The Chargers dropped to 4-3 on Sunday following a 37-16 loss to the Seahawks.
Los Angeles mercifully hits their bye week next week, giving them a chance to heal and right the ship.
Here’s who has more work to do than the rest and who can feel good about their performance heading into the off week.
Stud: Asante Samuel Jr.
Apart from a touchdown to Marquise Goodwin, where Samuel slow-played the vertical route, the second-year corner was pretty much lockdown. ASJ got off to a hot start, driving on a Geno Smith pass to Tyler Lockett that resulted in a tip-drill interception for Kenneth Murray. With the game still in the balance, Samuel made a diving play to break up a Smith 3rd down pass and force Seattle into a 50-yard field goal. It looked as though Samuel had converted one of the crazier interceptions of the season, but the replay showed that he once again couldn’t quite bring it in. It’s been the narrative for most of the season: as soon as Samuel can finish those plays, he’ll be a premier corner.
Dud: Justin Herbert
Something is not right with Herbert. I don’t know if it’s the ribs injury, the playcalling, or something else, but Herbert is simply missing throws and making uncharacteristic decisions over the middle of the field. His interception when looking for DeAndre Carter was never open and he was lucky to not throw additional ones because of miscommunications or just plain misses on a few other throws. It’s hard to say things are all on Herbert because of the injuries at wide receiver and on the offensive line, but we’ve talked about this one or two other times this season. When you have a QB that’s in the upper echelon of talent like Herbert is, he needs to be able to elevate the team around him and grit out games like these. Last week, he was able to do that, just barely. This week, not so much.
Stud: Austin Johnson
Johnson has been one of the bright spots on defense this season as one of the more unheralded free agent signings of the offseason. A lot of attention was paid to the additions of JC Jackson, Khalil Mack, and Sebastian Joseph-Day, and rightfully so, but Johnson has been routinely ruining opposing runs up the middle this season. He continued that pace on Sunday, forcing Kenneth Walker into a few carries for loss or no gain. Walker primarily found success when he was able to get to the outside. Johnson also got home for his first sack of the season, a play that was a long time coming given his success as a pass rusher in recent weeks. While the run defense hasn’t looked as improved on paper as fans would’ve liked, we can take solace in knowing that Johnson is bringing the heat every week.
Dud: Wide receiver depth
Outside of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, this team has no juice at wide receiver right now. Allen was held to 2 receptions for 11 yards as he worked back into the gameplan, but his presence was evident as Seattle allocated extra resources to defending him. Williams garnered nine targets today, tied for second with Gerald Everett behind Austin Ekeler. But beyond that, DeAndre Carter had three catches on seven targets. Jason Moore and Michael Bandy had one catch each. The Chargers need to do their homework during the bye week and find an NFL-caliber receiver to get on the field, especially with Williams going down with an ankle injury late in this game. Whether that’s Josh Palmer returning, one of the practice squad receivers stepping up, or signing a free agent directly to the active roster, the Chargers must make a move.
Stud: Bryce Callahan
Callahan had another standout game today, including two different plays where he was oh-so-close to picking off Geno Smith. The first came in the first quarter, where Callahan tracked the ball and got one hand on it to knock the ball away. If he timed a jump just a touch better, it looked like he could’ve gotten his other hand to the ball to make the play for an interception. The second came later in the game when Callahan just barely couldn’t tap his toes in the end zone as Smith tried to throw the ball away in a goal-line situation. The veteran did pick up a pass interference penalty against Tyler Lockett, but overall, Lockett was held to 7 catches for just 45 yards and Noah Fant had just one catch for 7 yards.
Dud: Run game
Seattle came into this game giving up 165.8 yards per game, second to last in the league, ahead of only Denver. And yet, the Chargers’ offensive line was dominated at the point of attack nearly all game, leading to just 53 yards on 15 attempts. Los Angeles behind nearly all game, forcing them to open up the passing attack early, but a 3.5 yards per carry average is far from what you want. If you subtract Herbert’s 22 yards on scrambles, L.A. took 12 carries for just 31 yards. Something was bound to break the wrong way for this rushing attack after looking improved against a series of terrible run defenses, but it’s a harrowing thought that losing Joshua Kelley brings that phase of the offense down to that extent.
Stud: Punt team
Credit to special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken for getting this unit into tip-top shape. After Ja’Sir Taylor essentially won the Chargers the game on Monday night last week with a heads-up play on Denver’s punt returner, he and fellow rookie Deane Leonard continued their phenomenal showings as gunners on Sunday. JK Scott punted five times for an average of 45.6 yards, downing punts at the nine, seven, and two-yard lines. Taylor’s downing of the punt at the 2 was the catalyst for Los Angeles’ safety that kept them in the game for a few minutes longer. It seems backward based on the Bolts’ historical tendencies, but the special teams unit is shaping up as either the best or second-best unit on this team any given week.
Dud: Injury bug
I wrote in my keys to the game that the main goal of Sunday’s contest, win or loss, was to escape to the bye week as healthy as possible, given the plethora of injuries LA has already suffered. Instead, they likely lost J.C. Jackson for the season to a non-contact knee injury that required an air cast and a cart ride to the locker room. Drue Tranquill and Chris Rumph were injured on punts – Tranquill returned, but Rumph (knee/hip) did not seem to. Mike Williams suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter that left him unable to put any weight on his right leg. Tranquill and Rumph’s at least looked like injuries that may heal up in time for the Week 9 showdown with the Falcons. But losing Jackson and Williams for any extended time would be disastrous for a team who has already seen Keenan Allen, Rashawn Slater, and Joey Bosa miss multiple games. SoFi Stadium is unlikely to change the playing surface soon, and I’m not suggesting every injury can be chalked up to the turf field, but it’s part of a larger, league-wide discourse about how unsafe turf is for the health of the players.
