Tag: Sports

Chargers HC Brandon Staley on Derwin James’ penalties: ‘He needs to change his approach’

Brandon Staley was asked about the penalties racked up by Derwin James.

At his media availability, Brandon Staley was asked about the penalties racked up by Derwin James in the Cowboys game and throughout the season. Staley issued a rather blunt response:

He needs to change his approach because he needs to stop being penalized. He needs to lower his target and play the aggressive game that he plays, but he has to lower his strike zone and make sure that he’s making good decisions. It is the way it is and you have to make adjustments when you’ve had things go the other way. And he will, he’s too smart of a player. He’s such a leader on our team.

James was flagged twice against Dallas for penalties that cost Los Angeles 30 yards. Through four games, he’s already had four penalties called on him. The most penalties committed by James in a season was six in 2022, a mark he’s certainly on pace to break.

James gave some of his thoughts when the penalties were inevitably brought up at his media availability session. On how the refs are calling flags this season, James said this:

I’m already going low, and then guys are ducking. I just have to get low, I guess. I’m a professional, they pay me to do my job. If they’re going to call it like that, I have to be responsible and not hurt my team and get better from it. It’s that simple.

James also answered a follow-up question that asked if he thinks the referees are officiating him differently following his disqualification in Week 15 vs. the Colts last season. While he believes they are officiating him “a little bit” differently since that hit, the former Florida State product ultimately thinks the onus is on him to adjust and help the team.

James and the Chargers enter a critical matchup against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium after letting Monday’s game slip away. Asked about the matchup with star tight end Travis Kelce, James said he “can’t wait.” The two tend to match up well against each other, as seen in the rivalry over the last few years.

Hopefully, James’ penalty issues are corrected quickly, as the Chargers can’t afford to give up any extra ground to the Chiefs in a must-win game.

Rowers flock to Boston for Head of the Charles Regatta

It’s a race across the water.

Since 1965, rowers have flocked to Boston’s Charles River for the annual Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). This year, the big event runs October 20-22. Boston is expecting peak fall color, 11,000 rowers from around the world, and 400,000 spectators. If you love rowing, you’ll want to be there.

Boston has long been associated with rowing, which is one of the oldest Olympic sports and also closely identified with academia. So, it makes sense that the HOCR is a big deal for the city. Rowers start the race at the Boston University Boathouse. They proceed under a railroad trestle and the BU Bridge, then navigate five more triple-arch bridges before reaching the finish line about three miles upstream.

The schedule is packed and timed down to the minute. It starts on Friday, October 20, at 7:45 a.m. with a men’s single race in the 70+ and 80+ age groups, followed by women of the same age at 8:05 a.m. It continues, race after race, for a total of 75 races over the three days.

Rowers on a river.
Community Rowing brings the sport to the masses. / Photo courtesy of Community Rowing, Inc.

Way more people want to row than can fit into the 75 races. Would-be competitors submit an online application, then cross their fingers that they’ll be accepted. In addition to the thrill of victory, top finishers in the men’s and women’s championship singles event will get $10,000. Second place brings $5,000, and third place earns $2,500.

Interested in rowing but not a contender? Community Rowing Inc., North America’s largest public-access rowing organization, is partnering with Hotel Commonwealth to let guests try out the sport. Hotel Commonwealth guests can take private indoor instruction, then try their skills out on the water with a Community Rowing coach. Community Rowing is dedicated to exposing people of all backgrounds to rowing. Its partnership with Hotel Commonwealth will support rowing programs for Boston Public School kids, veterans, active duty military, and para-athletes.

Brandon Staley on J.C. Jackson trade: ‘There was a body of work to go off of’

Brandon Staley spoke for the first time since J.C. Jackson was traded to the Patriots.

On Thursday, Brandon Staley spoke at the Chargers’ media availability for the first time since J.C. Jackson was traded to the Patriots last week. Staley opened his press conference by responding to the first question about Jackson by saying this:

We just felt like this was the best course for our team. There was a body of work to go off of. We felt like this direction was the best for our football team.

