The Chargers came out of Week 1 with more questions than answers, and Jim Harbaugh didn’t hide from that after the loss to Arizona. He said the game exposed a preseason built on plenty of ideas that never quite translated once the real thing started.
“You have a lot of visions coming to a new team and working on something for months - and the vision never looked like that… It was a case of humble pie. Didn’t feel good to anyone.”
Harbaugh also made it clear he wasn’t pleased with what he saw from the preseason plan, saying he noticed too many mistakes in the opener and wishes he had given the starters more work before the regular season.
One player Harbaugh and the Chargers still expect more from is tight end Oronde Gadsden. He was on the field for just eight snaps in Week 1, but the message from the coaching staff is that his role should grow.
“He’s not doing anything wrong… He’s had a good work week and I’d expect to see more of him.”
McDaniel expanded on that, saying the offense tries to keep opponents guessing by finding different ways to use its personnel and that Gadsden’s usage was tied to how the game unfolded, not to any issue with the player.
“Every week we try to keep the opponent off balance by different ways to utilize people. I expected for him to get more, the game didn’t play out. … We plan on utilizing his skillset… I would expect him to be more involved outside of an unforeseen situation where the game and the parameters with which you’re playing change, in which case we’ll address that.”
The Chargers also have a health issue to monitor with Ladd McConkey, who is dealing with a rib injury and is day-to-day.
In Kansas City, Week 1 looked a lot more like the version the Chiefs wanted. Their 31-10 win over the Broncos came with a defense that forced two turnovers, piled up four sacks, and held Denver to just 176 yards. Andy Reid came away especially impressed with Steve Spagnuolo’s plan.
“Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) had a great game plan for this crew, and when you’re playing that kind of defense, you can do things on offense and take chances,” Reid said, via ChiefsWire. “I thought the defensive line was tremendous in the run and the pass game. Their transition from the run-stopping to transitioning into the play-action game, I thought, was great.”
Reid also singled out L’Jarius Sneed, who was back in the mix and led the team with eight tackles.
“Our secondary is flying around-it’s great to get 38 (L’Jarius Sneed) back in the mix,” Reid said. “Sneed, he might have been the happiest guy out there to have an opportunity to get back on the field and play.
And he’s going to be real sore tomorrow. And he sure did a nice job, as they all did.”
On offense, Eric Bieniemy said he isn’t interested in putting a cap on Kenneth Walker after the running back handled 26 touches in the opener.
“What’d he have 23 carries? People have had a whole lot more than that.”
The Raiders also had reason to feel good after their Week 1 win over the Dolphins, and Tyler Linderbaum drew plenty of praise for his debut in Las Vegas. He didn’t allow a quarterback pressure and helped Ashton Jeanty get to 102 rushing yards.
Klint Kubiak pointed to Linderbaum’s blend of athleticism and brains when describing what makes him so effective.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Kubiak said, via Sam Warren of The Athletic. “He’s a premier athlete at his position, and then to play center, you’ve got to be the smartest guy on the field.
So, he gets everybody on the same page. He plays with great effort, plays with great athleticism.”
One of Linderbaum’s biggest moments came when he delivered the block on Dolphins DE Chop Robinson that helped spring a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Jack Bech. Cousins praised the center for the way he moves and reacts.
“He is a great athlete,” Cousins said. “I think he’s a great example of somebody who plays with a lot of urgency and quickness and twitch and speed. I’m sure it showed on that play and a lot of other ones throughout the game.”
Linderbaum kept it simple when asked about the play, saying he just tried to get a hand on Robinson in the moment.
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Now comes the first true AFC West test, and it arrives at a tricky moment for the Chargers after an upset loss of their own. For Las Vegas, the opener bought some breathing room, but it also raised the standard, because a divisional game like this tends to say more about a team than a season opener ever can. The Raiders no longer just get to talk about progress under Kubiak, they have to show it against a familiar opponent that will be looking to answer back. [Read more 🡒]