Broncos @ Chargers Game Day Thread / Post Game Discussion (Wk 17)

[21&500]

Also noticed Lock smirking with his backup agter a big Herbert run, maybe a coincidence but in realtime it looked like he was hating
glad he sucks

[jubei]

He has a severe case of punch face. His face just makes you want to punch him.

TRUdat!

[powderblueboy]

He has a severe case of punch face. His face just makes you want to punch him.

I saw a guy laughing and enjoying himself on the sidelines, while his team was down by 14 points.

[Guest]

I wouldn’t be so sure about that. And disagree about the move
ent, there’s more than just a few fans that want Telesco fired. There is significant fan support behind wanting Telesco fired and I’m sure Spanos doesn’t want to piss off fans when he needs ticket sales. He also knows that Los Angeles isn’t gonna support a loser and Telesco’s awful record as Chargers GM speaks for itself.

Don’t forget, Telesco has the worst winning percentage of any GM with his tenure or longer. He also has the 4th worst winning percentage among all active GMs.

Men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t.

thems-the-facts-facts.gif

First, I am not a huge Telesco fan by any means. I think he has been thoroughly average.

But the notion that Telesco might be replaced is just silly. Two years ago, we were 5-11. In that time, we have lost Rivers, Henry, Gordon, Ingram, Hayward, Perryman, and Jenkins and yet we are on the verge of making the playoffs.

Herbert and Staley are foundational blocks that suggest a very bright future for the team going forward. We are expected to have cap room. We have lots of draft picks to improve our defense and back end depth.

In this situation, there is no way that team ownership will view Telesco as causing the team to head in the wrong direction.

Your look at "Telesco's winning percentage" ignores the obvious--the terrible head coaching that has existed until this year. We did not go from 12-4 to 5-11 and 7-9 because we lacked talent. That happened because Lynn was awful as a head coach.

And Telesco is not only not going to piss fans off, his drafting of Herbert, an exciting, amazingly talented and very likable player, is actually the single act that has spurred and will continue to spur the growth of the fan base. Short of Telesco taking off his clothes and running naked on the field during a game, I strongly suspect his job will not be in jeopardy for several years at a minimum.

[richpjr]

... I strongly suspect his job will not be in jeopardy for several years at a minimum.

I agree and think that some people are really having a hard time grasping this.

[SBbound]

So man... how was it? Tell us about it.

Great! I've been wanting to do this for a while. The boys loved it and are Charger fans now. It made for a kind of long day, 6:30 am to 10 pm, but worth every minute. Anyway pictures tell a better story. Facebook

[chargeroo]

Worth a mention -

Pipkins did a good job at RT in this game and a good job at LT a couple of weeks ago. I have a bit of hope for him now. TT's third-round gamble may have paid off after all.

[FoutsFan]

Worth a mention -

Pipkins did a good job at RT in this game and a good job at LT a couple of weeks ago. I have a bit of hope for him now. TT's third-round gamble may have paid off after all.

I have been shocked in a good way as well. It has been really nice to see him not as much liability but someone who has played well. Same goes for Tillery these last couple of games.

[JOJAX85]

As a long time, long suffering fan of this team I feel like I have earned the right to be giddy over the Bolts playing a meaningful last game of the season and potentially getting into the playoffs. I don't care who they beat or what the box score looked like. I have been a fan for almost 45 years and these moments are special.

TG

Agreed. We've spent the majority of our history as irrelevant. We seem to make the playoffs for a couple of years then disappear for 7 or 8. Only made a deep run a few times. So any season that we have a chance is worth a little excitement no matter how futile that may be.

[gzubeck]

I'm grateful for Rivers and Lynn who worked badly enough together to put us at the top for picking number #6 ,and also the Doctor who shot Tyrod Taylor! If Rivers couldn't win us a Superbowl he's at least found the Perfect Successor to the Charger QB way! Happy New Year!

:beer:

[Rugger05]

Here are Popper's final thoughts on the Denver game

The Chargers defeated the Broncos, 34-13, on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

They are one win away from reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Here are some final thoughts, stats and quotes from a resounding bounce-back victory over Denver.

1. The playoff scenarios for Week 18 are firmly set. As was the case Sunday night, if the Chargers beat the Raiders, they make the postseason. They could be seeded as high as fifth depending on how the weekend shakes out. If the Chargers win, the Colts lose or tie against the Jaguars, the Patriots win or tie against the Dolphins and the Bills lose to the Jets, the Chargers would move into fifth place, jumping the Bills on conference record. Unlikely, but possible. If the Chargers win, they would most likely end up in seventh place. To move into sixth, the Chargers would need the Colts to lose or tie against the Jaguars, or the Bills to lose to the Jets.