When asked to clarify if “body of work” meant on-the-field or off-the-field concerns, Staley said, “In all ways.”

The Chargers head coach was also asked about Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero’s report, which stated that Jackson had refused to enter the game against the Raiders when Michael Davis injured his ankle.

Staley refused to comment, saying, “I’m not talking anymore about J.C. We’re moving forward as a team, and that’s behind us.”

Staley also said that the Chargers fully believe in their secondary group without Jackson:

We believe in that group. That group is where we’ve played our best football as a team since we’ve been here. We have full trust in those guys. Those guys have played really well together. Now, they get to play together full time.

Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., and Ja’Sir Taylor will attempt to hold down the secondary as the Chargers move forward. Deane Leonard and newly signed cornerback Essang Bassey will be the depth players in the room.

The ramifications of the Jackson signing not working out will eventually loom large for the Chargers. Specifically, a dead cap charge over $20 million will hurt them in balancing the books for 2024.

But for now, a clean break is the main story in the interim. Staley and the team hope it leads to a bounce back for a secondary group that’s primarily underperformed this season.

Studs and duds from the Chargers’ win over the Raiders

The Chargers managed to get back to .500 with some slight dramatic flare in their victory over the Raiders.

The Chargers managed to get back to .500 with some slight dramatic flare in their victory over the Raiders. After going up 24-7 in the first half, the Bolts were held scoreless in the second half as Las Vegas nearly came back. But LA’s defense held firm on the final few defensive possessions to seal the deal.

For now, the team will look to head into the BYE week healthy. But let’s talk about some of the critical difference-makers in this game.

Stud: EDGE Khalil Mack

Nine pressures, six sacks, seven run stops, and two forced fumbles were the final numbers for Chargers’ pass rusher Khalil Mack on a historic day. It felt like Mack was due for a game like this, given how his season had started. From the jump in this one, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year made his presence felt.

It’s also worth mentioning how much this performance was sorely needed from Mack. Joey Bosa was out, while Tuli Tuipulotu didn’t apply the same level of pass rush pressure that he did in the Bolts’ last two games. If Mack didn’t have the game he did, the final outcome might’ve been different, with a worse team pass rush.

Some of the sacks were a product of Aidan O’Connell holding the ball a touch too long or the Raiders’ offensive line miscommunicating, but that shouldn’t take away from the assertiveness Mack played with. Hopefully, this performance can give the Chargers some momentum as they head into the break. They’ll need a significant pass rush against Dallas’ offensive line in two weeks.

Dud: Pass blocking

Maxx Crosby and the Raiders’ pass rush also got theirs on Sunday. The Chargers had allowed 31 pressures in their first three games against Miami, Tennessee and Minnesota combined. Against Las Vegas, they allowed 25 pressures.

Rashawn Slater allowed an offensive line high four pressures and Crosby managed to flummox both he and Trey Pipkins. Crosby was as much of a wrecking ball for the Raiders as Mack was for the Chargers. He opened up many opportunities for the pressures and sacks of his other teammates.

The Chargers’ non-OL pass blockers were particularly brutal. Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller allowed six pass-rush pressures while only playing a  combined nine pass-blocking snaps.

Justin Herbert was running for his life most of the game. Being flushed out of the pocket by Raiders’ pressure forced him into a poor interception targeting Joshua Palmer while Keenan Allen was open.

Stud: CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Like the entire Chargers’ secondary, Asante Samuel Jr. struggled in the first two weeks of the season. But ever since he’s moved back to outside corner, his level has picked up immensely.

Samuel obviously came up with a critical interception in this game as Aidan O’Connell targeted Davante Adams on the goal line. The Chargers corner has been targeted 18 times in the last two weeks and allowed sub-90 passer ratings in each of those games.

The level of difficulty for Samuel in having these performances should not be overlooked either. At 0-2, the Chargers faced dysfunction in the secondary while staring down matchups with Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams before the BYE. Samuel’s efficiency on the switch back outside is a key reason the Chargers’ defensive crisis in the back half has subsided.

