Tag: Kyzir White

Pair of Chargers named to PFF’s First-Quarter All-Pro team

The Chargers were represented by an offensive and defensive player.

The Chargers are proving themselves as one of the top teams in the NFL in the early going of the 2021 season, and a lot of credit goes to some premiere performers along the way.

Pro Football Focus recognized the league’s best players after the first four weeks of the regular season, and Los Angeles had two members of the team make the list.

Those two are running back Austin Ekeler and edge defender Joey Bosa, both of whom are second-team selections.

Through four games, Ekeler has amassed 424 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, with his most productive coming against the Raiders on Monday. He scored two touchdowns while running for a season-high 117 yards on just 15 carries.

Bosa, on the other hand, has continued to do what he does best by wreaking havoc up front. He has posted 23 quarterback pressures, 17 hurries, seven run stops, and three sacks through four games. His lone sack against Las Vegas gave him 50 in just 67 career games, the fastest in franchise history.

While Ekeler and Bosa were the only two Chargers that made the cut, the team has a handful of other notable players deserving of being mentioned, such as Justin Herbert, Mike Williams, Rashawn Slater, Derwin James, among others.

Game Balls: 7 standouts from Chargers’ division win over Raiders

Highlighting seven individuals that had a big impact on the Chargers’ victory over the Raiders.

The Chargers knew that they would sit atop the AFC West with a win over the Raiders, which is exactly what they did, defeating Las Vegas in Monday’s showdown at SoFi Stadium, 28-14.

Which players had the biggest impact on the game?

A look at seven standouts from Week 4’s victory:

RB Austin Ekeler

When you have Justin Herbert under center, it’s hard to take the ball away from him. But it was clear that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi wanted to establish a balanced approach, which he was able to successfully do, thanks to Ekeler and an offensive line with a 79% run block win rate. Ekeler finished the game with a career-high 117 yards on 15 carries (7.8 yards per carry). He powered a crucial fourth-quarter scoring drive that burned over five minutes of the game clock, which resulted in an 11-yard rushing touchdown to seal the deal. While his receiving volume was lower than usual, he still managed to take one of his three receptions into the end zone.

TE Jared Cook

It was only a matter of time until the team’s tight ends emerged in the passing game. Leading the team in receiving, Cook finished with six receptions for 70 yards and the game’s first touchdown. Cook was a key piece in critical situations, as he caught both targets on fourth down. Donald Parham also had a touchdown grab, and Stephen Anderson had a catch that went for 34 yards.

LT Rashawn Slater

Last week, I wrote an article explaining why Slater deserved recognition as the NFL’s best rookie. Yet another game and the former Northwestern exemplified why he is deserving of the label. Drawing the dynamic duo of Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue, Slater was poetic in pass protection, only allowing one quarterback pressure on 40 pass-blocking snaps. Slater also paved the way in the running game for multiple carries that went over five yards. It’s been only four games, but he is deserving of Pro Bowl consideration.

EDGE Joey Bosa

The key to slowing down the Raiders’ passing attack was by getting into the face of quarterback Derek Carr, which the Chargers managed to do early and often. Carr was sacked four times, with four different players landing one, namely Bosa, Covington, Kyler Fackrell and Jerry Tillery. However, it was Bosa who pressured Carr a whopping seven times. As a result, Carr was held to just 196 passing yards, and a lot of credit goes to Bosa for giving him very little time to distribute the wealth. Note to other teams in the league, don’t leave a rookie tackle on an island against a premier pass rusher of Bosa’s caliber.

LBs Kyzir White & Drue Tranquill

Heading into the season, it is not likely you would have said that White and Tranquill would evolve into one of the league’s better linebacker duos. After showing up on a snap-to-snap basis, the two have solidified themselves as just that. White, who made back-to-back big plays on third and fourth down in the second quarter, finished with three run stops. Tranquill, on the other hand, only totaled one stop against the run, but his presence as a blitzer led to three quarterback pressures. With their combination of play speed, burst and instincts to quickly react, they have been impactful in all facets.

