Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Chargers came out of their home opener with a 30-24 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts. They are 1-0 for the first time since the 2015 season. Things could have been better, but they certainly could have been worse.
The Good
In his first game as the RB1 during Melvin Gordon’s absurd holdout, Ekeler did not disappoint. He rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown, which is pretty good, but he also caught 6 balls for 96 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns which is superb. Ekeler was the focal point of the offense that offense looked spectacular every time he touched the ball.
El Capitan threw for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns today. He had one interception on a throw he was a split second late with and that Malik Hooker made a ridiculous one-handed catch to reel in. It was the lone bad moment in what was an otherwise masterful performance by the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
As usual, Allen was open constantly. He was targeted frequently (10 times) and he came down with almost every opportunity (8 receptions). At the end, he had 123 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was an exceptional play. He was double covered and Rivers threw the ball up and let him go make a play. He did not disappoint, going up, shielding the defender away and came down with the ball and the score.
The Bad
Injuries
Who didn’t get injured today? Kicker Michael Badgley was too injured to play. So, too, was cornerback Trevor Williams. During the game, cornerbacks Michael Davis and Desmond King both suffered injuries with the former never getting back on the field. At one point, the defense was down to playing Brandon Facyson on the outside and Jaylen Watkins in the slot. On the offensive side of the ball, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry were also dinged up and missed time.
The Chargers right tackle was relatively quiet for large parts of the game, but he showed up with a bad false start and some truly bad pass blocking at the end when he was needed.
The Ugly
The run defense and the tackling more generally
Marlon Mack rushed for roughly 800 yards today. Well, fine, it was actually 174 yards on 25 carries. He scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. He basically did whatever he wanted for most of the game. The terrible tackling wasn’t limited to the run game with Adrian Phillips completely whiffing on a tackle that allowed T.Y. Hilton to score a late touchdown that let the Colts tie the game and force overtime.
With Russell Okung sidelined for the first several weeks of the season, Scott is the Chargers left tackle and it is not fun to watch. Scott was the worst player on the field for most if not all of the game. He repeatedly let rushers run right by him with barely a hand laid on them. He got Philip Rivers hit repeatedly including one blindside hit that forced a fumble.
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