Even though it was a Los Angeles Chargers preseason game, the Chargers took the first game in Sofi Stadium between the two Los Angeles rivals.
The Chargers start the preseason 1-0, after a strong defensive showing. Scoring certainly wasn’t easy for either squad, but there were plenty of highlights in narrow victory. Chargers’ head coach Brandon Staley earned a win in his head-coaching debut, defeating his former team where he served as defensive coordinator last season.
Takeaways From the Chargers Preseason Win
The offense for the Chargers on the first drive showed great signs, even with the most of the backups playing. The drive lasted just under 10 minutes, finishing with a field goal by Tristan Vizcaino. Chase Daniel seemed to control the offense and rookie receiver Josh Palmer caught four passes on that drive alone. They couldn’t convert for the touchdown, but I’m sure the coaching staff was pleased with the first drive of the season.
Running back Darius Bradwell scored the only touchdown on the night, with a one-yard run.
The Chargers defense played well all game long. Defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill surprised the Rams with the amount of blitzes he called throughout the game. The linebackers all played stellar and Kazir White seemed to have shown up quite a few times.
The special teams units handled their business for the most part. The punt team continues to struggle, though. Last season they had difficulties containing the edge, as well as finishing easy tackles. The Chargers converted on all three of their kicks which is a positive sign moving forward.
Chargers Offense
Rashawn Slater – In 21 snaps in the game, Slater allowed zero pressures. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft proved he belongs in the NFL. Quarterback Justin Herbert certainly loved what he saw from his blind side protection.
Josh Palmer – The rookie didn’t waste any time settling in, as Josh Palmer caught four passes for 27 yards on the opening drive, showing great hands on all the catches. He finished the game with six catches and 36 yards. Palmer is bigger than anyone expected him to be, and he will be a key factor moving forward, especially in the preseason.
Chase Daniel – Daniel played the entire first half for the Chargers, completing 15-24 passes for 104 yards. He didn’t light up the field by any means, but showed confidence in his ability to control the offense.
Easton Stick – Stick finished the game off at quarterback for the entire second half. He finished a perfect 7-7 with 63 yards on the night.
Larry Rountree III – The rookie running back played very well and finished tied with the most carries. He finished the game with eight carries for 63 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. Rountree III created a highlight real in the second half that helped the Chargers convert a TD on the drive.
Defense
Kazir White – White showed up in the first game. He finished with four tackles and one for loss. He seemed to have brought the energy that the defense needed to shut down the Rams offense all night long.
Nick Niemann – One of the other linebackers also found themselves involved a bit as he ended with seven tackles and four solo tackles.
Chris Rumph II – The fourth round draft pick ended the night with five tackles and 0.5 sacks. He also managed to get a QB hit, proving his elite pass rushing ability.
I could go on and name more, but it was really a group effort out there and the entire defense did their jobs shutting down the Rams’ offense.
Special teams
Tristan Vizcaino – Vizcaino started the game as the primary kicker, going 2-2 in field goal attempts. He is going to give last year’s kicker Michael Badgley a run for his money this preseason. He could even earn the job.
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