Chargers offensive line not to blame for Philip Rivers’ woes vs. Chiefs

The Chargers offensive line had their best performance last Monday against the Chiefs.

The Chargers offensive line has taken a hit all season for being the reason why quarterback Philip Rivers has underperformed.

Following the Monday night game, the narrative that Rivers’ four-interception performance was because he didn’t trust his offensive line, thus making him feel rushed to make throws was still arisen.

The truth is, the offensive line wasn’t the issue. In fact, the unit that boasted two backup tackles and center had their best outing of the 2019 season against a stout Chiefs front.

After re-watching the game, there were only a couple plays in which Rivers was under duress. The first came when defensive end Frank Clark beat offensive tackle Trey Pipkins with speed and a dip move to force Rivers into throwing the interception.

The second came in the third quarter. Clark beat Pipkins with power off the line of scrimmage and caught him off guard with a chop-dip move to disrupt Rivers’ throw.

Outside of those plays, along with a couple others, the protection for Rivers was rock solid.

Trent Scott holds his own against Clark’s long arm move, giving him no ground.

Here, Pipkins latches on to Clark, resetting his hands and giving Rivers enough time to throw. On this play, you can see Hunter Henry is open in the middle of the field, but Rivers is locked on Austin Ekeler, which shows he isn’t going through his reads.

Very clean pocket here, as running back Melvin Gordon and fullback Derek Watt pick up the defenders attempting to blitz.

Again, Pipkins and Scott give there block no time to get into the backfield. Rivers has a clean pocket, but panics and opts to roll to the right when it’s too late.

Rivers has a clean pocket, but he steps up in a panic matter and is picked off by safety Tyrann Mathieu in a pass intended to wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Guard Michael Schofield is called for illegal hands to the face on this play, but look at Scott and Pipkins eliminate their blocks to give Rivers time. Just a very poor decision and great play by the Chiefs.

The offensive line isn’t as stout as others across the league, but they showed major improvement from the previous week against the Raiders, where they allowed five sacks.

With a lot of the focus being put on the line because of Rivers’ 14 interceptions this season, it is fair to say they weren’t the problem this past Monday.

Rivers’ issues are due to misreads, lack of anticipation and poor pocket awareness. It may not seem like it, but the Chargers offensive line has done well with their initial protections of Rivers with what they have after the slew of injuries to the position.

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3 takeaways from Chargers’ 24-17 loss to Chiefs

Chargers WIre’s Gavino Borquez gives his final thoughts on the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs on Monday night.

The Chargers fought hard with the Chiefs the entire game on Monday night, but quarterback Philip Rivers and company were unable to execute on the last drive to stay alive.

Here are a few takeaways from Monday’s 24-17 loss in Mexico City:

Rivers’ regression

On a night when the defense held the league’s most deadly offense to 310 total yards, which kept them close the entire game, Rivers held his own offense back from keeping Los Angeles’ playoff hopes alive.

In a series of questionable decisions, Rivers threw a season-high four interceptions, which marks seven in the past two games. The veteran quarterback looked uncomfortable, rushed and reckless.

Outside of one interception that was caused when his right arm was hit, the other three were a result of poor decision-making and locking in on one receiver as opposed to going through his progressions or misreading the defense.

With a clean pocket, Rivers has tight end Hunter Henry open in the middle of the field but he looks him off and settles for running back Austin Ekeler for a 3-yard gain.

Rivers, 37, has been stood up for all season by people blaming the offensive line for his deteriorating play, but the truth is he’s not the quarterback he once was. A quarterback throwing 14 interceptions in 11 games is certainly going to get some blame.

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Chargers OT Russell Okung downgraded to doubtful

Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung is set to miss Monday’s bout with the Chiefs.

Okung was listed as questionable on Saturday with the groin injury that knocked him out of last Thursday’s contest against the Raiders. He appears to not be making any progress, however.

Okung has been downgraded to doubtful, which means Los Angeles expects him to miss their Week 11 matchup.

With Okung out, rookie Trey Pipkins will get the start at left tackle. Meanwhile, Trent Scott will start opposite of Pipkins in place of Sam Tevi, who is dealing with a knee injury.

There are no other players behind Pipkins and Scott, so look for the Chargers to call up Spencer Drango from the practice squad to add depth at the position.

Linebacker Drue Tranquill has officially been listed as questionable with a calf injury. He was limited in practice on Saturday.

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3 key matchups to watch in Chargers vs. Chiefs

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lists three key position matchups to watch when the Chargers take on the Chiefs in Week 11.

The Chargers and Chiefs are set to be featured in primetime on Monday Night Football.

Here are three key matchups to watch that could ultimately determine the outcome of the game:

CB Casey Hayward vs. WR Tyreek Hill

Hayward continues to shutdown the league’s most prolific wideouts on a weekly basis, but now, he will be tasked with limiting not only one of the best, but the fastest that he’s faced this season.

Since missing the first four games of the season due to suspension, Hill has come back and has been a headache for opposing secondaries. He has scored five touchdowns in the last four games. Over his last two performances, Hill is averaging 148.5 receiving per game.

Hayward will have to keep Hill in front of him and eliminate the dink and dunk plays turning into big plays. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins will have a bigger role as he needs to come up and make plays from the single high role, whether that be as an open-field tackler or breaking up deep passes.

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Chargers OT Trey Pipkins shows flashes in debut vs. Raiders

Chargers offensive tackle Trey Pipkins made his debut the Raiders and while he did struggle at times, he did show some flashes.

On April 26, Trey Pipkins was pulled over on a highway as he was on his way to dinner when he received the phone call of his dreams. The former Sioux Falls product was about to be drafted by the Chargers in the third-round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Many people, including Pipkins, were shocked to hear his name called that early. The small-school standout didn’t have much tape available to see what he had to offer, but Los Angeles knew exactly what they were getting when they selected him.

Though he was inexperienced against top competition, they saw potential in him. To the team, Pipkins boasted the NFL frame, traits, and movement skills that could translate into solid player at this level.

Stamped as a developmental player and one not likely to play in Year 1, Pipkins was forced into his professional regular season debut in an unexpected manner when left tackle Russell Okung went down with a groin injury against the Raiders

Like any rookie, there came growing pains in the first game played. The pass protection was the worst that it’s been this season, allowing 5 sacks and while the majority of the pressure came from right tackle Trent Scott’s side, the Raiders exploited Pipkins’ inexperience at times.

A lot of Pipkins’ woes were resulted in not being able to handle speed off the edge. From the opposite angle, you shouldn’t see his jersey number so clearly if his block is effective. He attempts to get depth, but it’s not enough and defensive end Clelin Ferrell dips and turns the corner with a full steam ahead.

But Pipkins had a handful of positive reps, as well. He was effective to help produce gaps for running back Melvin Gordon on a few occasions.

Here, Pipkins mirrors well to stay in front of his defenders, using adequate footwork and hands.

Ferrell attempts to beat him with an arm over, but Pipkins gets underneath him and blows him off the line of scrimmage.

Pipkins takes Ferrell inside and he quickly recognizes the stunt to allow quarterback Philip Rivers time to throw the touchdown pass.

Here, Pipkins stymies defensive end Maxx Crosby and the defensive tackle.

The bottomline is while Pipkins is not necessarily someone that’s ready to take full-time starting job at the moment, he has made the strides to get adapted to the NFL speed and he has gotten stronger since coming onboard.

Okung is likely to resume his starting duties against the Chiefs next Monday night and moving forward for the rest of the season, but Pipkins showed promise of a player that could be called upon if needed and one that may be a starter down the road.

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