2. The Chargers and Raiders, of course, will play on Sunday night in the final game of the NFL regular season. There is a bizarre scenario that would play out if the Colts lose to the Jaguars earlier in the day: A Chargers-Raiders tie would send both teams to the postseason, regardless of what happens in the other AFC games. The 9-7-1 Chargers and 9-7-1 Raiders would both hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Steelers if Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore to finish 9-7-1. Related: The Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2015.

3. The Chargers enter this game against the Raiders remarkably healthy. After linebacker Kenneth Murray was activated Monday, the Chargers only have one player — active roster or practice squad — only tight end Jared Cook remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Head coach Brandon Staley said Monday that Cook is expected to be activated sometime this week. Center Corey Linsley left Sunday’s win in the first quarter after his back tightened up, but Staley said it is not a serious issue. “It’s not going to be something that’s going to prevent him from practicing, I don’t think, on Wednesday,” Staley said Monday. Linebacker Drue Tranquill missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. He was wearing a sleeve on his lower left leg while working out on the field before Sunday’s game. That is the same leg Tranquill broke last season, but Staley said Tranquill is “day-to-day.”

4. The health in the secondary was a massive development in this win over the Broncos. Sunday marked the first time since Week 1 that the Chargers starting secondary — Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Derwin James and Nasir Adderley — was healthy for a full game. And that allowed Staley to actually implement the defense he schemed and envisioned when he first took this job in January. Most notably, he got to move James around as his queen on the chessboard. James played safety. He lined up as a slot corner. He played on the edge. He played Money — or the linebacker-safety hybrid role — in dime packages. James’ five pass-rushing snaps were his most since before the bye week, according to Pro Football Focus. (I still think the roughing-the-passer call on James on his third-down blitz in the red zone was bogus.) Staley was able to sprinkle in the “Nitro” package that the Chargers showed often during their training camp practices, with James moving into the slot and Harris moving back to safety. Harris’ seven snaps at safety were his most since Week 6, according to PFF. With Alohi Gilman back, as well, Staley was also able to mix in his dime package. The Chargers finally had their secondary pieces, and it showed in the way they played.

Derwin James pressures Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

5. The Chargers struggled to run the ball efficiently once Linsley went down Sunday, and they need him back against the Raiders. Overall, though, the Chargers have been good enough running the ball this season to keep opposing defenses honest. They rank ninth in EPA/rush on runs from their running backs this season, according to TruMedia. And they rank 14th in rushing offense DVOA. They do not need a dominant rushing attack to be successful offensively, thanks to Justin Herbert. But if defenses are going to play in nickel or dime packages and with light boxes, the Chargers have to make them pay on the ground. Chargers running backs rank 11th in EPA/rush this season when opposing defenses have five or more defensive backs on the field, according to TruMedia.

6. Staley on his running game: “I feel like in the second half of the season that we’ve really run the football at a high level. I feel like establishing that consistency and the continuity of who’s blocking for us, and then establishing who’s running for us, as well, I think that that’s really been a big storyline. For us, we truly have the threat of running the football now, where you can’t just say, ‘Hey, this team has people out there that would suggest that they’re going to run it, and then they’re going to throw away.’ I think what we wanted to be able to do is not have to live in that high-volume-throw world all of the time. Justin is one of the few guys, if you do have high volume, that he can take care of the football. When you get high-volume throwing numbers, there’s more risk in what’s going on. We wanted to make sure that we were able to dictate the pace of the game.

“A lot of it is the way people are playing you, as well, and taking advantage of how they’re playing you. We just wanted to create that type of balance, not balanced in terms of 50/50, but balanced that, ‘Hey, if you’re going to play us a certain way, if you’re going to assess us a certain way, this is how we’re going to play against you.'”

7. The Chargers offensive line, down Linsley for most of the game and missing starting right tackle Storm Norton, was outstanding in pass protection against the Broncos. The group only gave up two pressures on Herbert’s 33 dropbacks, according to PFF. Right tackle Trey Pipkins, right guard Michael Schofield, left tackle Rashawn Slater and backup center Scott Quessenberry each did not allow a pressure. The Broncos were without top edge rusher Bradley Chubb, but this performance is still an indication of how offensive line coach Frank Smith and assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett have developed depth this season. Their work with Pipkins is truly outstanding. Pipkins played very well at left tackle against the Chiefs when he started in place of Slater. He played equally well at right tackle against the Broncos, both in the run game and pass protection. He looks like a different player.

