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Popper’s weekly mailbags. He seems high on Parham and Kelley.
The Chargers (4-1) face the Ravens (4-1) in Baltimore on Sunday.
It will be the Chargers’ second game in Maryland in six weeks. They played at the Washington Football Team in Landover in Week 1.
The Ravens and Chargers are two of the three 4-1 teams remaining in the AFC. This game — arguably the best of the Week 6 slate — could have significant playoff-seeding implications down the road.
Some injury news before we get into your questions. Linebacker Drue Tranquill is officially out with a pec injury he suffered while making a tackle on the final defensive possession of last week’s win over the Browns. Coach Brandon Staley said this week that the team is expecting Tranquill will avoid an injured-reserve stint. With Kenneth Murrayalready on IR through at least Sunday, the Chargers are thin at linebacker. Rookies Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga are next up on the depth chart, and Staley said Friday that both players will split time at linebacker next to Kyzir White against the Ravens.
Wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) and safety Nasir Adderley (hip) are both questionable for Sunday’s game. Williams is dealing with knee soreness from the Browns game. Adderley has a hip pointer that flared up early against Cleveland. Staley said Friday he is “hopeful” Williams will play in the game. On Adderley, Staley said the Chargers will see how he progresses from Friday to Saturday before the team departs for Baltimore.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (thigh) are both out for the Ravens. Tackle Alejandro Villanueva(knee), safety DeShon Elliott (quad) and safety Geno Stone (thigh) are questionable. Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed Thursday’s practice with an illness but returned Friday and has been cleared to play Sunday.
What is the primary reason the Chargers have allowed so many rushing yards? Is it missing gap assignments? Missed tackles? Is our defensive lineman just getting overpowered? How do you think you address it this season? — @TheeMasterBolt
The Chargers run defense is the biggest issue facing the team right now. Staley’s unit allowed more rushing yards, 788, than any defense in football through five games. The Chargers performed better against the run in the Raidersgame, holding Las Vegas to 48 rushing yards on 18 carries. But they took a huge step back last week against the Browns. They were physically dominated up front by the Cleveland interior linemen, guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio and center JC Tretter. And they face another stiff test this weekend against the Ravens.
The inconsistent and overall poor rushing defense comes down to a lack of physicality and talent up front. The Chargers are missing Justin Jones’ presence at the point of attack. Linval Joseph cannot do it all by himself. Jerry Tilleryis not doing a good enough job of taking on and shedding blocks on a snap-to-snap basis. Christian Covington has played well at times, but Sunday against the Browns was not one of his better games. And with Jones out, the Chargers are relying on a trio of undrafted free agents — Joe Gaziano, Breiden Fehoko and Forrest Merrill — as their rotational defensive linemen. The tackling from the linebackers and safeties and corners has been up and down, as well. Joey Bosa has not looked like his usual self in run defense, either.
“We have to be more physical on blocks,” Bosa said. “I have to do a better job of getting blocks off of me. Just fitting the gap isn’t enough. I have to shed them and make some plays, be more effective when it comes to that.”
Depth was a concern for this defensive line coming into this season. And that weakness is being exposed with Jones on injured reserve. Jones will not return until after the bye week, so until those reinforcements comes, the Chargers just have to hope they get better play out of the healthy defensive linemen. At the moment, there is nothing else they can do.
I asked Bosa this week why he thinks the physicality has fluctuated so much from week to week. The Chargers played with the requisite physicality against the Raiders, but it was absent against the Cowboys and Browns, when the Chargers combined to allow 428 rushing yards.
“I don’t know,” Bosa said. “I don’t have a good answer for that.”
As Derwin James said Monday, improving the run defense will require each player to take individual responsibility of “whooping the man in front of you.” A simple assessment, but very true.
I get coach Staley’s faith in Vizcaino, he has a leg, but the accuracy may take some time. But realistically how many more weeks of missed kicks will it take for them to re-assess that, especially if it ends up being a reason we lose games because of it? — @russ99a
Tristan Vizcaino, who beat out Michael Badgley for the kicking job in camp, missed two extra points last week against the Browns. He has now missed four extra points and a field goal in five games. Certainly not the start to his Chargers career he was hoping for. But Staley made it very clear earlier this week that the Chargers are willing to endure some growing pains from the 25-year-old Vizcaino. They believe in his talent, and as our question asker notes, Vizcaino has an extremely strong leg that is a factor not just on field goals but in the kickoff game, as well.
At the same time, the Chargers are 4-1 and emerging as legitimate contenders in the AFC. Vizcaino has the talent to be a great kicker, but if he keeps missing kicks, there will come a time where the situation becomes untenable, especially if the Chargers lose a game, or two, because of those missed kicks. This is absolutely something to monitor in the coming weeks.
One thing I will add: The Chargers have been giving up a ton of pressure off the right side of their field goal protection. That was a factor in Vizcaino’s first missed extra point Sunday against the Browns. As is often the case with football, this issue is more layered than just an individual player’s performance. But Vizcaino has to be better. There is no doubt about that.
Do you think Parham starts to get a bigger role going forward? — @ArkayBets
Tight end Donald Parham already has a huge role in this offense. He has played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps and is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 tight end behind Jared Cook. And he spends plenty of time on the field because of how often the Chargers and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi use multiple tight end sets. The Chargers’ 91 snaps in 12 personnel — one running back and two tight ends — are the sixth-most in the NFLthis season, according to TruMedia.
Parham is vastly improved as a blocker, both in the run game and pass protection. He worked hard on that part of this game in the offseason. Last season, Parham was used predominantly as a passing threat. Now his game is more well-rounded, and that has allowed him to take on this bigger role. On a play in the Browns game, Parham stood up Myles Garrett off the edge in pass protection. It was a really good example of how much better Parham is in that area.
Parham has caught touchdowns in each of the past two games. He also caught a two-point conversion against the Browns. Moving forward, I do not think his offensive snaps will increase significantly. But I could certainly see his target share increase. Parham has been targeted five times over the past two games. He only had two targets in the Chargers’ first three games.
What’s your assessment of the RB depth behind Ekeler? It’s early but no one is standing out. — @BRT86_Chargers
Justin Jackson missed last week’s win with a groin injury, but he will be back Sunday against the Ravens. Right now, he is the No. 2 back behind Austin Ekeler, but his production so far has been pretty pedestrian. Jackson only has 22 rushing yards on 10 carries on the season, and he only has 49 yards from scrimmage in his four games.
Either Larry Rountree or Joshua Kelley will be the third running back Sunday. One will be active and one will be inactive. Kelley got his first action of the regular season last week against the Browns, and I thought he played really well. He is a more explosive player than Rountree. On his 14-yard run in the third quarter, Kelley showed great patience and vision before bursting through a seam using his 4.49 speed. I think he provides more as a running back than Rountree. But Rountree is a more versatile special teams player and has been covering kickoffs on top of his kick-return duties.
The Chargers need to find a second back who can spell Ekeler. None of the three backs behind him has taken hold of that job. Kelley showed some juice Sunday against the Browns, and I think he has earned more playing time offensively.
Why is Rountree returning kicks? Of all the options he seems the slowest and very indecisive. — @liljaniemi
The Chargers used Adderley as a kick returner against the Browns, but with his injury, I do not expect him to fill that role this week, even if he is healthy enough to be active. Special teams coordinator Derius Swinton likes Rountree’s physicality.
“He’s learning that he has to use his strength,” Swinton said last week. “He is a strong runner. To hit that guy, that’s a load in the hole. Getting him full-speed where it’s not like 3 yards, he’s getting a head of steam. Use that and just go. I always tell him to run through the smoke.”
That vision has not materialized yet. Rountree’s 16.7 yards per kickoff return rank 37th among 41 returners with at least three returns this season. I’m with our question asker: I think the Chargers need more speed back there. Rountree ran a 4.70 40-yard dash at his pro day in the spring.
It will be the Chargers’ second game in Maryland in six weeks. They played at the Washington Football Team in Landover in Week 1.
The Ravens and Chargers are two of the three 4-1 teams remaining in the AFC. This game — arguably the best of the Week 6 slate — could have significant playoff-seeding implications down the road.
Some injury news before we get into your questions. Linebacker Drue Tranquill is officially out with a pec injury he suffered while making a tackle on the final defensive possession of last week’s win over the Browns. Coach Brandon Staley said this week that the team is expecting Tranquill will avoid an injured-reserve stint. With Kenneth Murrayalready on IR through at least Sunday, the Chargers are thin at linebacker. Rookies Nick Niemann and Amen Ogbongbemiga are next up on the depth chart, and Staley said Friday that both players will split time at linebacker next to Kyzir White against the Ravens.
Wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) and safety Nasir Adderley (hip) are both questionable for Sunday’s game. Williams is dealing with knee soreness from the Browns game. Adderley has a hip pointer that flared up early against Cleveland. Staley said Friday he is “hopeful” Williams will play in the game. On Adderley, Staley said the Chargers will see how he progresses from Friday to Saturday before the team departs for Baltimore.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (thigh) are both out for the Ravens. Tackle Alejandro Villanueva(knee), safety DeShon Elliott (quad) and safety Geno Stone (thigh) are questionable. Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed Thursday’s practice with an illness but returned Friday and has been cleared to play Sunday.
What is the primary reason the Chargers have allowed so many rushing yards? Is it missing gap assignments? Missed tackles? Is our defensive lineman just getting overpowered? How do you think you address it this season? — @TheeMasterBolt
The Chargers run defense is the biggest issue facing the team right now. Staley’s unit allowed more rushing yards, 788, than any defense in football through five games. The Chargers performed better against the run in the Raidersgame, holding Las Vegas to 48 rushing yards on 18 carries. But they took a huge step back last week against the Browns. They were physically dominated up front by the Cleveland interior linemen, guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio and center JC Tretter. And they face another stiff test this weekend against the Ravens.
The inconsistent and overall poor rushing defense comes down to a lack of physicality and talent up front. The Chargers are missing Justin Jones’ presence at the point of attack. Linval Joseph cannot do it all by himself. Jerry Tilleryis not doing a good enough job of taking on and shedding blocks on a snap-to-snap basis. Christian Covington has played well at times, but Sunday against the Browns was not one of his better games. And with Jones out, the Chargers are relying on a trio of undrafted free agents — Joe Gaziano, Breiden Fehoko and Forrest Merrill — as their rotational defensive linemen. The tackling from the linebackers and safeties and corners has been up and down, as well. Joey Bosa has not looked like his usual self in run defense, either.
“We have to be more physical on blocks,” Bosa said. “I have to do a better job of getting blocks off of me. Just fitting the gap isn’t enough. I have to shed them and make some plays, be more effective when it comes to that.”
Depth was a concern for this defensive line coming into this season. And that weakness is being exposed with Jones on injured reserve. Jones will not return until after the bye week, so until those reinforcements comes, the Chargers just have to hope they get better play out of the healthy defensive linemen. At the moment, there is nothing else they can do.
I asked Bosa this week why he thinks the physicality has fluctuated so much from week to week. The Chargers played with the requisite physicality against the Raiders, but it was absent against the Cowboys and Browns, when the Chargers combined to allow 428 rushing yards.
“I don’t know,” Bosa said. “I don’t have a good answer for that.”
As Derwin James said Monday, improving the run defense will require each player to take individual responsibility of “whooping the man in front of you.” A simple assessment, but very true.
