosa back from their perspective injuries, and the Bolts could pose a real threat in postseason play.
Here’s what we learned from the Chargers’ victory over the Falcons.
In comeback fashion, the Chargers beat the Falcons on Sunday to improve to 5-3.
Here are my final takeaways from the Week 9 battle.
Should the Patriots consider making a splash at linebacker before the trade deadline? Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity thinks so.
The New England Patriots are off to a less than ideal 1-3 start, and they have a glaring hole on the defensive side of the ball.
The team has struggled to find anyone opposite of Matthew Judon since Kyle Van Noy’s departure, and they desperately need another outside linebacker to help in blitz packages, coverage and in the run. Not to mention, Judon is an elite defender when he has his health, but due to the lack of substitutes or players to take off the pressure, he’s asked to do too much at times
And quite frankly, he isn’t at the stage of his career where he can handle heavy snap loads. Keeping Judon fresh keeps him effective.
The plan has always been for some young defender to take over opposite him. Anfernee Jennings had a great camp, and Josh Uche looked like he could be fully unlocked after showing promise early. But through four games, neither has managed to make the desired impact. If the Patriots wish to make the playoffs this year, the defense could really use a playmaker. Luckily for them, there is one disgruntled linebacker who could be available ahead of the trade deadline.
That player is none other than Roquan Smith of the Chicago Bears.
Smith has been adamant about his desire to be traded or paid what he deserves, and the Bears are in a rebuilding/retooling mode where they don’t have much to put around their young QB. Smith is the Bears’ best asset on the team, and he could demand a ransom. But as the Bears struggle through 2022 with Smith’s pending unrestricted free agency looming, they will possibly lower the price to send him to a team willing to roll the dice on him staying long-term.
Either they do this by November 1st or use a $19 million franchise tag next season on him, which would be beneficial for both sides. But Smith wouldn’t be able to be tagged again in the following season, meaning the team paid a high bill for a rental on a bottom of the barrel team and would fail to get anything in return as other teams would rather wait for his tag to expire.
The Patriots need to add some playmakers that fit the current team’s timeline. With Mac Jones on a rookie deal, it only makes sense to make these franchise-altering moves to add the next generation’s superstar to the defense with Devin McCourty and Judon both getting older.
The Patriots could wind up offering Chicago a package centering on two first-round picks (2023 and 2025) and a future second-rounder. Smith is projected to warrant a hefty contract and could be upwards of $115 million with $60 million guaranteed. It’s a lot of money for many, but for one of the league’s best tacklers and versatile weapons, it would surely be worth it, especially for a Bill Belichick-lead defense. If anyone could unlock another gear out of Smith, it would be Belichick.
The Patriots would add a 26-year-old linebacker opposite of Judon, who would take the pressure off of others in the run game and would feast on the opposite edge. As we get closer to the November 1st deadline, the price will certainly go down for picks, and the Patriots could strike a deadline deal for the superstar and start building their defense around Smith, Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger and Jack Jones for the future.
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The Chargers had three limited participants on Wednesday.
The Chargers began their preparation on Wednesday for the Week 5 matchup with the Browns.
Keenan Allen has missed the last three games with a hamstring issue, and early on, the chances of returning to live-game action are slim as he was held out of practice. Allen is day-to-day, per Brandon Staley.
Another notable on the injury list was Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins is dealing with a quad issue with his kicking leg. He was limited at practice. It will not be surprising if another kicker is brought in the coming days.
Further, Joshua Palmer (ankle) and Kyle Van Noy (back) were limited participants. Palmer injured his ankle in the first half of the Week 4 victory over the Browns.