Dud: The 4th down play call (again)

Despite it being a controversial call in the media, I was okay with Brandon Staley going for it on 4th down to try to close out the Vikings last week. At the same time, I was not a fan of taking the ball out of Justin Herbert’s hands and giving it to Joshua Kelley. In my view, they should’ve QB sneaked.

The Chargers faced a similar situation this week: punt and play defense or try to end the game and live with red zone defense if necessary. Again, analytical models favored going for it, and the game, for all intents and purposes, ends with a conversion.

However, unlike last week, Herbert was not healthy. He fractured a finger on his non-throwing hand and was in the game with a splint. Aside from the unsuccessful QB sneak the Chargers would end up running, Herbert did not run another play under center after his injury.

Perhaps it could be considered hypocritical to say, “Don’t QB sneak it!” after last week. But I wasn’t in love with the decision without Corey Linsley and minding opportunistic Raiders defenders chomping at the bit to go after Herbert’s injured hand. Keeping it on the ground with the running backs, punting, or dialing up a shotgun play would’ve been better options considering the circumstances. After all, Herbert did uncork a big bomb to Joshua Palmer to end the game on a later drive.

Stud: LB Kenneth Murray

Ever since Kenneth Murray was forced into the green dot role after Eric Kendricks’ hamstring injury, he’s been playing solid football. He seems more decisive in taking tackling angles and as a pass rusher. Against Minnesota, in particular, he came up with some big run stops.

Staley knows how the Chargers’ starting linebacker has been playing as well. Despite Kendricks returning to the lineup, he kept Murray as the defense’s primary signal caller in Week 4.

Murray’s PFF defensive grade of 74.4 against the Raiders was his highest in a game since the Chargers played the Colts last season.

Dud: The passing game chemistry

The loss of Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler felt noticeable for the Chargers in this one. While Herbert was getting chased around all day, he never had Ekeler in the flat as a safety valve.

After the BYE, the Chargers should have their star running back return on Monday Night Football vs. Dallas. However, the longer-term issue of Williams’ absence will remain. Outside of Keenan Allen, it doesn’t feel like Justin Herbert has that consistent chemistry with his receiver room yet. Quentin Johnston has been wide open on several plays in the last two weeks, as Herbert has been quick to look off of that read.

Outside of the last throw of the game, Palmer also wasn’t a consistent fixture in the afternoon’s proceedings. What felt off about the offense was the key pieces that were missing and the lack of execution in their replacement.

5 keys to a Chargers victory vs. Raiders in Week 4

The Chargers will look to get back to .500 against the Raiders before their bye week.

The Chargers will look to get back to .500 against the Raiders in their first divisional game of the season before their bye week.

Getting back to 2-2 after their start would certainly cool much of the dialogue that existed in the first two weeks. A win would also provide several Bolts dealing with injuries to rest up for a huge primetime game against the Cowboys in Week 6.

What do the Chargers have to do to get back to .500?

Communication in the secondary has to be clear (and concise)

The aforementioned James is unlikely to play in this one after injuring his hamstring against Minnesota. Safety JT Woods has already been declared out for this game  Meanwhile, Alohi Gilman is questionable.

Brandon Staley said on Friday that cornerback J.C. Jackson will be active on Sunday after being a healthy scratch against Minnesota last week. Relative to the lineup that was rolled out last week, the Chargers will once again shift and move their rotations around.

There’s not much to say at the secondary that hasn’t been said already. The Chargers allow explosive passing plays at an alarming rate in every game and they’re dead last in passing yards per game allowed.

Even though the Raiders will roll out either Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell, the Chargers still have to contend with wide receiver Davante Adams. Hunter Renfrow, while seldom used in this particular season, has also given Los Angeles problems in the past.

With the Chargers once against shifting pieces back in and out of the secondary group again, they have to find personnel stability at some point to be a true contender. Staley will face a tough test to get the back half of his defense right in this one.

Contain EDGE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders’ pass rush really does revolve around one player. Crosby is up to 19 pressures, two sacks, two quarterback hits, and 15 hurries on the season after a dominant performance against the Steelers last week.