8. Staley on Pipkins, who was a healthy scratch for four straight games from Weeks 8 to 11: “Where Trey Pipkins was at the beginning of the season, like sort of at the bye, and where he is now are two totally different spaces.

“A lot of it is his mindset,” Staley continued. “Then, the second thing is his technique, understanding how we want to do things around here, then us also understanding him and being able to tailor our teaching, our coaching, to his game. At the beginning of the season, he didn’t play well enough to earn an opportunity. That’s just the truth of it. He wasn’t performing well enough. That’s why he wasn’t playing. What he did, I think, is he really started to understand the importance of how hard you have to prepare and how much you need to improve as a player in this league to become a player in this league. I know that Frank and Shaun have done a great job with him. I think him being in an O-line room with some veteran players like Matt, like Corey, like Oday (Aboushi), like Bryan (Bulaga) that know what it takes. It’s such a toughness position, a culture position. It’s a developmental position. It happens for people at different stages, but he’s shown some progress, and now he needs to continue to improve and stay consistent in his performance, but I’m proud of the way that he’s been able to fill in at both spots.”

9. Herbert’s decision-making Sunday really jumped out to me. We all see his pure talent. But as he nears the end of his second season, Herbert’s biggest improvement has come in his processing. He is now elite in that area. Last season, Anthony Lynn, Shane Steichen, Pep Hamilton and the Chargers offensive staff eased Herbert’s transition with a lot of half-field reads. That helped Herbert play faster, and it was a big part of his rookie success. I still do not think Lynn, Steichen and Hamilton get enough credit for that stage of Herbert’s development. Those training wheels have never been a part of Staley’s plan for Herbert this season, though. They dumped the full playbook on him in the spring. Staley and OC Joe Lombardi held nothing back. Herbert told me in August that, initially, it felt like he was “drowning.” But he was up for the challenge, and it is paying dividends now. Herbert got to his fifth read on the red-zone touchdown to Allen on Sunday, moving left to right in his progression before finding Allen on an inside-breaking whip route. Herbert was willing to hit his check down early and often in the game. He was taking what the Denver defense was giving him. And when the shots opened up downfield — like on the record-breaking touchdown to Mike Williams — Herbert delivered. To operate that way against one of the best defensive coaches in football is a testament to his development. He struggled against some of those elite defensive coaches, like Bill Belichick, Mike Zimmer and Vic Fangio, earlier in the season. Herbert is growing and improving as a processor and decision-maker.

10. Herbert has been pressured on 177 of his 672 dropbacks this season, according to PFF. He has made just two turnover-worthy throws on those 177 dropbacks. That is a 1 percent turnover-worthy-play rate when under pressure — best in the league among qualified quarterbacks. Teddy Bridgewater is in second. His turnover-worthy-play rate when under pressure is 3.2 percent. Aaron Rodgers is at 4 percent. Tom Brady is at 3.9 percent. Herbert is a “premium decision-maker,” as Staley put it last week.

11. Austin Ekeler scored another touchdown Sunday. He now has 18 on the season, second-most in the NFL behind MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor. Only two players in franchise history have scored more touchdowns in a season: Chuck Muncie (19 in 1981) and LaDainian Tomlinson (20 in 2005, and an NFL-record 31 in 2006). All 18 of Ekeler’s touchdowns have come in the red zone. Only two players since 2007 have scored more red-zone touchdowns in a season, according to SportsRadar: Todd Gurley (20 in 2018) and Alvin Kamara (19 in 2020). The second name is noteworthy because Lombardi was the quarterbacks coach for the Saints last season when Kamara scored those 19 red-zone touchdowns. Heading into this season, we all anticipated Ekeler would fill a Kamara-like role in Lombardi’s Saints-inspired offensive scheme. To Ekeler’s credit, he has actually met those expectations. Ekeler’s 1,459 scrimmage yards rank fourth among all RBs. He leads all running backs in receiving yards with 612 and has set a career-high with 847 rushing yards. Kamara had 1,592 yards from scrimmage at 18 touchdowns in 2018. He had 1,688 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns in 2020. Ekeler has pretty much replicated that production for the Chargers.

Austin Ekeler celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Broncos. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

12. Staley on Ekeler: “We had a vision for him and the role that he was going to play for our football team, not only just as a player, but as a leader. He’s been a pleasure to coach. I’ve enjoyed seeing him take that lead role. I’ve enjoyed seeing him having a career season. You guys are aware of the touchdowns, the rushing yards, the receiving yards, but his example has been very important for our entire team. Just really proud of his season.”

