Bend but don’t break.
It’s the phrase that was most frequently used to describe the Chargers’ stingy defense in 2017. Teams could move the ball — the defense was square in the middle of the league in yardage allowed — but points? Those were hard to come by.
The Chargers allowed the third-fewest points thanks to that flexibility, and Saturday night at StubHub Center, now in Year 2 of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system, the starters were contorting like a Cirque du Soleil troupe.
All that bending and none of the breaking helped the Chargers get their first win of the preseason 24-14. In the first half facing Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ best offense, the Chargers held Seattle to two field goals on six drives, including three that went deep into the defense’s territory.
The biggest play — Melvin Ingram crashing into running back Chris Carson at the goal line — erased Seattle’s best chance at a touchdown against the Chargers’ first-string defense that was still without defensive end Joey Bosa and cornerback Trevor Williams, both out with injuries.
Safety Jahleel Addae broke up a pass in the end zone to force one of the field goals, and Jatavis Brown sacked Wilson to force the other, turning what could’ve been 14 into a paltry six.
And it took Philip Rivers less than six minutes to make the most out of the Chargers’ defensive effort.
Getting his first action of the preseason, Rivers and the Chargers’ starting offense pushed 70 yards down the field for a touchdown on the team’s opening drive, with Melvin Gordon scoring on a two-yard run.
On the first play of his preseason, Rivers used his feet (not his strength) before using his arm, and his touch and playmaking (his strength) to elude a pass rush and find Tyrell Williams 21 yards down the field on a broken play.
He did it again on the second drive, finding an open receiver after using his normally leaded feet to sneak out of the pocket.
In two drives, Rivers completed six of seven passes for 62 yards, a sharp debut to his 15th season.
The Chargers added another score in the first half when undrafted rookie receiver JJ Jones broke loose on a 72-yard punt return. And early in the second half, Geno Smith continued to add to his case to be Rivers’ backup, setting Mike Williams up for his first touchdown as a Charger on a lofted 21-yard pass to last year’s first-round pick.
Smith piggybacked off a 218-yard passing game in the preseason opener by completing six of eight passes in limited work, including a beautiful jump ball that Williams was able to corral.
But the game gets easy for the offense when it’s sure the defense won’t snap.
On the opening Seahawks possessions, Wilson punished the Chargers defense with play-action passes. And had it not been for an illegal block, Carson would’ve easily scored the game’s first points on a 23-yard run.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers led a beautiful touchdown drive to open the game and completed six of seven passes for 62 yards. J.J. Jones added a punt-return score for the home team in the 10-point victory. After Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker went down with a finger injury, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (13-21, 193 yards) couldn’t get the pass protection he needed to make a score happen. Wilson played the entire first half.
Here’s what we learned in the Chargers’ 24-14 victory in their second preseason game Saturday night against Seattle at StubHub Center.
1. The Chargers No. 1 offense looked more than ready to go.
Quarterback Philip Rivers made his first appearance of the preseason as the Chargers went 70 yards on nine plays to score on their first possession. Melvin Gordon reached the end zone on a two-yard run.
Rivers was four for four for 41 yards on the impressive drive, two of his completions going to Keenan Allen. Gordon ran four times for 21 yards.
Rivers was four for four for 41 yards on the drive, two of his completions going to Keenan Allen. Gordon ran four times for 21 yards.
The series started impressively enough with Rivers shuffling around in a collapsing pocket to hit Tyrell Williams for a 21-yard gain. Williams went high over Seattle cornerback Justin Coleman to secure the ball.
2. The No. 1 defense, played poorly, allowing some big gains.
The secondary, in particular, struggled against a scrambling Russell Wilson.
Seattle wide receiver David Moore had a 52-yard reception that appeared to go through the arms of safety Jahleel Addae. Jaron Brown had a 45-yard catch on another play despite Addae being called for interference.
Wilson began the game by hitting a wide-open Brown over the middle for 29 yards. At the end of the play, Chargers safety Jaylen Watkins was called for a violation of the helmet rule.
Cornerback Michael Davis also was called for pass interference while defending Brandon Marshall.
3. Melvin Ingram played very well and is clearly ready for the regular season.
One of the Chargers’ touted defensive ends made up for the absence of the other, Joey Bosa missing his second preseason game because of a foot injury.
Ingram was credited with only one assisted tackle — along with a forced fumble inside the 5-yard line — but he was way more obvious than that.
Ingram, selected for the Pro Bowl last season, repeatedly beat Seattle right tackle Germain Ifedi and pressured Wilson. He dominated in every way but statistically.
4. The promise surrounding Mike Williams continues to grow.
The Chargers’ emerging young wide receiver went over Seahawks’ cornerback Akeem King to wrestle away a 25-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith in the third quarter.
Williams was limited to 10 games during his rookie season in 2017 because of injuries. He finished with 11 catches and is still looking for his first regular season touchdown.
