The Union-Tribune’s Nick Canepa grades the Chargers following Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Titans:
Quarterbacks: A
Justin Herbert ran in the Chargers first touchdown on a designed play. He took off more than he has in his career and did a great job of juking defenders. Herbert is a much more patient quarterback under Jim Harbaugh. He’s not throwing nearly as much and has thrown but one interception this season. He’s now won three straight and has a 6-3 record.
Running backs: B
Gus Edwards came back from injury hiatus and made himself very useful. Third-stringer Hassan Haskins, who never gets a call, scored from the 1. First stringer J.K. Dobbins had another productive day, teaming with Edwards & Co. for 145 yards on the ground against a solid defense.
Receivers: C+
Quentin Johnston got himself wide open for a touchdown catch in the third quarter that put his side up by 10. Hayden Hurst dropped a potential TD. Will Dissly dropped a perfect throw in the end zone. Return man Derius Davis got into the pass-catching act. Joshua Palmer had a 36-yard catch. Ladd McConkey’s first catch came early in the second half, and in the fourth quarter caught a 37-yarder to get his offense out of a deep hole.
Offensive line: B
Herbert had time to throw and wasn’t sacked. Holes were there for the backs. Nice work.
Defensive line: B
Run defense and tackling had a very poor SAT score early on. But things picked up. Poona Ford had a big sack just before intermission. The Titans’ lone touchdown came in garbage time with 49 seconds remaining.
Linebackers: A-
Joey “The Magic Hip” Bosa played and had a sack. Daiyan Henley had 11 solo tackles and a chasing-the QB sack. Cam Hart had a nice sideline bataway. Tuli Tuipulotu, who is becoming a stud, had two sacks. Then Bud Dupree had one. Seven sacks for the Chargers after six last week.
Secondary: B
Ja’Sir Taylor shouldn’t have been covering Calvin Ridley one-on-one, and he didn’t, allowing a 42-yard touchdown. Derwin James and Alohi Gilman were offside on back-to-back plays. Corner Cam Hart is well on his way to being a good player.
Special teams: A-
Davis had a 56-yard kickoff return, setting up a score. Cameron Dicker The Kicker kicked two field goals. Davis later fielded a punt at the 2 (which teacher never will understand). JK Scott wasn’t terribly busy but punted well, as usual.
Coaching: A
Harbaugh wins games. His plan vs. the Titans was carried out perfectly. It doesn’t take long for his teams to fall prey to the Harbaugh Way. The turnaround by his defense has been extraordinary, and leads the league in fewest points allowed.
Next opportunity — vs. Bengals: B
There is a lot to contend with, what with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase perhaps the best quarterback-receiver tandem in The League. This is the second of three straight home games, and with the Ravens on deck, it has playoff implications.