HC Brandon Staley

For the second consecutive week, Staley’s aggressive decisions attributed to the team’s victory. Refusing to punt and give the ball back to the Raiders, Staley went for it on fourth down on three occasions, two of which the offense converted. The 13-yard conversion on 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarter between Herbert and Cook led to the game-winning touchdown by Ekeler. This season, the Chargers are 4-of-5 on fourth down, with their conversions coming from their own 34, 45, 50, and opponent’s 28. Earlier in the game, Staley challenged and successfully won the challenge of the spot late, which ultimately gave Herbert the ball back, and they went on to score right after before heading into the half. After enduring double-digit blown leads the past few seasons due to poor game management, Staley has completely changed the narrative in Los Angeles with his outstanding football mind.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 4 win over Raiders

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

In Week 4 of the 2021 regular season, the Chargers took care of business in primetime against the Raiders.

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

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

Top 5 Offense

TE Jared Cook — 90.4

C Corey Linsley — 87.1

RB Austin Ekeler — 85.7

OT Rashawn Slater — 83.6

QB Justin Herbert — 83.0

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Joey Bosa — 90.8

NT Forrest Merrill — 87.9

DT Linval Joseph — 82.6

EDGE Kyler Fackrell — 81.9

LB Drue Tranquill — 81.4

Bottom 5 Offense

RB Larry Rountree III — 52.7

WR Mike Williams — 52.1

CB Tevaughn Campbell — 46.0

OT Storm Norton — 44.4

G Michael Schofield — 30.8

Bottom 5 Defense

DT Breiden Fehoko — 60.0

EDGE Chris Rumph — 57.1

S Derwin James — 48.0

S Alohi Gilman — 45.6

EDGE Uchenna Nwosu — 39.5

Chargers LB Kenneth Murray ruled out Monday night vs. Raiders

The severity of Kenneth Murray’s injury remains to be seen.

Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray will not play on Monday night against the Raiders.

Murray, who was initially listed as questionable with an ankle injury, has been downgraded to out for the prime matchup.

Murray had to be carted off the practice field Saturday after grabbing his leg in a good amount of pain. Trainers rushed over, and it took him a few minutes before being taken off.

Murray re-injured the same ankle that knocked him out of the Cowboys game briefly in Week 2.

The amount of time Murray will miss remains to be seen.

With Murray out of Monday night’s action, Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White will get the majority of the workload. For additional depth, we could see rookie Nick Niemann make his NFL debut.

Chargers LB Drue Tranquill makes impact in expanded role vs. Chiefs

Great things happen when Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill is on the field.

After missing nearly his entire sophomore season with an ankle injury, Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill entered the summer with the presumption that he was going to return to the starting lineup alongside Kenneth Murray.

Instead, Kyzir White emerged and beat out Tranquill for the second starting inside linebacker spot during training camp after having arguably the best showings by any defender on the roster.

In the first two games of the season, Tranquill only played a total of 14 defensive snaps, while continuing to make his money on special teams as a core-four player.

While Tranquill remained on the sideline, Murray struggled to find his footing in this defense, which then led to Brandon Staley’s decision that a change was needed at the position.

In the victory over the Chiefs, Tranquill played 34 defensive snaps, the most this season. He replaced Murray early in the second quarter and stayed in the rotation for the remainder of the game.

Showing the athleticism, instincts and relentless energy to make plays against the pass and run, Tranquill accounted for nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.

Dating back to 2014, Tranquill has dealt with five significant injuries, including one last year. However, you wouldn’t be able to justify that with how he leaves it all on the field and is around the ball on a weekly basis.

In his rookie season in 2019, Tranquill racked up 64 tackles (50 solo), four tackles for loss and one pass defended.

Going forward, Tranquill should continue to see a hefty workload. If he remains healthy, the 26-year old will be an integral piece on defense.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley acknowledges Kenneth Murray’s early-season struggles

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley addressed the state of the linebacker room.

The start of linebacker Kenneth Murray’s sophomore season has not been all sunshine and rainbows.

Expected to be a key piece in the middle of the defense, Murray has struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s system.

