Seahawks vs. Chargers: Full Report Card Grades for San Diego
For the second week in a row, the San Diego Chargers took a lead into the fourth quarter, and this time, they kept it.
The Chargers handed the Seattle Seahawks their first regular-season loss since Week 16 of last year in front of a sellout crowd at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego improved to 1-1 on the season, but more importantly, they proved themselves the better football team against the Super Bowl champions.
Before we move forward with the Buffalo Bills next week, let's take a look back at how the units graded out in the upset.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Bloodied but not broken, Philip Rivers threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns to Antonio Gates to lead the Bolts past the league's top-ranked defense.
No. 17 stuck to his guns in the win, spreading the ball out for 28 completions against the Seattle defense, and he showed no fear in directing passes toward Richard Sherman's side of the field. Rivers was also credited in picking up two first downs with his legs to go along with 17 yards on 11 carries.
The attitude Rivers displayed on the field was also a contributing factor in the win. On top of his leadership under center, Rivers played with a lot of emotion—a characteristic that might have been drawn out with the recent news that his longtime center, Nick Hardwick, was done for the season with a neck injury.
""I thought about him quite a bit out there.” QB Philip Rivers on Nick Hardwick.
— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) September 14, 2014"
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The ground game had a rather pedestrian outing with 101 yards on 37 carries, but the effort made on Sunday was far better than the one put forth in Arizona last week.
The 37 rushing attempts aimed to eat up the clock, and by the final whistle, I'd say San Diego owned that stat with a little over 42 minutes in time of possession. What really jumped out from this unit was the number of targets it received. In the loss to the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego's backs totaled just three catches, and on Sunday, they finished with nine.
The inclusion of Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown in the passing game allowed Rivers to get the ball out more quickly, and it helped deter a front seven that was fairly efficient in stopping the run.
San Diego was dealt a huge blow in the fourth quarter, however, when Ryan Mathews was carted off the field with a knee injury. Mathews, the feature back for the Chargers, finished with 31 yards on 11 carries and had two catches.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
With the Legion of Boom in town, it was expected that Keenan Allen and Malcom Floyd would have a long day ahead of them, but the Chargers found production elsewhere.
Eddie Royal had just one catch for 20 yards along with two dropped passes in the season opener against Arizona, but his luck changed on Sunday as he tallied seven catches for 69 yards. Joining him with seven receptions for 96 yards was Antonio Gates, who hauled in three scores.
The Rivers-to-Gates connection has now produced 65 career touchdowns—the most by a quarterback-tight end tandem in NFL history. For his insanely tasty one-handed TD grab in the third quarter, I was left with no choice but to add a plus to this grade.
Grade: A+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Seattle's defense dropped Aaron Rodgers three times in Week 1 with a backup center on the O-line. Against a Chargers line that was faced with the same problem, the Seahawks recorded just one sack on Rivers.
The all-around performance from the offensive line was far from perfect, though. Michael Bennett proved to be especially difficult to handle with a sack and three QB hits, and Tony McDaniel fought through blocks for five tackles.
For a unit that isn't known for its pass protection, I saw an improved effort from all five spots. At center, Rich Ohrnberger looked comfortable aside from a botched snap to Rivers. King Dunlap's exit in the second half was concerning at first, but the diagnosis of heat cramps was relieving.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Faced with the task of disrupting a potent Seahawks rushing attack, I'd have to say the Chargers D-line looked impressive in clogging run lanes and chasing Russell Wilson out of the pocket.
When Wilson was forced to leave the pocket, San Diego was also quick to shut down open lanes. The Seattle QB carried the ball just twice for 18 yards. Keeping Marshawn Lynch under wraps was another highlight for the defense. Beast Mode was held to 36 yards on six carries.
Corey Liuget had the best individual performance by far with two stops, a tackle for loss and a QB hit. Liuget was able to force his way into the backfield on multiple occasions and cause the pocket to collapse on Wilson.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
No Jarret Johnson, no problem. San Diego was without its run-stuffing linebacker, who tended to his wife after she went into labor earlier on Sunday.
Dwight Freeney started in Johnson's place and used the spin move to perfection on a number of snaps to hurry the Seahawks' passing game. Freeney ended the day with just one sack but was seen wreaking havoc on the left side of Seattle's offensive line.
On the opposite side, Melvin Ingram was just as if not more of a dangerous threat coming off the edge. Ingram tallied a sack of his own and added five tackles working against rookie offensive tackle Justin Britt.
Donald Butler and Manti Te'o had three tackles apiece, but it was Butler who made a pivotal shoestring tackle on Wilson in the fourth quarter as he attempted to pick up a first down himself. Even Kavell Conner got in on the action with his forced fumble on a kickoff return by Percy Harvin.
You couldn't have asked for more from this unit.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
The Chargers asked a lot from rookie corner Jason Verrett when he was named a starter in place of the injured Brandon Flowers (groin), but the TCU product handled himself just fine against the Seahawks. Verrett had the second-most tackles on the team with five, and his running mate, Shareece Wright, topped the chart with seven stops, a tackle for loss and a batted down pass.
Eric Weddle and Marcus Gilchrist combined for seven tackles in the victory, and the Chargers secondary held Seattle's receivers in check for 17 catches and 202 yards.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Nick Novak led the effort on special teams with three made field goals from 28, 43 and 50 yards out. The San Diego kicker continues to prove himself as a trustworthy option, and his 12 points played a big role in the win.
The Chargers were also fortunate enough to put a lid on Harvin in the return game, even forcing a fumble from No. 11.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
After a tough loss to the Cardinals on Monday Night Football, Mike McCoy got the energy he needed from his team on a short week up against the reigning champs. The Chargers were a much-improved squad in all facets of the game and were especially resilient in holding onto a lead down the stretch.
Offensively, I thought Frank Reich called a good game. He incorporated his running backs on offense and capitalized on the mismatch with Gates and the Seattle linebackers/safeties. San Diego executed its plan on offense and was not intimidated by the league's best defense.
The defensive effort was even more impressive. Defensive coordinator John Pagano seemed to have all the answers against Seattle and made it a point to hassle Wilson early and often. San Diego held the Seahawks to 3-of-8 on third down and just seven points in the second half.
Grade: A
Final Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | A |
| Running Back | B |
| WR and TE | A+ |
| Offensive Line | C+ |
| Defensive Line | B |
| Linebacker | A |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
No one can take anything from what the Chargers did on Sunday. Seattle struggled here and there, but San Diego played the better game and worked for the victory.
Today's win was very reminiscent of last season when the Chargers went into Denver and stunned the Broncos on Thursday Night Football. In 2013, San Diego played its best football against the better teams, and that's what appeared to happen here in 2014.
The Chargers knew they were underdogs, but they fed off the vibe of a sold-out crowd and overcame the heat...literally.
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