Tag: Sports

5 keys to Chargers securing an upset win over Chiefs

The Chargers will enter Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday looking for their first victory over the Chiefs in two years.

The Chargers will enter Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday looking for their first victory over the Chiefs in two years. They’ll also be trying to beat Patrick Mahomes in what would only be the fourth AFC West loss of his career.

It’s a short week for the Chargers, who come off their Monday night loss to Dallas in need of a rebound. Los Angeles’ playoff odds this season would dip to below 30% in most scenarios with a loss on Sunday. Let’s talk about the major storylines that could impact their chances of avoiding that fate.

Who is on Travis Kelce duty?

Derwin James vs. Travis Kelce is always the matchup of interest when the Chargers play the Chiefs. It’s been a relatively competitive rivalry over the years.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, James injured his ankle in practice on Thursday and is now questionable for Sunday’s game. If he does play, is the Chargers’ star safety likely to be 100%, considering the injury just a few days prior? Probably not.

As The Athletic’s Daniel Popper indicated via TruMedia Sports, the Chargers give up 4.66 more yards per route run to Kelce when James isn’t on the field. Kelce’s most explosive moments in Chargers’ games have generally come with James unavailable to play due to injury.

So, what’s the plan if James can’t go against the All-Pro tight end? Michael Davis has covered snaps against Kelce in the past with his lanky frame. In that scenario, the Chargers would also probably rely somewhat on veteran safety Dean Marlowe. Neither is a favorable matchup in 2023, obviously.

Finding solutions is probably circling the drain to some extent without James. Hopefully, for the Chargers’ sake, he can give it a go on Sunday.

The volume of penalties is unacceptable

On 3rd and 11+ in 2023, the Chargers are dead last in the league in conversions allowed when penalties are factored in. The overall 3rd down conversion mark with penalties factored in is also 32nd in the NFL.

Last week, the Chargers yielded field position and downs on two critical drives for the Cowboys. James took a roughing the passer penalty on the first Dallas field goal drive to give Dallas 15 more yards. Ja’Sir Taylor and Michael Davis committed penalties on 3rd and 19 during the Cowboys’ game-winning field goal drive.

Simply put, the Chargers have not played disciplined football defensively in critical moments. It goes without saying that Mahomes usually makes defenses pay when they don’t get him off the field on 3rd down. The Chargers can’t make life harder on themselves by giving the Chiefs free downs.

Featuring Quentin Johnston

The Chiefs have a legitimate top-five cornerback room this year. Trent McDuffie is PFF’s highest-graded cornerback so far in 2023. He’ll presumably be responsible for Keenan Allen for most of the game. L’Jarius Sneed is playing pretty well, allowing only a 75.3 passer rating when targeted.

Sneed probably brackets Joshua Palmer on the outside. In previous games this year, the Chargers haven’t needed rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston to be a factor in the offense. With the state of Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary and the loss of Mike Williams, this is a game where the Chargers need to feed Johnston targets.

The Chargers must figure out how to get him involved, whether it’s some easy middle-of-the-field targets or less predictable screens. If they do, it makes their offense a lot less predictable, as the Chiefs will have Allen on their minds as their primary receiving threat.

The interior offensive line vs. Chris Jones

The Chargers have felt the loss of Corey Linsley on the inside. The offensive line has given up three consecutive weeks of increased quarterback pressures. Will Clapp, Jamaree Salyer, and Zion Johnson did not have their best games against Dallas.

Rashawn Slater has also given up an unusual amount of pressures by his standard as he deals with an ankle injury. Micah Parsons and Maxx Crosby had great games against the Chargers on an individual basis, but they also opened up a lot of quality pass-rushing opportunities for their teammates.

Since his return from a contract dispute, Chris Jones has had 21 pressures and seven sacks in five games. He’s always given the Chargers problems in the past. The Chargers’ interior must have their best showing without Linsley if they plan to slow down Jones for any span of the game’s four quarters.

Containing Isiah Pacheco in short-yardage situations

Using Arjun Menon’s The Scout tool to look at the Chiefs’ tendencies on short downs, Kansas City is running on short-yardage situations more than usual. On 2nd and 2 or shorter situations, the Chiefs have run the ball 11 out of 12 times. In a departure from recent seasons for Kansas City, they’ve also run the ball 83% of the time on 3rd and 1 scenarios.

Running back Isiah Pacheco has also increased his stranglehold on the Chiefs’ primary running back role throughout the season. His rush shares of Kansas City’s offense hit a season-high 89% last week.

The Chargers have been better against the run this year, but they’ll be tested in the short-game scenarios against the Chiefs. At his Wednesday media availability, head coach Brandon Staley called Pacheco the “engine” of the Chiefs’ offense. To prevent the extension of long drives and potential explosive plays, the defensive line must get in the backfield and contain the former Rutgers’ running back.

Chargers are hindering WR Quentin Johnston’s development

The numbers for Quentin Johnston are not nearly as pretty as some of his draft class contemporaries.

The numbers for the Chargers’ 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston are not nearly as pretty as some of his draft-class contemporaries. He has 44 yards on six receptions for the season. Against the Cowboys, Johnston had just one official target on Los Angeles’ final drive. That resulted in an interception and Johnston getting pushed over on a debatable pass interference call, but the refs tend to let players play in end-game situations.

Dallas was Johnston’s worst game of the season from a yards-per-route run standpoint. He didn’t seem entirely confident in his routes and ability to separate. That being said, it wasn’t all bad. Johnston did blow by Cowboys cornerback Jordan Lewis for what could’ve been a big play if Justin Herbert wasn’t hit as he threw. And again, while not every route was crisp in the game, the former TCU product has shown the explosiveness the Chargers drafted on reps that didn’t result in receptions.

Again, Dallas was far from Johnston’s best game, but it’s not as though he hasn’t been getting open. Brandon Staley talked about Herbert developing trust, and it seems like that will take time. Herbert has longer and more established relationships with receivers like Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer.

But for Herbert to build that relationship with Johnston, Kellen Moore and Los Angeles’ offense must make getting him targets a focal point. Palmer’s relationship and development with Herbert partially accelerated last season because Mike Williams and Allen were out for several games, which forced him to be the No. 1 wideout.

The Chargers drafted Johnston as their yards-after-catch threat but aren’t using him in that role. Johnston has just two of his 12 targets over the middle of the field this season. The few screen attempts he’s gotten were fairly predictable play designs that got blown up in the backfield. One of Johnston’s 12 targets was a shovel pass forward directly into Christian Wilkins in the season opener against the Dolphins.

Has Johnston played without blame in all of these instances? No. As mentioned, there are moments where the route running could be crisper. He could stand to be more physical. But those things will come with time as he adjusts to the intensity of playing NFL defenses. For him to get acclimated, the onus is on the Chargers to integrate their first-round selection better than they are. And there hasn’t been much to show that the offense wouldn’t have similar issues in trying to bring along alternative offensive first-round selections to Johnston.

Also, what is the Chargers’ confidence interval in Johnston right now? Practice squad receiver Keelan Doss was playing multiple third-down snaps over him against Dallas in 11 personnel formations. How is Johnston supposed to be able to grow when you’re intentionally taking him off the field for practice squad players who are even more unlikely to be targeted?

The opportunities have been there for Johnston. It’s on Johnston to make the most of them when he gets them. But it’s also on Moore and Herbert to make a decisive effort to include him in the offense. A 48% snap share and one target aren’t enough. The lack of integration is on all parties, but it’s hard to watch the Chargers’ offense and think Johnston is the primarily one at fault.

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.