However, Las Vegas is not getting the contributions they need from the rest of their line. The Raiders rank 28th in pass rush win rate through three weeks despite Crosby’s efforts.

One has to wonder how the Raiders might change up the game plan to generate pressure. Instead of keeping Crosby on the outside against Rashawn Slater or Trey Pipkins, could they stunt and move him inside on certain rushes? The loss of Corey Linsley could potentially loom large in that regard.

Pipkins and Slater will need to hold their own against Crosby on the outside. But the Chargers also need to be prepared for the Raiders to try something different this week in the utilization of their star EDGE player to generate pressures for the rest of the line too.

Continue to feed Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen will look to stay hot after his 200+ yard game against Minnesota last week. Allen is up to 402 receiving yards on the season, which is third in the league behind only Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson.

Nate Hobbs has been a good slot corner for the Raiders but the new outside cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Jakorian Bennett hasn’t exactly delivered what they’ve wanted. If the Chargers plan on rotating Allen back and forth between the slot and the outside as they have been, they’ll continue to find success.

It’s also critical for Allen to get off to a good start in this game to open up opportunities for the other receivers. Mike Williams being out for the season promotes Joshua Palmer to WR2 and Quentin Johnston to WR3. Those two will need to win reps more often in the traditional three-receiver set looks.

Surviving another week without Austin Ekeler

The Chargers’ running game in their past two contests has not been what it was in the first week of the season. LA has just 91 yards on 36 rushing attempts. 2.52 yards per carry is certainly not what Kellen Moore wants to see.

There are a lot of factors that go into that of course. For example, the Vikings blitzing on what felt like every play last week is going to make the rushing numbers look worse. Still, the Chargers are getting fewer rushing yards after contact from Joshua Kelley now and his efficiency has dropped. The contributions from Elijah Dotson and Isaiah Spiller have been minimal.

Not having Austin Ekeler has significant consequences for the Chargers’ offense, whether we’re talking about rushing or pass blocking. But he’s felt most missed in terms of gravity in my opinion. Defenses no longer having to worry about Ekeler as a yards-after-the-catch/big-play threat in the receiving game has made the Chargers’ offense somewhat more one-dimensional.

Hopefully, the Bolts get better performances from Kelley and company. But more importantly, they have to find some creative ways to fill Ekeler’s production and impact in what should be their last week without him on the field.

More Tuli magic

Tuli Tuipulotu has made his presence felt in the last two games. The rookie out of USC is up to 13 pressures and five sacks on the season.

He’s been much needed for a Chargers’ team that’s been dealing with an injured Joey Bosa and a less efficient Khalil Mack from a pass-rushing standpoint. Tuipulotu has been a welcome surprise for the Bolts, but he’s also been an integral piece considering the circumstances.

No matter who is under center, Tuipulotu will need to continue bringing the heat.

Studs and duds from Chargers’ victory over Vikings

Who shined and who disappointed in the Chargers’ win over the Vikings?

The Chargers got their first win of the season in Minnesota on Sunday. In a back-and-forth contest, Los Angeles’ offense powered them over the top with huge days from Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen. On defense, the pass rush got after Kirk Cousins consistently.

It cannot be understated how much the Chargers needed that game. From a win-loss standpoint, the need was obvious. But the Bolts needed to finally close out a game for the first time since before last year’s postseason. Let’s get to the first massive positive.

Stud: WR Keenan Allen

Year 11 and he’s aged like a fine wine. Allen is up to 402 yards on the season after a 215-yard effort on Sunday. It was a record-shattering performance for the Chargers receiver as he broke his single-game receiving record by 32 yards. His previous high was set against Houston four years ago.

Allen took advantage of Byron Murphy and whichever poor corner had the responsibility of covering him. His route running was as smooth as it’s looked since the pre-2022 hamstring injury days. Throw in a trick play where he shows off his Julian Edelman arm on a trick play for a passing touchdown. He was just unstoppable.

With the unfortunate injury to Mike Williams, Herbert and Los Angeles will need Allen to continue playing at his Pro Bowl pace this season.

