Tag: Marcus Maye

Chargers overwhelmed by Buccaneers: Instant analysis of Week 15 loss

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ loss to the Buccaneers, who overwhelmed Los Angeles in every facet of this game.

The Chargers stood no chance against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay won, 40-17. Los Angeles is now 8-6.

Here’s our recap of L.A.’s Week 15 loss.

It was over when…

Baker Mayfield connected with Mike Evans for a 35-yard touchdown to go up 30-17. There was no answer to the Buccaneers’ offensive dominance.

Notable number

Justin Herbert’s streak without an interception ended at 357 attempts. Herbert failed to become the first player in NFL history without an interception in 12 consecutive games within a single season.

3 stars of the game

  1. WR Ladd McConkey: 5 catches, 58 yards, touchdown
  2. WR Quentin Johnston: 5 catches, 45 yards, TD
  3. S Elijah Molden: 9 tackles, tackle for loss

Quick hits

  • The Chargers were outgained by nearly 300 yards. They only had 207 compared to the Buccaneers’ 505.
  • Los Angeles was 0-of-6 on third-down opportunities, while the Buccaneers were 9-of-15.
  • The Chargers allowed the Buccaneers to rush for 223 yards. Los Angeles only had 32 rushing yards.
  • The Chargers’ cornerbacks struggled to cover Mike Evans all game. Evans had nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
  • The Chargers’ second-half offensive struggles continued, as they failed to score a single point. On the other hand, the Buccaneers scored on five consecutive possessions and put up 27 points in the second half.
  • Baker Mayfield was kept upright for most of the game, as he was only hit three times. The same can’t be said about Justin Herbert, who was under duress for most of the game. Herbert was hit 13 times and sacked three times.
  • The Chargers defense held the Buccaneers to one score on four trips to the red zone.
  • Los Angeles forced two turnovers, an interception and a forced fumble.

What’s next?

The Chargers face the Broncos (9-5) in a crucial divisional matchup on Thursday night, Dec. 19, at 5:15 pm PT.

Former Saints DB has standout performance in first game with his new team

Former Saints safety Marcus Maye was cut by the Dolphins this week, but signed with the Chargers and had a standout performance against the Falcons:

Former New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye has had a whirlwind of a week. He was cut by the Miami Dolphins early in the week, and then signed by the Los Angeles Chargers to fill in for safety Alohi Gilman who went on IR.

And in his first game with the Chargers, Maye had a very strong showing, ending the game with 3 tackles, an interception in the endzone, and a pass deflection. On top of that, he also broke up a pass on the last drive to Drake London, getting his hand between London and the ball, and forcing it away.

Maye did not get an exceptional amount of playing time with the Dolphins, as despite playing in 11 games, he only had three starts, with 293 defensive snaps (43%) and 111 special teams snaps (39%). These 293 snaps were lower than his 2021 total of 362 in only six games played for reference, so he had seen the field sparingly rather than as a full-time safety.

On top of all of that, he contributed to a 17-13 Chargers win over the Atlanta Falcons, with his interception being one of four off of Kirk Cousins in the game. This pushed the Falcons down to a 6-6 record, and helped the Chargers up to a 8-4 record. He is helping the Saints from beyond the roster, and giving them a chance to get back into the race for the NFC South division lead.

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Chargers pull out gritty win over Falcons: Instant analysis of Week 13 victory

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ gritty win over the Falcons behind a four-interception performance.

The Chargers defeated the Falcons on Sunday, improving to 8-4.

Here’s our recap of the Week 13 win.

It was over when…

Derwin James intercepted Kirk Cousins with 47 seconds remaining.

Notable number

Per AP Sports’ Joe Reedy, Ladd McConkey’s 105 yards are the most receiving yards by a Chargers rookie in the first half since 1991.

3 stars of the game

  1. WR Ladd McConkey: McConkey was the only productive player in the passing game. He finished the game with a season-high nine receptions for 117 yards.
  2. CB Tarheeb Still: The rookie out of Maryland was a ball magnet, finishing with two interceptions, including one he took back to the house for a touchdown.
  3. S Marcus Maye: This could’ve gone to Derwin James, who closed the game with a pick. But Maye, who was signed just this past week after being released by the Dolphins, had one in the end zone on the drive right before.

Quick hits

  • The Chargers’ offense was underwhelming. They failed to find the end zone the entire game, even on their two trips to the red zone.
  • Their only offensive points came from Cameron Dicker’s three made field goals.
  • The Chargers were 3-of-14 on third down. They had 187 yards of total offense.
  • The second-half offensive struggles continued. They only picked up two first downs on four drives.
  • The Falcons entered this game with one of the worst pressure rates, only having ten sacks. Atlanta flipped the switch, as they lived in the Chargers’ backfield. Justin Herbert was sacked five times.
  • Gus Edwards and Kimani Vidal combined for ten rushes, finishing with 5.3 and 5.0 yards per carry, respectively.
  • Aside from McConkey, the pass-catching group was lackluster. Quentin Johnston was the next productive receiver, with only 14 yards on two catches. Six pass catchers had just one catch.
  • The defense was why the Chargers came out of this game victorious. Jesse Minter’s unit combined for four interceptions, headlined by Still, who had two, one he returned for a score.
  • The run defense held its own, limiting a good backfield of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to 3.5 yards per carry.

What’s next?

The Chargers are on the road again to face the Chiefs next Sunday night, Dec. 8, at 5:20 pm PT.

Falcons lose due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping Saints’ hopes alive

The Falcons lost to the Chargers on Sunday due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping the Saints’ playoff hopes alive:

Don’t look now, but there might be a quarterback change on the horizon for the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game away in their Sunday loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-13, which teed up a fascinating scenario for the New Orleans Saints as they prepare for kickoff with the Los Angeles Rams. How did we get here?

Cousins played one of the worst games of his pro career, throwing four interceptions without a touchdown pass. One of those interceptions was credited to former Saints safety Marcus Maye, who arrived in Los Angeles just this week after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.

As for the implications on the NFC South? That remains to be seen, but for now the Saints are still in this. The Saints go into their game with the LA Rams at 4-7, trailing the Falcons (now at 6-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), who visit the upstart Carolina Panthers (3-8) this afternoon.

Everything depends on the Saints sending the Rams away from New Orleans with a loss, but at this point the division — and the coveted playoff berth — are within reach for Darren Rizzi’s team.

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Watch: Chargers S gets clutch pick 5 days after he was cut by Dolphins

To add salt in the wound, the clutch pick helped an AFC contender get a little further in front of the Dolphins.

Marcus Maye played 11 games with the Miami Dolphins and started three, but didn’t record any interceptions. He didn’t take long to make an impact with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Just a few days after he was claimed by the Chargers off waivers, and five days after he was cut loose by the Dolphins, Maye came up with a clutch fourth quarter interception in the end zone against the Atlanta Falcons to preserve a 17-13 lead for Los Angeles.

Maye, 31, signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in June to be the primary backup behind starters Jevón Holland and Jordan Poyer. But with sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris returning from injured reserve, the Dolphins waived the veteran Tuesday — presumably with the hope that he could be retained on the practice squad. Instead, he was scooped up by the Chargers.

Even worse for the Dolphins, his Week 13 interception contributed to the Chargers improving to 8-4 on the year. Los Angeles is one of four teams — along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, or Denver Broncos — Miami can potentially track down if it hopes to keep its playoff hopes alive.

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Chargers claim veteran S waived by Dolphins

The Chargers jumped at the chance to add a veteran to their secondary.

The Los Angeles Chargers claimed safety Marcus Maye off waivers a day after he was let go by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.

Maye, 31, signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in June to backup the team’s starting duo of Jordan Poyer and Jevón Holland, and was thrust into starting duties in three games.

The Dolphins cut ties with Maye on Tuesday to make room on the 53-man roster for sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris to be activated from the injured reserve. If Maye cleared waivers, he would’ve been a logical candidate to be retained by Miami as a member of the practice squad. Instead, he’ll join a Chargers secondary that starts Derwin James and Alohi Gilman on the back end.

In 11 games with the Dolphins, Maye recorded one pass defense, one tackle for loss, and 30 total tackles.

Aside from Poyer, Holland, and McMorris, the Dolphins also have special teamer Elijah Campbell at safety. The team has veteran defensive back Nik Needham and rookie Jordan Colbert on the practice squad.