13. The Chargers’ deep red zone and goal-line defense has been excellent this season. They have five stops inside the 3-yard line this season, including two on Sunday. Only the Jets have more stops inside the 3-yard line this season, according to TruMedia. The Broncos had a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the second quarter. On first down, James made a great tackle for a loss on a play-action boot completion to tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Adderley and Justin Jones stuffed a Javonte Williams run on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Jones then penetrated on third down and stuffed Williams for no gain. Adderley blew up the Broncos’ attempted Philly Special on fourth down, and Joey Bosa made the touchdown-saving tackle. In the third quarter, Kyzir White and Nick Niemann combined for tackle Melvin Gordon on a check down on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line. The Broncos were called for an illegal formation On the ensuing fourth-and-1. They were forced to kick a field goal.

On a third-and-goal from 1 against the Vikings in Week 10, Christian Covington drew a holding penalty to force an eventual Minnesota field goal. The Steelers failed to score on three chances from the 2-yard line in Week 11. James sniffed out an attempted shovel pass play on fourth down. The Patriots failed to score on two attempts from the 1-yard line in Week 8.

This has been a strength for the Chargers defense. The Chargers have played 26 defensive snaps from their own 2-yard line or closer this season, the fourth-most in the league, according to TruMedia. Opposing offenses have scored on 10 of those plays — a 38.5 percent rate. That touchdown rate on plays from the 2-yard line or closer ranks fifth in the league.

[Velo]

Here are Popper's final thoughts on the Denver game

The Chargers defeated the Broncos, 34-13, on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

They are one win away from reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Here are some final thoughts, stats and quotes from a resounding bounce-back victory over Denver.

1. The playoff scenarios for Week 18 are firmly set. As was the case Sunday night, if the Chargers beat the Raiders, they make the postseason. They could be seeded as high as fifth depending on how the weekend shakes out. If the Chargers win, the Colts lose or tie against the Jaguars, the Patriots win or tie against the Dolphins and the Bills lose to the Jets, the Chargers would move into fifth place, jumping the Bills on conference record. Unlikely, but possible. If the Chargers win, they would most likely end up in seventh place. To move into sixth, the Chargers would need the Colts to lose or tie against the Jaguars, or the Bills to lose to the Jets.

2. The Chargers and Raiders, of course, will play on Sunday night in the final game of the NFL regular season. There is a bizarre scenario that would play out if the Colts lose to the Jaguars earlier in the day: A Chargers-Raiders tie would send both teams to the postseason, regardless of what happens in the other AFC games. The 9-7-1 Chargers and 9-7-1 Raiders would both hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Steelers if Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore to finish 9-7-1. Related: The Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2015.

3. The Chargers enter this game against the Raiders remarkably healthy. After linebacker Kenneth Murray was activated Monday, the Chargers only have one player — active roster or practice squad — only tight end Jared Cook remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Head coach Brandon Staley said Monday that Cook is expected to be activated sometime this week. Center Corey Linsley left Sunday’s win in the first quarter after his back tightened up, but Staley said it is not a serious issue. “It’s not going to be something that’s going to prevent him from practicing, I don’t think, on Wednesday,” Staley said Monday. Linebacker Drue Tranquill missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. He was wearing a sleeve on his lower left leg while working out on the field before Sunday’s game. That is the same leg Tranquill broke last season, but Staley said Tranquill is “day-to-day.”

4. The health in the secondary was a massive development in this win over the Broncos. Sunday marked the first time since Week 1 that the Chargers starting secondary — Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, Chris Harris Jr., Derwin James and Nasir Adderley — was healthy for a full game. And that allowed Staley to actually implement the defense he schemed and envisioned when he first took this job in January. Most notably, he got to move James around as his queen on the chessboard. James played safety. He lined up as a slot corner. He played on the edge. He played Money — or the linebacker-safety hybrid role — in dime packages. James’ five pass-rushing snaps were his most since before the bye week, according to Pro Football Focus. (I still think the roughing-the-passer call on James on his third-down blitz in the red zone was bogus.) Staley was able to sprinkle in the “Nitro” package that the Chargers showed often during their training camp practices, with James moving into the slot and Harris moving back to safety. Harris’ seven snaps at safety were his most since Week 6, according to PFF. With Alohi Gilman back, as well, Staley was also able to mix in his dime package. The Chargers finally had their secondary pieces, and it showed in the way they played.

