The Chargers took care of business in Week 1, defeating Washington by the score of 20-16.
Here’s how every position on the defensive side of the ball graded out in the team’s victory on Sunday:
Interior defensive line — C
The defense was stout against the pass but the run on the other hand, they struggled immensely – allowing 4.7 yards per attempt and 126 rushing yards. The only player who consistently showed up in the department was Christian Covington, who finished with four stops. Linval Joseph and Justin Jones combined for three quarterback pressures, while Jerry Tillery was nonexistent. This a group that needs to improve or else opposing teams will continue to exploit them on the ground.
Edge defender — B
Joey Bosa had the assignment of going up against rookie tackle Samuel Cosmi for the majority of the game, and he gave him his welcome to the NFL. Bosa logged his first sack of 2021 and an additional four quarterback pressures. Uchenna Nwosu also made his presence known with two quarterback hits, one of which knocked Ryan Fitzpatrick out of the game. Kyler Fackrell had a quiet game. Chris Rumph’s playing time came on special teams.
Linebacker — B
Kenneth Murray and Kyzir White primarily made up all of the playing time at the position. Murray led the team with 10 tackles. White did have two missed tackles, but he forced a big fumble to set up a Chargers touchdown late in the game. White finished with five tackles. The two looked comfortable in their new roles, roaming around more freely and having more opportunities to make plays on the football.
Cornerback — B+
Washington was held to 133 yards passing. Yes, it helped that the opposing quarterbacks were pressured 14 times on 30 dropbacks, but it goes to show that the corners played their assignments well and primarily kept everything in front of them. Outside of a play that resulted in Terry McLaurin gaining 34 yards, Michael Davis had a solid game, especially as a tackler. Rookie Asante Samuel Jr. was dinged for a ticky tacky pass interference call, but he followed that up with a few standout plays in coverage on Dyami Brown. Chris Harris Jr. was also strong against the pass, only allowing two passes for 15 yards.
Safety — B+
Derwin James made an impact in his return to the field after missing all of last season. James finished second on the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection. What stands out the most, however, is that he recorded a 90.0 grade (second among safeties) and a 90.2 coverage grade (first among safeties), per Pro Football Focus. Nasir Adderley had a bit of an up-and-down day. Adderley failed to make a play on McLaurin’s long reception and he gave up a touchdown to Logan Thomas on the following play. In addition, Adderley made a bad read on a deep ball that resulted in Samuel being penalized, which ended in points for Washington. Adderley showed improvement as a tackler, which is a plus.
