Tag: Rashawn Slater

Chargers players explain why 2024 team ‘feels different’

Fans can feel the difference this season, and the players admit the same.

The Chargers nearly let one get away from them in Week 11 against the Bengals. Unlike in recent similar situations, the Chargers persevered and pulled out a victory this time around.

With Jim Harbaugh leading the team, this game felt different. The Bengals erased a 21-point deficit, but Los Angeles’ defense made a few crucial stops while the offense scored a game-winning touchdown.

Linebacker Daiyan Henley put in another stellar performance with a team-high 11 tackles on Sunday. After the game, he admitted that this year’s team feels different.

“This is a different team. This is not what the Chargers have been or what the fans here are used to… And the best part about it was that we rallied together.”

In previous years, the Chargers have lost several of these close, one-score contests. Not this time around, though.

Los Angeles improved to 7-3 with their fourth straight win and are in a great spot for the postseason. Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, who is in his fourth year with the team, echoed a very similar sentiment.

“Resiliency. Poise. Mental toughness. That’s the culture around here now,” Slater said after the primetime victory.

This isn’t a team that is still run by incompetent coaching. Instead, the Chargers now have one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL led by Harbaugh.

Fans can feel the difference this season, and the players admit the same.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 11 win over Bengals

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Bengals.

In Week 11, the Chargers defeated the Bengals, 34-27.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

WR Ladd McConkey — 85.7

OT Joe Alt — 84.1

OL Trey Pipkins — 81.3

OT Rashawn Slater — 79.1

OL Zion Johnson — 77.4

Top 5 Defense

S Alohi Gilman — 83.3

LB Denzel Perryman — 75.1

CB Cam Hart — 74.3

S Derwin James — 72.8

DT Poona Ford — 69.2

Bottom 5 Offense

WR Joshua Palmer — 64.0

RB Gus Edwards — 63.5

WR Quentin Johnston — 61.3

FB Scott Matlock — 53.9

WR Jalen Reagor — 52.2

Bottom 5 Defense

LB Daiyan Henley — 55.5

EDGE Bud Dupree — 54.2

S Elijah Molden — 50.2

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 47.5

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 38.9

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 10 win over Titans

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Titans.

In Week 10, the Chargers defeated the Titans, 27-17.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert — 91.6

FB Tucker Fisk — 73.8

OL Zion Johnson — 72.8

TE Will Dissly — 72.6

OT Joe Alt — 72.0

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu — 71.2

EDGE Bud Dupree — 69.1

CB Cam Hart — 67.4

DT Poona Ford — 67.3

DT Morgan Fox — 67.1

Bottom 5 Offense

WR Quentin Johnston — 55.7

RB J.K. Dobbins — 52.8

WR Jalen Reagor — 50.9

OL Foster Sarell — 50.0

FB Scott Matlock — 49.6

Bottom 5 Defense

S Alohi Gilman — 57.3

LB Denzel Perryman — 52.7

EDGE Joey Bosa — 51.1

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 45.0

DT Teair Tart — 34.2

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 9 win over Browns

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Browns.

In Week 9, the Chargers defeated the Browns, 27-10.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 75.7

QB Justin Herbert — 74.7

WR Ladd McConkey — 72.6

WR Joshua Palmer — 70.8

WR Quentin Johnston — 70.1

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 89.0

LB Troy Dye — 86.9

S Derwin James — 85.7

S Alohi Gilman — 81.4

CB Tarheeb Still — 79.4

Bottom 5 Offense

OL Zion Johnson — 41.9

TE Will Dissly — 45.7

TE Eric Tomlinson — 51.5

RB Kimani Vidal — 51.9

WR Jalen Reagor — 53.8

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Joey Bosa — 46.0

CB Cam Hart — 47.6

DL Otito Ogbonnia — 48.0

LB Denzel Perryman — 53.3

EDGE Bud Dupree — 64.0

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 8 win over Saints

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Saints.

In Week 8, the Chargers defeated the Saints, 26-8.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert — 95.3

WR Ladd McConkey — 87.9

OT Rashawn Slater — 87.6

WR Jalen Reagor — 80.3

OT Joe Alt — 70.3

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu — 86.4

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 85.2

LB Denzel Perryman — 84.2

DT Teair Tart — 77.7

S Elijah Molden — 75.3

Bottom 5 Offense

TE Eric Tomlinson — 44.2

WR Simi Fehoko — 49.4

OL Bradley Bozeman — 51.6

OL Zion Johnson — 55.9

WR Josh Palmer — 57.4

Bottom 5 Defense

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 43.2

S Alohi Gilman — 46.4

S Derwin James — 48.9

EDGE Bud Dupree — 51.7

LB Daiyan Henley — 54.1

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 7 loss to Cardinals

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the loss to the Cardinals.

In Week 7, the Chargers lost on the road to the Cardinals, 17-15.

Along the way, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

Here are the best and worst performers from Monday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

QB Justin Herbert — 89.7

WR Josh Palmer — 80.3

OT Joe Alt — 76.2

TE Will Dissly — 74.6

OL Zion Johnson — 71.6

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 92.1

LB Denzel Perryman — 76.4

DT Poona Ford — 72.2

S Derwin James — 72.0

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 70.3

Bottom 5 Offense

TE Eric Tomlinson — 45.8

WR Ladd McConkey — 47.9

FB Scott Matlock — 48.3

WR Jalen Reagor — 56.0

OL Trey Pipkins — 56.2

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu — 29.0

LB Junior Colson — 29.2

S Alohi Gilman — 35.7

EDGE Bud Dupree — 43.1

CB Cam Hart — 44.3

Social media reacts to Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals

Here is how the general population reacted to the Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals, which includes thoughts on the questionable penalty on the final drive.

The Chargers lost to the Cardinals on Monday night.

The Bolts are now 3-3.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Week 7 game:

https://twitter.com/joereedy/status/1848573973220487596

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.

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 6 win over Broncos

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Broncos.

In Week 6, the Chargers defeated the Broncos, 23-16.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 82.0

WR Quentin Johnston — 74.8

TE Stone Smartt — 74.2

OL Zion Johnson — 71.2

RB Kimani Vidal — 71.0

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Khalil Mack — 90.5

S Elijah Molden — 76.1

DT Poona Ford — 71.0

LB Daiyan Henley — 70.1

CB Cam Hart — 68.9

Bottom 5 Offense

OL Jamaree Salyer — 39.2

TE Hayden Hurst — 43.0

FB Scott Matlock — 53.0

TE Eric Tomlinson — 54.6

OT Joe Alt — 58.4

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Bud Dupree — 39.3

DT Scott Matlock — 40.2

DT Otito Ogbonnia — 41.5

LB Junior Colson — 41.7

S Derwin James — 42.1

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: