Chargers @ Chiefs Wk3 Game Day Thread / Post Game Discussion

[UglyTruth]

This is pretty cool. Lot of respect for him. I think Mahomes maybe thought he was ignoring him but it looks like Herbert just didn’t hear him.

Mahomes is a class act to seek out Herb after a tough loss for them. It’s a shame he’s not on an NFC team that I can partially root for.

https://streamable.com/e2rg5w

[Guest]

U do have a point there...how many times have we seen a pick, then the DB gets stripped and we lose the rock...

Well, I can think of one that was particularly bad.

[SBbound]

That was some effort by Asaunte Jr.

It was a thing of beauty.

[Guest]

Coaches picked the right poison, but the players still need to improve about getting off of blocks and tackling at first contact. Too many 3 yard runs become 7+ yards. I’d be interested in what our yards after contact allowed is, i suspect it is atrocious. Thats not a pick pass defense vs pick rush defense, thats just shitty tackling. Unfortunately teams can’t really work on that in-season, for one they have to spend the few available days on the next game plan and for two - recent CBAs present much contact in practice. There will be no Oklahoma drills, which is what a good number of them need.

I disagree. It is very common for quicker, small pass defender types to be less stout against the run than bigger, more powerful run defenders. Staley is clearly focused on stopping the pass. The team did not re-sign its best run defender at LB, Perryman, apparently because he did not fit what Staley likes to do on defense. We rely on players like Tranquill and White at ILB. Both are converted safeties who are never going to be the traditional ILB hammer that a player like Perryman was for us. We rely on Tillery on the DL. He gets some pass rush rush pressure, but he is weak against the run. We play lots of DBs at times too. We play light boxes with great regularity. Both the players being used and the defenses being called contribute to the issues the team has faced against the run.

[Guest]

I'm sorry but all this worry about Murray is b*******. IMO, We subbed him out for a better pass defending linebacker based upon game Flow and what was going on. That is good situational coaching. I can't believe all the drama about the defense, yet how many points per game are we giving up to our opponents compared to what they're scoring elsewhere?

As your post alludes to, all three of our opponents have had their lowest point total of the season against us, so the defense is not all that bad at a minimum.

I generally like what Staley is doing and I think he will adjust against the more ground oriented teams. I think our personnel is not the kind that will ever be a dominant run defense, but I suspect it can be good enough when it needs to be against the better rushing teams.

[Xenos]

Very nice to see our 4th rounder contributing on ST and elsewhere.

[Guest]

My sentiments exactly. We don't have all the needed horses for a true title run this year (IMO), but this thing is going to build and build. I gotta believe that Slater and Samuel are both in top 10 of all rookies at this point. Lots of other teams would like a do-over to draft one of them.

When was the last really complete and dominant team in the NFL? I see no perfect teams out there. I think we do have the horses that can win it all this year, but we also have some clear weaknesses. That makes us like every playoff team for the last who knows how many years.

[Xenos]

Popper’s final 16 thoughts on the Chiefs game. Nice shoutout to Tranquil. But also the punching bag Storm Norton.

https://theathletic.com/2855260/2021/09/28/chargers-final-thoughts-16-notes-stats-and-quotes-from-statement-win-at-chiefs/

The Chargers improved to 2-1 with a 30-24 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday in Kansas City. It was their second road win of the season.

It sets up a marquee AFC West matchup against the Raiders (3-0) on “Monday Night Football.”

Here are some final thoughts, stats and quotes from the Chargers’ statement win over the Chiefs:

1. Linebacker Drue Tranquill played a season-high 34 snaps and made a huge impact defensively by finishing with eight tackles — the second most on the team behind safety Nasir Adderley — and half a sack off a blitz. Tranquill is playing better than second-year linebacker Kenneth Murray, who logged a season-low 40 snaps. Tranquill is a very smart player. That shows in his positioning and consistency against the run and the pass. He is a very sound tackler. And the Chargers are better defensively with Tranquill on the field over Murray.

2. “Drue was outstanding in the game,” head coach Brandon Staley said. “I thought he flashed. I thought he was in control running the show. And then I felt like he tackled extremely well and, I felt like, played the way he’s been playing for us.”

3. Tranquill, whose broken ankle on the opening defensive series in Week 1 in 2020 ended his season, only played 14 defensive snaps over the first two games. His increased playing time against the Chiefs signifies a shift in the linebacker rotation. Going forward, expect Tranquill, Murray and Kyzir White to play.

4. “We just wanted to make sure that (Tranquill) got in the football game,” Staley said. “Against that type of team, it was a hot day, we wanted to make sure that we had a really healthy rotation. But Drue has definitely earned the right to be out there, and I felt like I didn’t do a good enough job in those first two games of getting him in the ballgame. We feel like all three of those guys are quality players, and I felt like we needed all three of them yesterday to be able to defend that team.”

5. “We just feel like we have three starting-caliber players, and I feel like when you have a situation like that, I think it’s incumbent upon you to make sure that those guys get in the game because they’ve earned the right to be in the game,” Staley later said. “And so we just want to make sure that we do a great job here of making sure that our good players are out there playing for us. And I feel like having all three of those guys play for us is going to be a good thing for our defense moving forward.”

6. Tranquill impressed his teammates. He and Joey Bosa combined to sack Patrick Mahomeson third down in the second quarter. “He definitely showed up,” said Bosa, who had 10 pressures in the game, according to Pro Football Focus, despite playing on an injured foot and ankle. “I hate to share my sacks, but he definitely deserves half. It was an awesome rush on the guard that he had. … I feel like he was flying around side to side. I know he’s a great player. He’s still coming off that injury from last year. But I think as the year goes on, he’s just going to keep getting better.”

7. Through two games, the Chargers had one of the least efficient early-down offenses. Their minus-0.24 expected points added (EPA) per play on first and second down ranked 29th, according to TruMedia. Their performance on early downs improved substantially against the Chiefs. The offense finished with 0.16 EPA per play on first and second downs, the second-highest mark in Week 3. The Chargers now rank 24th in early-down EPA per play.

8. What changed? Primarily, the Chargers improved on early downs in the red zone, and that had a huge impact on the EPA. All four of their touchdowns were scored on first or second down from the red zone.

9. That was a point of emphasis for Staley and his coaching staff entering the game. The Chargers added some wrinkles to their red zone offense to improve its efficiency.

10. First, they ran the ball with “more physicality,” as Staley put it, once they got into the red zone. Over the first two games of the season, the Chargers rushed for 20 yards on 14 carries in the red zone. Against the Chiefs, they totaled 15 yards on six carries. On first-and-goal from the 7 on their first red zone trip, Austin Ekeler rushed up the middle for 3 yards, setting up a more manageable second-and-goal. Justin Herbert found Keenan Allen for the touchdown on that play.

11. Second, the Chargers used an increased tempo in the red zone. They actually went no huddle after Ekeler’s rush. The Chiefs were discombobulated, and that left Allen wide open. Herbert executed a sensational pump fake to get linebacker Nick Bolton in the air. That cleared the throwing lane. “That sequence, in particular, was a favorite of mine,” Staley said.

12. Third, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi dialed up some delectable play calls. He was scheming players open all game, including in the red zone. On Ekeler’s touchdown, Herbert sent Allen in motion from left to right. Linebacker Anthony Hitchens bit on the motion, shifting slightly to the strong side of the formation and following Allen. Ekeler leaked out to the left and into the space vacated by Hitchens. The motion created a path for Ekeler to sprint for the end zone. The Chargers were quick to the line of scrimmage on that red zone touchdown as well. “I loved the design there,” Staley said, “and I felt like we had something good to the strong side. They kind of over-rotated and left Austin uncovered, and it gave us a really nice opp there.”

13. The early-down efficiency extended beyond the red zone. The Chargers had four other explosive passes on first or second down, including a 43-yard completion to Mike Williams early in the fourth quarter. It was another well-drawn concept from Lombardi. Williams lined up in the slot and sprinted free down the seam. Herbert shifted the pocket by moving to the left hash, then fired a bullet to the wide-open Williams.

14. Storm Norton responded well at right tackle. He matched up with All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones on several occasions and held his own. He got beat badly once, but Herbert made a great throw under pressure when he found Williams down the right sideline on a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Norton only allowed two pressures, according to PFF. That happened one week after he allowed nine pressures against the Cowboys as he struggled to contain Micah Parsons.

15. “Storm improved a lot. We actually talked about it in the team meeting about an hour ago, just the response from him,” Staley said. “I felt like Storm really responded yesterday, his fundamentals, his technique. Obviously, there’s gonna be some against that guy where you don’t win, but I felt like Storm really competed in the game. He gave us a chance. And I think that’s an exciting sign for him, and a lot of young guys like him, is to respond from a tough day and come back. I felt like he allowed Justin to really have some clean pockets in some big moments yesterday.”

16. After not getting targeted a single time in the season-opening win over Washington, Ekeler has 15 receptions on 15 targets in the last two games. He ranks second in the NFL in receptions and targets among running backs in the last two weeks.

[Guest]

Eh, I dunno. Doesn't it put a ton of pressure on Herbert when we continuously allow teams to run all over us? Because we don't have much of a running game to reciprocate.

It puts less pressure on Herbert because our opponents are not scoring as many points against us when we are stopping the pass.

I do not mind our lack of a running game at all because that tends to idiot proof our OC. IMO, we called too many first down running plays against KC--too much resembled the Lynn scheme in that respect. The overall distribution was okay at 63+% pass, but in general, the ball needs to be in Herbert's hands and more first down passes would be better. Just like Staley said, we want Herbert to be the game decider. That is the right approach.

[equivocation]

I disagree. It is very common for quicker, small pass defender types to be less stout against the run than bigger, more powerful run defenders. Staley is clearly focused on stopping the pass. The team did not re-sign its best run defender at LB, Perryman, apparently because he did not fit what Staley likes to do on defense. We rely on players like Tranquill and White at ILB. Both are converted safeties who are never going to be the traditional ILB hammer that a player like Perryman was for us. We rely on Tillery on the DL. He gets some pass rush rush pressure, but he is weak against the run. We play lots of DBs at times too. We play light boxes with great regularity. Both the players being used and the defenses being called contribute to the issues the team has faced against the run.

The Rams were the 3rd ranked run defense last year running light boxes ~80% of the time.

Because the smaller players tackled and didn't give up extra yards.

[Guest]

The Rams were the 3rd ranked run defense last year running light boxes ~80% of the time.

Because the smaller players tackled and didn't give up extra yards.

As I stated, it is very common for smaller, quicker players not to be as stout against the run. That does not mean that there are not exceptions. Aaron Donald helps to cure a lot of ills too. But none of our ILBs is the run defender that Perryman was for us last year. We have the run defending liability of Tillery and our most stout DL player, Joseph, is not anything close to what J-Wall was for us. Keeping/drafting/signing elite run defenders does not appear to be a priority for us at this point. Pass defense is the priority.

[equivocation]

As I stated, it is very common for smaller, quicker players not to be as stout against the run. That does not mean that there are not exceptions. Aaron Donald helps to cure a lot of ills too. But none of our ILBs is the run defender that Perryman was for us last year. We have the run defending liability of Tillery and our most stout DL player, Joseph, is not anything close to what J-Wall was for us. Keeping/drafting/signing elite run defenders does not appear to be a priority for us at this point. Pass defense is the priority.

Bigger guys are better at taking on blockers at the LOS. They are not better at taking pursuit angles, closing, and wrapping up in the open field.

Run defense is more than "stout", no matter how much you like the adjective. We've had defenders at multiple levels blow assignments and miss tackles. There is nothing inherent in or dependent on their size that makes that happen. Our most sure tackler so far this year is Adderley, who isn't even 200#.