Derwin James pressures Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

5. The Chargers struggled to run the ball efficiently once Linsley went down Sunday, and they need him back against the Raiders. Overall, though, the Chargers have been good enough running the ball this season to keep opposing defenses honest. They rank ninth in EPA/rush on runs from their running backs this season, according to TruMedia. And they rank 14th in rushing offense DVOA. They do not need a dominant rushing attack to be successful offensively, thanks to Justin Herbert. But if defenses are going to play in nickel or dime packages and with light boxes, the Chargers have to make them pay on the ground. Chargers running backs rank 11th in EPA/rush this season when opposing defenses have five or more defensive backs on the field, according to TruMedia.

6. Staley on his running game: “I feel like in the second half of the season that we’ve really run the football at a high level. I feel like establishing that consistency and the continuity of who’s blocking for us, and then establishing who’s running for us, as well, I think that that’s really been a big storyline. For us, we truly have the threat of running the football now, where you can’t just say, ‘Hey, this team has people out there that would suggest that they’re going to run it, and then they’re going to throw away.’ I think what we wanted to be able to do is not have to live in that high-volume-throw world all of the time. Justin is one of the few guys, if you do have high volume, that he can take care of the football. When you get high-volume throwing numbers, there’s more risk in what’s going on. We wanted to make sure that we were able to dictate the pace of the game.

“A lot of it is the way people are playing you, as well, and taking advantage of how they’re playing you. We just wanted to create that type of balance, not balanced in terms of 50/50, but balanced that, ‘Hey, if you’re going to play us a certain way, if you’re going to assess us a certain way, this is how we’re going to play against you.'”

7. The Chargers offensive line, down Linsley for most of the game and missing starting right tackle Storm Norton, was outstanding in pass protection against the Broncos. The group only gave up two pressures on Herbert’s 33 dropbacks, according to PFF. Right tackle Trey Pipkins, right guard Michael Schofield, left tackle Rashawn Slater and backup center Scott Quessenberry each did not allow a pressure. The Broncos were without top edge rusher Bradley Chubb, but this performance is still an indication of how offensive line coach Frank Smith and assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett have developed depth this season. Their work with Pipkins is truly outstanding. Pipkins played very well at left tackle against the Chiefs when he started in place of Slater. He played equally well at right tackle against the Broncos, both in the run game and pass protection. He looks like a different player.

8. Staley on Pipkins, who was a healthy scratch for four straight games from Weeks 8 to 11: “Where Trey Pipkins was at the beginning of the season, like sort of at the bye, and where he is now are two totally different spaces.

“A lot of it is his mindset,” Staley continued. “Then, the second thing is his technique, understanding how we want to do things around here, then us also understanding him and being able to tailor our teaching, our coaching, to his game. At the beginning of the season, he didn’t play well enough to earn an opportunity. That’s just the truth of it. He wasn’t performing well enough. That’s why he wasn’t playing. What he did, I think, is he really started to understand the importance of how hard you have to prepare and how much you need to improve as a player in this league to become a player in this league. I know that Frank and Shaun have done a great job with him. I think him being in an O-line room with some veteran players like Matt, like Corey, like Oday (Aboushi), like Bryan (Bulaga) that know what it takes. It’s such a toughness position, a culture position. It’s a developmental position. It happens for people at different stages, but he’s shown some progress, and now he needs to continue to improve and stay consistent in his performance, but I’m proud of the way that he’s been able to fill in at both spots.”

9. Herbert’s decision-making Sunday really jumped out to me. We all see his pure talent. But as he nears the end of his second season, Herbert’s biggest improvement has come in his processing. He is now elite in that area. Last season, Anthony Lynn, Shane Steichen, Pep Hamilton and the Chargers offensive staff eased Herbert’s transition with a lot of half-field reads. That helped Herbert play faster, and it was a big part of his rookie success. I still do not think Lynn, Steichen and Hamilton get enough credit for that stage of Herbert’s development. Those training wheels have never been a part of Staley’s plan for Herbert this season, though. They dumped the full playbook on him in the spring. Staley and OC Joe Lombardi held nothing back. Herbert told me in August that, initially, it felt like he was “drowning.” But he was up for the challenge, and it is paying dividends now. Herbert got to his fifth read on the red-zone touchdown to Allen on Sunday, moving left to right in his progression before finding Allen on an inside-breaking whip route. Herbert was willing to hit his check down early and often in the game. He was taking what the Denver defense was giving him. And when the shots opened up downfield — like on the record-breaking touchdown to Mike Williams — Herbert delivered. To operate that way against one of the best defensive coaches in football is a testament to his development. He struggled against some of those elite defensive coaches, like Bill Belichick, Mike Zimmer and Vic Fangio, earlier in the season. Herbert is growing and improving as a processor and decision-maker.