Dud: Kellen Moore’s 4th and 1 play call

Brandon Staley’s decision to attempt a 4th down conversion with the lead sparked intense debate on Sunday. As far as that debate, I’ll say that I agree with the decision to go for it. I’ll phrase that another way: I trusted the offense to gain one yard to end the game more than I trusted the defense to get a stop.

Most analytical models agreed with Staley, for what it’s worth:

My issue was exclusive to the play call. A fourth-down fullback dive with Joshua Kelley never made sense. Kelley had rushed for 11 yards on 10 carries prior to that point in the game. The run blocking from the line was not at its best partially because of the bodies Minnesota was consistently sending with heavy blitz packages.

To me, there were two choices: Keep the ball in the air with Herbert and Allen’s connection or QB sneak it. In that situation with a 6’6″ quarterback, I don’t see why a Kelley run was preferred over doing some variation of the Eagles’ tush push.

The decision by Staley was fine, but there were so many other play-call options Moore should’ve gone to.

Stud: QB Justin Herbert

Herbert had the first 400-yard passing game of his career. He had come close a few times like Cleveland in 2021 and Miami in 2022, but 40-of-47 passing and 405 yards was otherworldly from him yesterday.

Herbert had played well in his first two games of the season, but there was a different level of decisiveness and efficiency from him on display in this one. The pocket awareness was on an elite level. Herbert also read the looks that Brian Flores’ defense was giving him at the line of scrimmage very well. The drive before the end of the first half that resulted in a Donald Parham touchdown was a prime example of Herbert dialed in and responding to everything an opposing defense was throwing at him.

It’s not an overreaction to say that was the best game of Herbert’s four-year career.

Dud: RB Joshua Kelley

Kelley had a great Week 1 performance that worked incredibly well in complement with Austin Ekeler. But the last two weeks of him as the starter have been unsuccessful. Kelley has put up 51 yards on 24 carries as the lead Chargers’ back. Against Minnesota, specifically, it was 11 carries for 12 yards.

Getting past the statistics, it really felt like this was a game where the Chargers missed what Ekeler could offer as both a runner and his gravity as a pass catcher. Defenses never have to consistently account for Kelley in the receiving game and it tends to show in the gameplan.

Kelley will have better games once Ekeler gets back, but the last two weeks have shown why he’s more of an RB2 than an RB1.

Stud: EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu

What a start to the season from Tuipulotu in these last two weeks. Against Minnesota, the rookie defensive lineman had nine pressures, four quarterback hits and a sack.

Frankly, if you told me that Tuipulotu had 12 or 13+ pressures in this game instead of the unofficial nine, I’d have believed it. He was that impactful on every rep.

To some extent, he took advantage of a Minnesota offensive line that’s going through a lot of turmoil right now. But his speed to power was just unprecedented to see in this game. There were plays where Tuipulotu just shifted Vikings tackle Brian O’Neil backward five yards seemingly at the line.

It cannot be understated how huge his performances have been with the impact of Joey Bosa’s nagging hamstring injury making him more limited in these last two games.

Dud: Let’s talk about the secondary

Cornerback J.C. Jackson was a healthy scratch in this game. He signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract just two years ago. The Chargers allowed 149 yards to Justin Jefferson and allowed a number of Vikings to convert more explosive plays on them.

Compared to previous weeks, I’m not sure I’d say that Asante Samuel Jr. or Michael Davis were as bad. But the miscommunications in the secondary were as rough as they previously had been. On Justin Jefferson’s touchdown, for example, Ja’Sir Taylor and the other corners were unsure as to who was supposed to follow him as he crossed inside.

If the pass rush pressure hadn’t been as good as it was for the Chargers, Kirk Cousins probably would have had a much better passing day than he ended up having. A lot of Samuel and and Davis’ best plays were pass breakups because Cousins was a second late.

5 keys to a Chargers win vs. Vikings in Week 3

The Vikings and Chargers will be looking to avoid a dreaded three-game skid when they meet on Sunday.

Since 2002, only the 2018 Houston Texans made the NFL Playoffs after an 0-3 start to the season. The Vikings and Chargers will be looking to avoid a dreaded three-game skid when they meet on Sunday.

