In the shadow of a hurricane and aftermath of an earthquake, the Chargers looked shaken and stirred in their second preseason action of the season. After putting up 34 points with a high-flying offense last week, LA managed just 17 against the Saints, falling 22-17.
Here are my takeaways:
Too far ahead of ourselves?
After last week’s performance, Chargers fans gushed about the team. The new offense looked stellar, Easton Stick played the best game of his life, the defense looked much improved – overall, optimism abounded.
Turns out, the Rams might just be bad.
The other LA team gave up 34 points again this week to the Raiders, while the Chargers sputtered in their second game against the Saints. Stick struggled mightily despite playing nearly the entire game and reverted to the version of himself the Chargers have seen for most of his career. LA went 3 of 13 on third down and turned the ball over twice – once on a Stick fumble and once on a bad interception.
The Saints only played about half of their starters, but also had former first round picks like Payton Turner and Bryan Bresee on the field. That’s a rather significant upgrade from the defense the Rams put on the field last week. While it’s not cause for massive concern, it does dump cold water on last week’s flowers.
JT Woods' emergence
Woods continued his strong preseason on Saturday and did so without committing a penalty. Last year’s third round pick looks significantly improved as a tackler, corralling tight end Lucas Krull by the ankles numerous times in the first half. Woods also had a handful of pass breakups, including a beautiful one against Krull over the middle in the red zone. It was obvious how much those plays boosted the safety’s confidence – by the second quarter, Woods was celebrating every big play as his usual self.
It’s an important development for the Chargers, who are still waiting for Alohi Gilman to return from practice following a knee contusion. It also comes at a good time for Woods, as Raheem Layne had a less impressive game on Saturday, including allowing a circus catch to Krull over the top. Layne looks to be an ace on special teams, but will probably be LA’s fourth safety after pushing for the third spot earlier in the process.
And that’s a good thing for LA – it means Woods is slowly growing into the player the Chargers thought he could.
Stone Smartt making progress
A lot has been made of the Chargers refusing to add an outside name to the tight end room. First, they passed on what many labeled a historic tight end class in the draft. Free agents like Geoff Swaim and Dalton Schultz went elsewhere while LA stood pat with Gerald Everett, Donald Parham, Tre’ McKitty, and Stone Smartt.
On Saturday, Parham had a touchdown pass clang off both hands, underscoring what’s been a milquetoast preseason for the former XFLer. McKitty hasn’t made much of an impact this preseason, either.
So, the fact that Smartt had four catches for 32 yards on five targets on Saturday was encouraging. It’s not an impressive statline, certainly, but 18 of those yards came on an athletic catch up the seam in the Chargers’ two-minute drill drive to close the first half. Smartt also had a key block to cap that drive, freeing Stick for a six yard run on read option.
The second-year pro from Old Dominion is still green at tight end, which is to be expected. He started playing the position less than 36 months ago after primarily playing quarterback as a Monarch, and to harbor apprehension about him stepping into a TE2 role that quickly is warranted. But, on Saturday, he looked like potentially the best option the Chargers have.
Special teams excellence
The job that Ryan Ficken has done with this unit is phenomenal. Derius Davis had another strong performance as a returner, nearly breaking a kickoff return for a touchdown. He did muff a punt that came hurtling down to earth more quickly than he expected, but overall looks like the best returner the Chargers have had in multiple years.
The punt unit looks like one of the best in the league. JK Scott is suddenly kicking it 50 yards with elite hangtime after averaging 39.4 yards a kick in his NFL career. Ficken has undrafted players like Tiawan Mullen and Raheem Layne looking like premier punt gunners – the Saints averaged just 4.3 yards per return following a 17 yard effort on the first punt of the game.
Then, there’s the kicking competition. Dustin Hopkins returned from injury on Saturday and made his field goal and extra point opportunity. Cameron Dicker also nailed his lone extra point attempt. It’s been impossible to differentiate the two men when Hopkins has been healthy – which hasn’t been often this offseason, to be fair – which should give LA a stable kicking situation for the first time in almost a decade.
Oh, and Scott Matlock blocked a field goal that didn’t count because of an offsides penalty.
Run defense stays hot
The Chargers allowed just 61 yards on the ground on Saturday, and yes, it’s preseason. Alvin Kamara didn’t take any carries, nor did Jamaal Williams. But third round rookie Kendre Miller is no slouch, either, and he took 10 carries for just 23 yards on the day.
The stops came from all over the defense, too. Daiyan Henley shot a few gaps to make some plays in the backfield. Tiawan Mullen came in from the slot to cut a run short. Andrew Farmer had a nice backside pursuit at the line of scrimmage. Scott Matlock, Chris Hinton, and budding preseason legend CJ Okoye did plenty of damage on the interior.
Chris Rumph also looked much improved against the run – granted, he was going up against a backup at right tackle. Still, Rumph was in the area for plenty of plays, and even if he didn’t wrap up for the tackle, he directed Saints rushers back into his defense to cause short gains.
Whatever Derrick Ansley has been doing this preseason, it’s working. Now, the only goal is to ensure it carries over to the regular season.
