By Adam Kerr
The Los Angeles Chargers are off to a rough start in the 2024 preseason, with a 16-3 loss in week one to the Seahawks. The offense struggled to get going throughout the entire game, which made it impossible for the defense to hold off Sam Howell and Seattle. Despite the final score, however, several positives remain to take away from the matchup vs. Seattle. Saturday’s loss can be a sign of things to come, but it can also be a good way for the new coaching regime to learn what needs to be worked on with this roster regarding gameday.
The Good
For starters, the defense looked impressive as a unit. They played with a sense of purpose that Chargers fans hoped they saw during the Brandon Staley era. Jesse Minter has been with this team for a handful of months and is already leaving his mark on the Chargers’ defense. The pass rush with Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree looked suffocating while they were on the field. With these two being the team’s third and fourth Edge Rushers on the roster, it will be electric to watch them behind Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
There was also no shortage of standout players for the Chargers in the first week of preseason football. To stick with the defense, LB Nick Niemann is the reason the final score isn’t more lopsided than it ended up being. A big sack on Sam Howell on a third-and-long. Along with those, Niemann made his presence known throughout the night with ten tackles and six run-stops. Another defensive player worth noting on Saturday was rookie CB Tarheeb Still, who consistently was playing good coverage on his matchups. Still also applied pressure to the QB when blitzing. Other standout players on defense were DT Otito Ogbonnia and backup FS JT Woods.
Even though the offense struggled, some playmakers can keep their heads high after the loss. The first of those playmakers – or “weapons” in Jim Harbaugh’s words – is fifth overall pick RT Joe Alt. In Alt’s first appearance in powder blue, he played an extensive amount of snaps and was nearly perfect. Aside from a play where he let Uchenna Nwosu get right by him, he was exactly as advertised. Another unsung hero of the game is seventh-round pick WR Brenden Rice. The son of the Hall of Famer cannot boast his stats from the game, but he kept finding himself open throughout the game. When the offense is not being led by Easton Stick, Rice may find many of those open looks to be targets (and hopefully catches).
The Bad
It is a surprise to nobody that the Chargers may be in trouble if Justin Herbert is not ready for week one of the regular season. The wide receivers the offense has aren’t enough to establish a passing game with a QB like Easton Stick and set up a competent run game. Speaking of Easton Stick, the current backup for Herbert is going to have to play his best football over the next couple of weeks to retain a roster spot. Stick went 0-4 in games he started in last season and didn’t show any improvement against the Seahawks.
When Stick finished his outing, former TCU QB Max Duggan came in and showed that with a better QB, the offense may not be as bad as many think it will be. While Duggan did not look great either, he was a great improvement over Stick. Lastly, the Chargers brought in former Arlington Renegades QB Luis Perez. Perez didn’t have a lot of time on the field, but he impressed with the limited amount of time that he had. Luis Perez may not be who the Chargers want at QB, but if Herbert is not ready for week one, the former UFL passing leader is fit enough to take the reins for the first week or two of the season.