Los Angeles has scored 58 points through two games, but the story of the year has been a porous defense and the inability to finish games on offense. The heat is firmly on the Bolts to get better results in the win-loss column. That hopefully will begin on Sunday if they manage to execute on these five points vs. the Vikings.

Take what Brian Flores’ defense gives them.

The M.O. of Brian Flores’ defense is pretty simple to figure out through two games. While the Vikings’ defensive coordinator will surely throw new tricks and look at the Chargers’ offense, the goal for Minnesota is to limit explosive plays:

Through two weeks, Minnesota has allowed the fourth fewest explosive plays in the NFL. Against Philadelphia, they allowed two pass plays over 20 yards and just two runs over 10.

Perhaps the common rebuttal to that would be bringing up that Minnesota’s defense allowed the Eagles to rush for 259 yards on a five-yard per-carry clip. That’s a suboptimal performance.

Still, consider it from a Vikings’ perspective against the Chargers this week. As defensive coordinator, would you rather risk Justin Herbert bombs in the air or Joshua Kelley carries on the ground? On paper, the answer is the latter if Minnesota has an even slightly better run defense performance than they did last week.

If the Chargers aren’t finding the big plays early in this one, they shouldn’t panic. Take what Minnesota gives up in the intermediate ranges and take the shots when it’s time to pounce. Wear Flores’ defense down if they must, much like Philadelphia last week.

Figure out the secondary rotation and communication

This is a bad matchup for a Chargers’ secondary that has been giving up explosive passing plays left and right. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison may go off against this secondary if Kirk Cousins continues to play like he has this season.

I could write the standard key to the game about “limiting” Jefferson or X teams’ best offensive player. But the truth is that this secondary has a profound identity crisis. This game must be about taking small steps forward rather than expecting a dominant lockdown performance.

First, the Chargers must decide who their two boundary corners will be for most of the game. Ja’Sir Taylor will reportedly be in the slot. That leaves two of Michael Davis, J.C. Jackson, and Asante Samuel Jr. on the outside in most situations. Of course, the Chargers will rotate all three in at some point, but someone must be drawing the short end of the stick.

And once the Chargers decide who’s playing outside, they have to live with it to some degree. Brandon Staley’s mid-game benchings of Davis and Jackson have had a negative impact on a secondary that is already struggling. The Chargers, through two weeks, have the fifth-highest Shannon Entropy on the defensive side of the ball. They’re mixing up their coverages at an increased level and allowing too many explosive plays.

Point blank, this has to be a get-right game for the secondary despite the uphill battle against the Vikings’ receivers. The goal shouldn’t be crazy, like holding Jefferson under 100 yards. But from drive to drive, all the corners have to look more consistent in their play and communication. And the decision-makers at the top have to learn to live with their decisions to avoid making bad situations worse.

Move Justin Herbert around

The Chargers took too many sacks on critical third-down plays last week. Some of that was on the offensive line for allowing critical pressure at the wrong time. Some of the blame should also be on the playcalling. There should be a more concerted effort from Kellen Moore on money-downs to roll Justin Herbert out of the pocket. At the very least, that option should be provided more often.

Last year, Herbert’s rib injury prevented the Chargers from using the complete offensive skillset he showed off in 2021. Herbert rushed for 300+ yards that season and used several play-action rollout concepts to his advantage.

This year, Herbert, having primarily been a statue in the pocket through two weeks, shouldn’t be the case. If the Vikings’ pass rush starts to have some success early, the Chargers should make a decisive effort to get Herbert on the move.

Consistent pressure on Kirk Cousins

The Chargers’ primary objective on defense has to be getting home on Kirk Cousins. In recent seasons, Cousins has shed the label of being mistake-prone under pressure. Last year, he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks from both a clean pocket and under duress.

Getting consistent pressure on Cousins as a goal has more to do with the secondary’s current struggles than the Minnesota quarterback himself. Los Angeles is currently seventh in pass rush win rate after a good effort from the defensive line against Tennessee.