Based on what Mike Willams has shown so far in 2018, the search for a real touchdown shouldn’t last long.
5. Geno Smith is definately leading the backup quarterback battle.
The veteran finished six for eight for 85 yards and had the Chargers’ lone touchdown pass. Smith also scrambled twice for 14 yards. He made some nice moves more than once to avoid being sacked.
Smith relieved Rivers to start the second quarter and the Chargers’ third drive after entering in relief of Cardale Jones in the preseason opener in Arizona.
Jones played after Smith this time and completed three of four passes while also getting sacked twice. His highlight play came when he scrambled up the middle for a 26-yard gain to convert a third down on the final play of the third quarter.
Assuming health remains the same, here are 45 players who almost certainly will be Chargers on opening day:
Quarterbacks (2) — Philip Rivers, Geno Smith: Smith seems like the safest choice to back up Rivers. He is a former starter good enough to have played in 35 NFL games. Cardale Jones, who also is battling for the No. 2 spot, has played in one. The fewer the questions the better when it comes to a backup quarterback, and Smith is the more known commodity. Depending on how the final numbers shake out, the Chargers could keep Jones as a third quarterback if he shows enough potential.Running backs (3) — Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, Derek Watt: This is one of the positions where a backup spot is up for grabs. Gordon and Ekeler are the one-two punch in the backfield, and Watt is a valuable special teams player with some potential to be more of a factor in the passing game. Either Justin Jackson or Detrez Newsome seems to be the best bet to gain a spot, and if they contribute on special teams both could remain.
Wide receivers (4) — Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Mike Williams: The foursome is one of the best in the NFL, with Mike Williams surging in his first full camp as a professional. Benjamin is a valuable punt returner and a deep threat, Tyrell Williams is evolving into a more well-rounded receiver, and Allen is one of the best in the NFL. The battles for the final receiver spots are the most contested in camp with Artavis Scott, Geremy Davis and injured sixth-round pick Dylan Cantrell all owning strong cases.
Tight Ends (1) — Virgil Green: As of now, there’s only one tight end in camp that’s a lock to make the initial 53, and it’s Green. This is as wide open of a positional battle as exists in camp, with Antonio Gates lurking in the free-agency shadows. Sean Culkin has work to do, but seems to be the most likely of the current crop to secure a spot.
Offensive line (9) — Russell Okung, Dan Feeney, Mike Pouncey, Michael Schofield, Joe Barksdale, Forrest Lamp, Sam Tevi, Spencer Pulley, Scott Quessenberry: This could be the final group. The team opened last season with just eight offensive linemen on the roster, thanks to the versatility of Schofield, Pulley and Quessenberry. If one of the Chargers’ undrafted tackles impresses in the final three weeks, there could be a spot for him.
Defensive line (8) — Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Brandon Mebane, Darius Philon, Damion Square, Isaac Rochell, Justin Jones, Christopher Landrum: The Chargers will add a ninth defensive lineman, Corey Liuget, after his four-game suspension ends. This is essentially the same group from last year, with Landrum replacing Chris McCain, and third-round pick Justin Jones adding bulk up the middle … once he recovers from an ankle injury.
Linebackers (7) — Denzel Perryman, Jatavis Brown, Uchenna Nwosu, Kyzir White, Kyle Emmanuel, Hayes Pullard, Nick Dzubnar: Nwosu and White could end up as starters — with Nwosu doubling as a defensive lineman in pass-rush situations — but that could take some time, meaning Emmanuel and Brown could be in the first 11 for a few weeks. This is a position where an under-the-radar player can shine on special teams and steal a spot.
Cornerbacks (5) — Casey Hayward, Trevor Williams, Desmond King, Jaylen Watkins, Michael Davis: The Chargers will add one or more to this group, which became thin with Jason Verrett’s Achilles injury. Davis’ skills have been impressive in his second training camp, along with his optimal size for the position. Craig Mager, who spent last year on the practice squad, has had a strong camp too.
Safeties (4) — Jahleel Addae, Rayshawn Jenkins, Derwin James, Adrian Phillips: All four should see the field in different situations, though all might be best suited to play close to the line of scrimmage. Watkins is also an option to play some safety.
Special teams (3) — Drew Kaser, Mike Windt: The Chargers know their long snapper. They know their punter. Their kicker? That’s still to be determined, right Caleb Sturgis and Roberto Aguayo?
Including a placekicker that’s 46 players, leaving seven spots. One will be a running back and another a wide receiver. We know two more tight ends will be needed.
That leaves three spots to be split between, perhaps, a third quarterback, a sixth cornerback, a sixth wide receiver, a fourth running back, a fourth tight end, an extra offensive tackle, an extra defensive lineman and a special-teams oriented linebacker.
And it’s up to the Chargers to find the right pieces and make sure they all fit.
Perhaps the Chargers next game vs Saints will help Anthony Lynn make some tough decisions.