10. Herbert has been pressured on 177 of his 672 dropbacks this season, according to PFF. He has made just two turnover-worthy throws on those 177 dropbacks. That is a 1 percent turnover-worthy-play rate when under pressure — best in the league among qualified quarterbacks. Teddy Bridgewater is in second. His turnover-worthy-play rate when under pressure is 3.2 percent. Aaron Rodgers is at 4 percent. Tom Brady is at 3.9 percent. Herbert is a “premium decision-maker,” as Staley put it last week.

11. Austin Ekeler scored another touchdown Sunday. He now has 18 on the season, second-most in the NFL behind MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor. Only two players in franchise history have scored more touchdowns in a season: Chuck Muncie (19 in 1981) and LaDainian Tomlinson (20 in 2005, and an NFL-record 31 in 2006). All 18 of Ekeler’s touchdowns have come in the red zone. Only two players since 2007 have scored more red-zone touchdowns in a season, according to SportsRadar: Todd Gurley (20 in 2018) and Alvin Kamara (19 in 2020). The second name is noteworthy because Lombardi was the quarterbacks coach for the Saints last season when Kamara scored those 19 red-zone touchdowns. Heading into this season, we all anticipated Ekeler would fill a Kamara-like role in Lombardi’s Saints-inspired offensive scheme. To Ekeler’s credit, he has actually met those expectations. Ekeler’s 1,459 scrimmage yards rank fourth among all RBs. He leads all running backs in receiving yards with 612 and has set a career-high with 847 rushing yards. Kamara had 1,592 yards from scrimmage at 18 touchdowns in 2018. He had 1,688 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns in 2020. Ekeler has pretty much replicated that production for the Chargers.

Austin Ekeler celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Broncos. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

12. Staley on Ekeler: “We had a vision for him and the role that he was going to play for our football team, not only just as a player, but as a leader. He’s been a pleasure to coach. I’ve enjoyed seeing him take that lead role. I’ve enjoyed seeing him having a career season. You guys are aware of the touchdowns, the rushing yards, the receiving yards, but his example has been very important for our entire team. Just really proud of his season.”

13. The Chargers’ deep red zone and goal-line defense has been excellent this season. Thave five stops inside the 3-yard line this season, including two on Sunday. Only the Jets have more stops inside the 3-yard line this season, according to TruMedia. The Broncos had a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the second quarter. On first down, James made a great tackle for a loss on a play-action boot completion to tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Adderley and Justin Jones stuffed a Javonte Williams run on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Jones then penetrated on third down and stuffed Williams for no gain. Adderley blew up the Broncos’ attempted Philly Special on fourth down, and Joey Bosa made the touchdown-saving tackle. In the third quarter, Kyzir White and Nick Niemann combined for tackle Melvin Gordon on a check down on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line. The Broncos were called for an illegal formation On the ensuing fourth-and-1. They were forced to kick a field goal.

On a third-and-goal from 1 against the Vikings in Week 10, Christian Covington drew a holding penalty to force an eventual Minnesota field goal. The Steelers failed to score on three chances from the 2-yard line in Week 11. James sniffed out an attempted shovel pass play on fourth down. The Patriots failed to score on two attempts from the 1-yard line in Week 8.

This has been a strength for the Chargers defense. The Chargers have played 26 defensive snaps from their own 2-yard line or closer this season, the fourth-most in the league, according to TruMedia. Opposing offenses have scored on 10 of those plays — a 38.5 percent rate. That touchdown rate on plays from the 2-yard line or closer ranks fifth in the league.

Ekeler is the best Chargers UDFA ever, behind Gates. Agree or disagree? Do you rank Dielman even better? I can see that. What about Floyd? I loved Floyd and he is one of the best UDFA finds for this team ever. But I think Ekeler is even better. Adrian Phillips was also a UDFA, he blossomed into a really good player for the Chargers, the Belichick stole him away. He just signed a new contract in NE. Gary Plummer, a superb LB for the Chargers in the late '80s and early '90s, was also a UDFA. He played his first several seasons with the Chargers, then went to the Niners, just in time to help SF beat the Chargers in the Super Bowl.