Only a year removed from finishing with 107 tackles in his rookie campaign, Murray hasn’t looked like the same player who was consistently rallying to and making plays on the football.

While opportunities have been there, Murray’s tape has been littered with missed tackles, lack of mental processing, over-pursuing ball carriers and the inability to shed blocks or work off contact, all of which have attributed to the team’s lackluster run defense.

“I think up and down,” Staley said about Murray’s performances. “I think there have been some really good moments. And then, there have been some moments that we need to have him improve.

That’s part about seeing the game, understanding his style of play versus what’s on the other side of the football, understanding where he fits in within our defense.

He needs to improve for us just like a lot of guys. And I think that the exciting thing is that he’s such a hard worker … I think that you’re going to see him continue to improve.”

As for the rest of the group, Kyzir White has been the standout as the other starter in both pass coverage and against the run. White is greatly benefiting from Staley’s scheme that is tailor-made for his overall skillset.

Drue Tranquill, on the other hand, has only played 14 defensive snaps this season, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. In the small sample size, Tranquill has still made an impact, and it’s likely that he’s going to see the field more moving forward.

“Drue’s playing well,” Staley said. “We’re going to get him on the football field, that’s for sure. He played well in the Dallas game. He’s practicing great. It’s one thing I said in the preseason, I do feel like he’s a starter. We’re trying to unpack that rotation right now.”

If order to fix the issues, Murray needs to start utilizing proper eye discipline and play recognition to put himself in proper position, stay under control to avoid poor angles and overrunning plays and be more physical and quicker to avoid blockers from stringing him out of the action.

Chargers Week 1 Report Card: How we graded defense in victory over Washington

Grading every position on the defensive side of the ball in the Chargers’ season opener.

The Chargers took care of business in Week 1, defeating Washington by the score of 20-16.

Here’s how every position on the defensive side of the ball graded out in the team’s victory on Sunday:

Interior defensive line — C

The defense was stout against the pass but the run on the other hand, they struggled immensely – allowing 4.7 yards per attempt and 126 rushing yards. The only player who consistently showed up in the department was Christian Covington, who finished with four stops. Linval Joseph and Justin Jones combined for three quarterback pressures, while Jerry Tillery was nonexistent. This a group that needs to improve or else opposing teams will continue to exploit them on the ground.

Edge defender — B

Joey Bosa had the assignment of going up against rookie tackle Samuel Cosmi for the majority of the game, and he gave him his welcome to the NFL. Bosa logged his first sack of 2021 and an additional four quarterback pressures. Uchenna Nwosu also made his presence known with two quarterback hits, one of which knocked Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the game. Kyler Fackrell had a quiet game. Chris Rumph’s playing time came on special teams.

Linebacker — B

Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White primarily made up all of the playing time at the position. Murray led the team with 10 tackles. White did have two missed tackles, but he forced a big fumble to set up a Chargers touchdown late in the game. White finished with five tackles. The two looked comfortable in their new roles, roaming around more freely and having more opportunities to make plays on the football.

Cornerback — B+

Washington was held to 133 yards passing. Yes, it helped that the opposing quarterbacks were pressured 14 times on 30 dropbacks, but it goes to show that the corners played their assignments well and primarily kept everything in front of them. Outside of a play that resulted in Terry McLaurin gaining 34 yards, Michael Davis had a solid game, especially as a tackler. Rookie Asante Samuel Jr. was dinged for a ticky tacky pass interference call, but he followed that up with a few standout plays in coverage on Dyami Brown. Chris Harris Jr. was also strong against the pass, only allowing two passes for 15 yards.

Safety — B+

Derwin James made an impact in his return to the field after missing all of last season. James finished second on the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection. What stands out the most, however, is that he recorded a 90.0 grade (second among safeties) and a 90.2 coverage grade (first among safeties), per Pro Football Focus. Nasir Adderley had a bit of an up-and-down day. Adderley failed to make a play on McLaurin’s long reception and he gave up a touchdown to Logan Thomas on the following play. In addition, Adderley made a bad read on a deep ball that resulted in Samuel being penalized, which ended in points for Washington. Adderley showed improvement as a tackler, which is a plus.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in season opener vs. Washington

Highlighting Pro Football Focus’ studs and duds from the Chargers’ season opener against Washington.