I get coach Staley’s faith in Vizcaino, he has a leg, but the accuracy may take some time. But realistically how many more weeks of missed kicks will it take for them to re-assess that, especially if it ends up being a reason we lose games because of it? — @russ99a
Tristan Vizcaino, who beat out Michael Badgley for the kicking job in camp, missed two extra points last week against the Browns. He has now missed four extra points and a field goal in five games. Certainly not the start to his Chargers career he was hoping for. But Staley made it very clear earlier this week that the Chargers are willing to endure some growing pains from the 25-year-old Vizcaino. They believe in his talent, and as our question asker notes, Vizcaino has an extremely strong leg that is a factor not just on field goals but in the kickoff game, as well.
At the same time, the Chargers are 4-1 and emerging as legitimate contenders in the AFC. Vizcaino has the talent to be a great kicker, but if he keeps missing kicks, there will come a time where the situation becomes untenable, especially if the Chargers lose a game, or two, because of those missed kicks. This is absolutely something to monitor in the coming weeks.
One thing I will add: The Chargers have been giving up a ton of pressure off the right side of their field goal protection. That was a factor in Vizcaino’s first missed extra point Sunday against the Browns. As is often the case with football, this issue is more layered than just an individual player’s performance. But Vizcaino has to be better. There is no doubt about that.
Do you think Parham starts to get a bigger role going forward? — @ArkayBets
Tight end Donald Parham already has a huge role in this offense. He has played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps and is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 tight end behind Jared Cook. And he spends plenty of time on the field because of how often the Chargers and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi use multiple tight end sets. The Chargers’ 91 snaps in 12 personnel — one running back and two tight ends — are the sixth-most in the NFLthis season, according to TruMedia.
Parham is vastly improved as a blocker, both in the run game and pass protection. He worked hard on that part of this game in the offseason. Last season, Parham was used predominantly as a passing threat. Now his game is more well-rounded, and that has allowed him to take on this bigger role. On a play in the Browns game, Parham stood up Myles Garrett off the edge in pass protection. It was a really good example of how much better Parham is in that area.
Parham has caught touchdowns in each of the past two games. He also caught a two-point conversion against the Browns. Moving forward, I do not think his offensive snaps will increase significantly. But I could certainly see his target share increase. Parham has been targeted five times over the past two games. He only had two targets in the Chargers’ first three games.
What’s your assessment of the RB depth behind Ekeler? It’s early but no one is standing out. — @BRT86_Chargers
Justin Jackson missed last week’s win with a groin injury, but he will be back Sunday against the Ravens. Right now, he is the No. 2 back behind Austin Ekeler, but his production so far has been pretty pedestrian. Jackson only has 22 rushing yards on 10 carries on the season, and he only has 49 yards from scrimmage in his four games.
Either Larry Rountree or Joshua Kelley will be the third running back Sunday. One will be active and one will be inactive. Kelley got his first action of the regular season last week against the Browns, and I thought he played really well. He is a more explosive player than Rountree. On his 14-yard run in the third quarter, Kelley showed great patience and vision before bursting through a seam using his 4.49 speed. I think he provides more as a running back than Rountree. But Rountree is a more versatile special teams player and has been covering kickoffs on top of his kick-return duties.
The Chargers need to find a second back who can spell Ekeler. None of the three backs behind him has taken hold of that job. Kelley showed some juice Sunday against the Browns, and I think he has earned more playing time offensively.
Why is Rountree returning kicks? Of all the options he seems the slowest and very indecisive. — @liljaniemi
The Chargers used Adderley as a kick returner against the Browns, but with his injury, I do not expect him to fill that role this week, even if he is healthy enough to be active. Special teams coordinator Derius Swinton likes Rountree’s physicality.
“He’s learning that he has to use his strength,” Swinton said last week. “He is a strong runner. To hit that guy, that’s a load in the hole. Getting him full-speed where it’s not like 3 yards, he’s getting a head of steam. Use that and just go. I always tell him to run through the smoke.”
That vision has not materialized yet. Rountree’s 16.7 yards per kickoff return rank 37th among 41 returners with at least three returns this season. I’m with our question asker: I think the Chargers need more speed back there. Rountree ran a 4.70 40-yard dash at his pro day in the spring.
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