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Former New Orleans Saints starter waived by Miami Dolphins

A former New Orleans Saints safety has been waived by the Miami Dolphins to make way for a player returning from injury

Former New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye has been waived by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday after they got rookie DB Patrick McMorris back off of the injured reserve. Maye’s career trajectory has been on a pretty strong downturn ever since he signed a three-year deal with the Saints.

In 2022 he looked solid but not great for New Orleans and was a good veteran presence to have. However in 2023, he was suspended for three games due to his violation of the substance abuse policy, and was also placed on injured reserve further into the season which forced him to only play seven total games.

He was then released by the Saints a year before his contract ended, and he wound up signing with the Miami Dolphins where he has only started three games but played in 11 total. He was only given 43% of defensive snaps and 39% of special teams snaps with the Dolphins before this move, and the intent for Miami is to get him back on the practice squad if he clears waivers, as Tom Pelissero mentioned. We will see where he winds up, but ultimately not a good sign for the 31-year old veteran.

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Dolphins activate rookie safety from injured reserve

A member of the Dolphins’ 2024 rookie class may make his NFL debut soon.

Miami Dolphins rookie safety Patrick McMorris may soon make his NFL debut after he was activated from the injured reserve to the team’s 53-man roster Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the team waived veteran safety Marcus Maye to make room.

McMorris, 23, was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and made impressive plays in preseason before earning a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster. However, that was short-lived and he was moved to the IR before the end of August.

The Dolphins opened the 21-day practice window for McMorris earlier in November, but were down to their last couple days before the deadline to move him to the active roster. If the rookie safety was still on IR for the team’s Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers, McMorris would’ve been done for the year and unable to practice with the team until the offseason.

It’s possible that the reps on the practice field are the reason the Dolphins want McMorris on the active roster. But the decision to waive Maye leaves the team without depth on the back-end of their secondary aside from McMorris and special teams ace Elijah Campbell.

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Dolphins waive veteran safety who started 3 games this season

The Dolphins are shaking up their secondary to make room for a rookie to make his NFL debut.

The Miami Dolphins are waiving veteran safety Marcus Maye, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who has been called upon to start three games this season for the team.

Maye, 31, previously spent five seasons with the New York Jets and two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, starting in all 77 games he played with the teams. While he joined the Dolphins on a one-year deal to serve as the backup for starters Jordan Poyer and Jevón Holland, injuries for the latter moved Maye into the starting lineup.

While the decision to part with the reliable backup is a bit of a surprise, it likely means the team plans to move sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris to the active roster.

McMorris, 23, impressed in preseason but suffered an injury that landed him on injured reserve at the end of August. Earlier this month, the Dolphins opened the rookie’s 21-day window to return from IR. With only a couple days before the deadline to move him to the 53-man roster, Miami was facing the choice to make room for McMorris or lose the rookie for the rest of the season.

While Maye is now subject to waivers, Pelissero says the Dolphins are interested in retaining the veteran on their practice squad if he clears.

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3 Dolphins change jersey numbers ahead of 2024 opener

Three Dolphins players made number swaps now that training camp is over.

A lot of jersey numbers became newly available last week when the Miami Dolphins cut their active roster from 90 players to 53, and a handful of players pounced at the chance to make a swap.

At practice Monday, three Dolphins were spotted wearing new numbers:

  • DL Da’Shawn Hand changed from No. 91 to No. 90
  • S Marcus Maye changed from No. 46 to No. 26
  • OLB Emmanuel Ogbah changed from No. 51 to No. 91

Ogbah wore the No. 91 jersey in each of his first four seasons with the Dolphins. When he was released earlier this year, Hand inherited the number after giving up his No. 93 to the newly acquired Calais Campbell. For the second time this year, Hand accommodated a teammate by changing his number.

Maye wore No. 26 in his first two seasons with the New York Jets before swapping to No. 20 in his last three years. He later wore No. 6 with the New Orleans Saints.

When Maye arrived with the Dolphins in June, his three former numbers were occupied by Anthony Walker Jr. (No. 6), Jordyn Brooks (No. 20), and Salvon Ahmed (No. 26). Both Walker and Brooks still own those jerseys, but Ahmed was released by the Dolphins in August. The No. 26 then briefly belonged to Zander Horvath, who was waived Tuesday.

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