Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune rates the Chargers after Sunday’s 22-10 win over the Raiders:
Quarterbacks: C
Justin Herbert, who was coming off a foot problem from training camp (which has been fixed), used his worst foot down the stretch. Nothing to be done. It took 18 minutes before he got his second first down. A lot of short stuff, knowing his receiver crew didn’t have the pedigree. The Chargers were 0-for-7 on third downs in the first half. But Herbert held on and had everything under control after the break.
Running backs: A
Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins, acquired from Baltimore, are starters 1 and 1-a. Dobbins (when healthy, which is rare) is dangerous, and he showed that with a 46-yard run and an 11-yard run for their first TD, and he ran out of steam on a big 61-yard run.
Recipient: C-
Will Dissly took three early penalties, prompting the teacher to send the freshman to the principal. Wideout Quentin Johnston, last year’s No. 1 pick – and a flop – is talented and showed it when he got the chance. Rookie Ladd McConkey took four pre-snap penalties early in the second quarter, but he caught the decisive touchdown late. Joshua Palmer could have scored a touchdown, but didn’t.
Offensive Line: C+
New and patchy. Couldn’t block the run most of the time and pass blocking was nothing for Canton in the first half. Much better after the break. Rookie Joe Alt is a stud.
Defensive line: A
Otito Ogbonnia is aggressive in the middle. The same goes for Poona Ford, who made a great stop on fourth-and-1 and had a late pick.
Linebackers: A+
Joey Bosa had a big third-and-1 stop early and a great shoestring to prevent a sure first down. Khalil Mack had the first sack and Bosa had one on the next play. Mack then picked off a back pass and got it back into scoring position before halftime. He also had a sack and a tip-in. Denzel Perryman was a tackling machine when he was on the team years ago and that hasn’t changed much. Junior Colson got bit for a chunk that went nowhere.
Secondary level: C+
Asante Samuel Jr. was everywhere, even when he was out of position when he missed a tackle that led to the first touchdown. Samuel also had a hit out of bounds and recovered a fumble forced by Bosa. Alohi Gilman was active and a reason the DBs tackled better.
Special teams: A-
Cameron Dicker, the kicker, got his team on the scoreboard with a 53-yard field goal and two shorter field goals. Darius Davis tried to return a punt from the one as if it were his first time. JK Scott punted well as usual and had several opportunities to do so.
Coaching: B
Jim Harbaugh’s team was sloppy to start his debut, playing with no tricks. Unnecessary penalties. A conservative attack plan that didn’t work. He thought he should have tried on fourth-and-one in the second quarter. But his team was strong. It was a win – and the other guys scored 10 points.
Next opportunity — at Carolina: A
Carolina is terrible. Hasn’t done anything since Roy Williams retired.
Originally published:
