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MORSE: Week 17 Preview of the Los Angeles Chargers

Mark Morse

December 27, 2024 at 10:40 am ET

MORSE: Week 17 Preview of the Los Angeles Chargers

(PHOTO: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)

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The Patriots come home to finish off the season with a pair of games against quality, playoff bound teams. This Saturday, the Patriots host the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are under the guidance of 1^st year Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. He has them playing very tough despite a rash of injuries.

Offense

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
QB	Justin Herbert	Taylor Heinicke	Easton Stick	–
RB	Gus Edwards Q	Kimani Vidal	Hassan Haskins	J.K. Dobbins IR
WR	Ladd McConkey	DJ Chark	Brenden Rice IR
WR	Quentin Johnston	Derius Davis	Jalen Reagor IR	–
WR	Joshua Palmer	Simi Fehoko IR
TE	Will Dissly Q	Stone Smartt	Hayden Hurst Q	Tucker Fisk Q
FB	Scott Matlock
LT	Rashawn Slater	Foster Sarell	Tyler McLellan IR	–
LG	Zion Johnson	Jordan McFadden	–	–
C	Bradley Bozeman	Sam Mustipher	Brenden Jaimes	Bucky Williams IR
RG	Trey Pipkins III Q	Jamaree Salyer
RT	Joe Alt	–

The Offense is ranked 24^th Overall with 307.3 yards per game. Passing they rank 24^th and Rushing they are 22^nd with 106.5 yards per game. Scoring Offense they are 16^th with 21.9 Points Per Game. In the Red Zone they rank 14^th with 57.5% and on 3^rd Down they are 17^th at 37.9%.

QB Justin Herbert is having a resurgence under Harbaugh. The Ringer has him ranked as the #4 QB in the league. ESPN gives him a 98.4 rating. For the year he has completed 278 of 430 passes for a 64.7% completion percentage. He has thrown 18 TDs and 3 INTs. The 2020 Round 1 (#6) pick by LAC played at Oregon. Herbert stands 6’6” and 236 pounds. His PFF rating is 89.5, ranked 4^th.

The Wide Receiver group has been completely revamped. They released Mike Williams, traded Keenan Allen to Chicago for a 4^th Round pick. LAC also fleeced the Patriots rookie GM Eliot Wolf when they traded for the Patriots 2024 2^nd round pick #34 to select potential Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate WR Ladd McConkey. The Patriots didn’t even get an extra draft pick out of the deal. Wolf traded #34 and #137 for #37 and #110. The Patriots selected Ja’Lynn Polk (bust) and Javon Baker (wasted pick). McConkey has 69 catches on 94 targets, 960 yards, 13.9 YPC, 5 TDs and a Fumble. The Georgia product stands 6’, 185-pounds and runs a 4.39 40-yard dash. He was flat out uncoverable at the Senior Bowl and that has translated to the Pros. His PFF grade is 79.5 good for 22^nd.

Joshua Plamer is another exciting wideout taken by LAC in the 3^rd round (#78) of the 2021 draft. The TCU product stands 6’2”, 210-pounds. On the season he has 35 receptions on 59 targets for 543 yards, a 15.5 YPC and a TD. His PFF rating is 66.7 good for 85^th in the league. Quentin Johnston is a big play receiver. He is 6’3”, 200-pounds from LSU. On the year he has 37 catches on 69 targets for 477 yards, a 12.9 YPC and 8 TDs. Johnston was drafted by LAC in the 1^st round (#22) of the 2021 draft. His PFF rating is 65.3 good for 94^th.

The Chargers have been hit hard by injuries to the receivers with Jalen Reagor, Simi Fehoko and Brenden Rice all on IR. DJ Chark would be the 4^th wideout. The 6’4” 200-pound receiver has just 3 catches on 3 targets. The former Jacksonville Jaguar was selected in the 2018 draft 2^nd round (#61). His PFF rating is 59.2 good for 140^th.

At Runningback they will miss Gus Edwards who is listed as Out for Saturday. JK Dobbins their leading rusher has been on IR but started practicing on a limited basis this week. However, he did not participate on Thursday and is listed as Questionable. Rookie Kimani Vidal is the backup. The 5’8” 218-pound back is a load. The Troy product has rushed 38 times for 131 yards, 3.4 YPC, no TDs and 2 fumbles. His PFF rating is 54.1 good for 109^th. With Dobbins sidelined Hassan Haskins might see more time. The 6’2” 228-pound back played for Michigan and was drafted by TEN in the 2022 draft in the 4^th Round (#141). He has 14 carries for just 26 yards, a 1.9 YPC with 1 TD and 1 fumble. His PFF rating is 54.9 good for 104^th. Scott Matlock is listed as the Fullback. The 6’4” 296-pound two-way player from Boise State plays Defensive Tackle and Fullback.

The Tight End group is a good one with Will Dissly and Stone Smartt. Dissly was signed away from Seattle who drafted him in the 2018 draft in the 4^th round (#120). The 6’4” 265-pound end played for Washington collegiately. On the year he has 43 catches on 55 targets for 413 yards, 9.7 YPC and a TD. His PFF rating is 68.5 and is tied with Hunter Henry for 22^nd in the league. Dissly is listed as Questionable for Saturday, but he was a full participant in practice on Thursday. Smartt, a 6’4” 226-pound end is really big wide receiver playing TE. He played collegiately at Old Dominion. On the year he has 14 catches on 17 targets for 185 yards, 13.5 YPC. Smartt was signed by LAC after the 2022 draft as an Undrafted Free Agent. His PFF rating is 71.5 good for 17^th.

Left Tackle is Rashawn Slater. The 6’4” 315 Tackle from Northwestern ran a 4.88 40-yard dash. Slater was taken in the 2021 Draft 1 (#13) by LAC and made the Pro Bowl and 2^nd Team All-Pro as a rookie. His PFF rating is an excellent 91.1, good for 4^th in the league at his position. Slater doesn’t turn 26 until next year. Zion Johnson from BC is the LG. The 6’3” 316-pound guard was taken in the 2022 draft 1^st round (#17). He has a PFF rating of 67.6 good for 37^th. Starting Center is veteran Bradley Bozeman. The Alabama product stands 6’5”, 305-pounds and was selected in the 2018 Draft by Baltimore in the 6^th Round (#215). His PFF rating is 58.8 good for 43^rd.

Jamaree Salyer will fill in for Trey Pipkin who has been ruled out. The 6’4” 325-pound Guard played for Georgia and was selected by LAC in the 2022 draft, 6^th (#195). His PFF Rating is 52.9 good for 103^rd. The Right Tackle is the guy I wanted the Patriots to draft. I’m happy with Drake Maye, but he had so many flaws, little experience, never took a snap under center and has small hands. The Patriots needed a Left Tackle that would be the cornerstone of the team for 10 years. Joe Alt is that guy and LAC has the luxury of playing him at Right Tackle. The 6’8” 322-pound tackle is the son of former KC Chief Tackle John Alt. The Notre Dame product was taken by the Chargers in the 1^st round (#5) this year. His PFF rating is 78.5 good for 16^th. He is the #1 rookie Offensive Lineman from this year’s draft.

Defense

	Starter	2nd	3rd
LDE	Morgan Fox	Scott Matlock	–
NT	Otito Ogbonnia Q	Teair Tart
RDE	Poona Ford	Justin Eboigbe	–
WLB	Joey Bosa	Tuli Tuipulotu	Chris Collins IR
LILB	Daiyan Henley	Nick Niemann	Shaq Quarterman
RILB	Denzel Perryman Q	Troy Dye	Junior Colson
SLB	Khalil Mack	Bud Dupree	Chris Rumph II IR
LCB	Cam Hart Q	Deane Leonard	Asante Samuel Jr IR
SS	Derwin James	Tony Jefferson Q
FS	Elijah Molden Q	Alohi Gilman IR	Marcus Maye IR
RCB	Kristian Fulton	Tarheeb Still	Eli Apple IR
NB	Derwin James	Ja’Sir Taylor	Elijah Molden Q

The Defense is ranked 16^th giving up 337.9 yards a game. They are a bend / don’t break Defense. Passing they are ranked 16^th giving up 213.8 yards a game. Rush Defense is ranked 17^th at 124.1 yards a game. Overall Scoring they are ranked 2^nd giving up just 18.3 points a game. In the Red Zone they protect the house as the best team in the league with a 44.7%. On 3rd Down they are 10^th at 37.1%.

Morgan Fox starts at Left Defensive End. The 6’3” 275 DT played at Colorado State-Pueblo. After the 2016 draft he was signed as a UDFA by the Raiders. He has 25 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks and 4 Tackles for Loss (TFL). His PFF rating is 53 good for 127^th. At the Nose Tackle is Otito Ogbonnia. The 6’4” 320-pound tackle played at UCLA and was taken by LAC in the 2022 draft 5^th round (#160). On the year he has 33 Tackles. His PFF rating is 37.8 199^th in the league.

Joey Bosa is 6’ 5” 280-pounds LB out of Ohio State. He was taken by LAC in the 1^st Round (#3). For the year he has 21 Tackles, 3 Sacks and 5 TFLs. His PFF Rating is 65.3 good for 71^st. Bosa has missed 3 games and parts of others due to injuries. Daiyan Henley leads the team in tackles with 143, 1 Sack and 7 TFLs. The 6’2 225 backer played at Michigan State and was taken in the 2023 draft 3^rd round (#86). His PFF rating is 70.1 good for 50^th. Denzel Perryman is a 5’11” 240-pound linebacker out of Miami. He was selected in the 2015 draft by LAC in the 2^nd Round (#45). His PFF rating is 60.8 good for 89^th. Khalil Mack is a highly decorated 11-year veteran. The 6’3” 269-pound linebacker was selected as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, 4 x 1^st Team All-Pro, one 2^nd team All-Pro, 8x Pro Bowl and 2x Butkus Award winner as the best Linebacker in the NFL. Mack was selected by the Raiders in the 2015 draft 1^st Round (#5) out of Buffalo University. The future Hall of Famer has 37 Tackles, 5 Sacks and 5 TFLs. His PFF Rating is 90.6 good for 4^th in the league amongst LBs.

In the secondary Cam Hart is the starting LCB. The rookie out of Notre Dame is 6’2” 207-pounds and was selected in the 5^th round (#141) of this year’s draft. He has 34 Tackles and a half Sack. His PFF rating is 55.2 good for 155^th. Hart is Questionable for Saturday. Derwin James plays all over the field. He is the starting Safety but also plays the Nickle Back. The 6’2” 205-pound Safety played at Florida State and was taken in the 2018 draft by LAC 1^st round (#17). He has 88 Tackles , 3 sacks and 7 TFLs on the season. His PFF rating is 78.4 good for 12^th.

Elijah Molden is the other Safety. The 5’10” 192-pound safety played for Washington in college. He was drafted in the 2021 draft by Tennessee in the 3^rd Round (#61). For the season he has 71 tackles, and 2 TFLs. His PFF rating is 77.4 good for 15^th. Kristian Fulton rounds out the secondary. The 5’11” 197-pound DB played at LSU. He was selected by Tennessee in the 2020 Draft 2^nd Round (#61). He has 44 Tackles and 2 TFLs. His PFF Rating is 72.7 good for 37^th. The Chargers secondary is banged up. Top backup Tony Jefferson is Questionable along with Hart and Molden. They lost Alohi Gilman, Marcus Maye, and Eli Apple to IR. Don’t be surprised if Deanne Leonard and Tarheed Still end up getting playing time.

Special Teams

	Starter	2nd
PK	Cameron Dicker	–
P	JK Scott Q	–
H	JK Scott Q
PR	Derius Davis	Ladd McConkey
KR	Derius Davis	Ladd McConkey
LS	Josh Harris

The Chargers and Kicker Cameron Dicker were involved in one of the most exciting and obscure plays of the season, the Fair Catch-Free Kick. Jim Harbaugh knew the rule that awards a team a Free Kick after a Fair Catch (Punt or Kickoff). Derius Davis signaled for a Fair Catch at the Chargers 48-yard line. He was run into by the Broncos defenders. That wiped out a fumble but worse added 10-yards for the penalty, putting the ball at the Broncos 42. Harbaugh knew the rule and was awarded a Free Kick, meaning the Broncos had to play 10-yards off the Line of Scrimmage. Dicker attempted a 59-yard Field Goal with no rush and put the ball right through the uprights

Dicker is 9^th best Kicker in the league based on points scored. He is 31 of 33 on FG attempts and 27 of 30 on PAT conversions.

JK Scott is listed as Questionable for the game. Scott is ranked 21^st in Punt Average and 16^th in Net Yardage.

Derius Davis handles the return duties. On kickoff return he ranks 5^th in the league and on Punts he is 11^th.

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About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.