Against a banged-up offensive line, Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Morgan Fox should be able to eat as they did in Week 2. From a pass rush standpoint, EDGE Khalil Mack has to be able to get more pressure consistently as well.

The best way to keep the ball out of Jefferson and Addison’s hands might be an above-average effort in forcing bad plays near the line of scrimmage.

Joshua Kelley returns to his Week 1 form

Austin Ekeler has not practiced this week, and it seems the Chargers will likely hold him out with an ankle injury. Joshua Kelley will be called on as the team’s No. 1 running back again.

In Week 1, Kelley dominated with 90+ yards and incredible production, particularly after contact. But against a tough Titans’ defensive front in Week 2, Kelley had just 39 yards on 13 carries. None of the Chargers’ backs made much of an impact on the game.

With the amount that Flores tends to invite four to five-yard run plays over the big shots downfield, Kelley has to find his Week 1 form. It should be doable against this Vikings’ defensive line with how dominant the Chargers’ run blocking has been. Through two weeks, LA ranks third in the league in run block win rate.

Brandon Staley must fix Chargers secondary before it’s too late

Brandon Staley’s secondary has certainly not started the season as they originally intended.

The Chargers’ secondary has undoubtedly not started the season as they intended to. In Week 1, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns. Tyreek Hill put on a show himself while the Dolphins exploded for 36 points. Los Angeles allowed eight explosive pass plays for over 20+ yards. Filtering it to 15+ yards, they allowed 17 such passes.

Michael Davis and J.C. Jackson got the brunt of the ambush from Mike McDaniel’s squad, but no one in the secondary played particularly well. The unit was disorganized about their coverage assignments. The middle of the field was a feast for the Dolphins as Brandon Staley kept showing Cover 6 looks. Significant press man was played on Hill.

Was the secondary as bad in Week 2? No. But there were still several miscues that killed them for big plays. The Chargers allowed three explosive pass plays over 20+ yards to a Tennessee offense that struggled mightily in the passing game the week before. Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. got beat with no safety help over the top on two deep shots by Chris Moore and Treylon Burks. Ryan Tannehill posted his highest passer rating (123.3) since an early October game against the Colts last season.

Simply put, the secondary is reeling two weeks into the season. Staley was asked a few questions about it during his Monday media availability. First, he discussed his nickel sub-package:

We’re going to go with Ja’Sir at Star. Then, those three guys on the outside will play, based on, like I said, J.C.’s ramp-up and how they are performing in practice and in the game. We would like to get those guys into a rhythm right now. It’s competitive. Like I said, we feel like we have three starting corners.

Naming Ja’Sir Taylor the starter in the slot is surprising after the Chargers acknowledged that Asante Samuel Jr. had “won” the slot competition during training camp. Pulling the plug on that experiment after two games for Samuel to go back outside is a quick pivot.

On the topic of his cornerback rotation:

The guys are in the positions that they are used to playing, so that is a good way to get them in rhythm. I felt like them being in the right spots is a key component in that. As we continue to play these games and perform, then the competition is going to express itself. Then, two guys will emerge and we’ll be able to settle on our starting two. Right now, it kind of is where it is and we need to keep moving forward.

Staley not being sure of who the two starting cornerbacks should be two weeks into the season is the issue here. A “competition” for the outside jobs entering Week 3 is somewhat symbolic of how the season has played out.

Where Staley is at fault, he is actively playing a role in preventing the secondary from finding a rhythm. The amount of press man Staley has employed relative to last season has put his corners in compromised positions. Staley benched Davis for about a quarter and a half to start the Tennessee game. Jackson has been removed from both games at various points for play-related benchings. How is this secondary supposed to find a rhythm with constant disruptions and poor schematics?

The bad news is that the next few games don’t get easier for the Chargers from a coverage standpoint. Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams will attack the Bolts’ defense in their next two games. After the BYE week, they go up against Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes.

If Staley and the teams’ corners don’t stabilize the back half of the defense soon, the defensive season the Chargers are having could get even uglier. Fast.

A final stat I’ll leave you with to accentuate the current crisis:

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.