In the opening game of the 2021 regular season, the Chargers took care of business on the road against Washington.

I chose three players that I felt made a huge impact on the game, but there were a handful of other top performers.

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

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert – 84.7

WR Mike Williams – 79.7

WR Keenan Allen – 75.3

OL Rashawn Slater – 73.5

OL Matt Feiler – 73.2

Top 5 Defense

S Derwin James – 90.0

EDGE Joey Bosa – 82.8

LB Kyzir White – 82.6

CB Chris Harris Jr. – 76.6

LB Kenneth Murray – 75.0

Bottom 5 Offense

RB Austin Ekeler – 58.6

OL Corey Linsley – 58.5

RB Larry Rountree III – 57.2

OT Bryan Bulaga – 55.8

TE Donald Parham – 53.6

Bottom 5 Defense

DL Justin Jones – 54.8

EDGE Kyler Fackrell – 50.9

CB Michael Davis – 46.8

DT Jerry Tillery – 43.7

DT Eric Banks – 29.7

Chargers’ players of the game vs. Washington

Highlighting the most impactful players for the Chargers in their Week 1 victory over Washington.

The Chargers kicked off the 2021 regular season in the win column after downing Washington on the road.

Who had the biggest impact on the game in all three phases?

Here are the players of the game in Week 1:

Offensive Player of the Game: QB Justin Herbert

Either one of wide receiver Keenan Allen or Mike Williams could have been slotted here after their stellar performances but at the end of the day, the engineer of the offense gets the nod.

A stat line of 337 passing yards and a touchdown is seen as pretty normal in today’s NFL, but it is what Herbert did that earned him the award, managing to overcome a fumble into the end zone that resulted in a touchback and a red zone interception.

He led an offense that went 14 of 19 on third down, scoring drives of 75, 76 and 68 yards to close out the game, and a go-ahead touchdown pass to Mike Williams prior to that to make up for the hiccups.

So much for all that talk of a second season regression. Herbert is the real deal.

Defensive Player of the Game: LB Kyzir White

This would’ve gone to Joey Bosa, Derwin James or Asante Samuel Jr. for their outings as a whole but for today, I’m giving it to the player that made the biggest defensive play of the game.

Following Herbert’s interception in the red zone, all the momentum was on Washington’s side. That was until running back Antonio Gibson took a carry up the middle, only to meet White who was able to punch the ball out and have it recovered by Kenneth Murray.

Herbert followed that up with his lone touchdown pass to Williams which ultimately sealed the deal.

White finished the game with five tackles and the forced fumble.

Special Teams Player of the Game: K Tristan Vizcaino

The coaches made the decision to make Vizcaino the starting kicker over Michael Badgley, and he did not disappoint in his regular season debut for the Chargers. Vizcaino was a perfect 4-of-4 on his field goals of 33 and 27 yards and both extra points.

Chargers LB Kyzir White coming into his own

Chargers linebacker Kyzir White has been arguably the best defender this summer.

The Chargers have always had a talented player with linebacker Kyzir White, but his true colors have yet to show.

Whether that be due to injuries that hampered him in the early years of his career or playing in a limited role in Gus Bradley’s defense, White had always been lost in the shuffle.

Now in head coach Brandon Staley’s system, White has been displaying why he could experience a monstrous season in 2021, as he has been arguably the team’s best defender this summer.

At training camp, White has posted two pick-sixes and a handful of other eye-popping plays in coverage and against the run.

This past Saturday in the preseason opener against the Rams, White’s instincts, speed and high energy flashed, as he had three tackles near or behind the line of scrimmage.

Following the matchup, head coach Brandon Staley said that he views White as a co-starter at linebacker alongside Kenneth Murray and Drue Tranquill, which means that we can expect to see plenty of him this season.

Earlier on, Staley called the group the “strength of this football team,” and based on how they will be utilized and how much success Staley had with the Rams linebackers last season, I see high production from them.