The final score in the preseason doesn’t matter but the Los Angeles Chargers loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it does tell the tale of the tape. The Chargers defense held the Seahawks offense to just 16 points. But the offense was only able to muster one field goal.
As such, most of the Chargers studs are on the defense, far too many to mention in an article. Conversely, all the duds are from the offense.
Studs From Chargers Preseason – Week 1
Nick Niemann, LB:
Nick Niemann faces an uphill battle to make the Bolts roster, but he made a good case for himself on Saturday. He led the team in tackles, STOPs, and quarterback pressures. He also led the team in defensive snaps. He was also in on the 4th down goal line stand that kept the Seahawks from running away with the game.
He is buried on the depth chart behind free agent acquisitions; Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye, as well as rookie Junior Colson and sophomore Daiyan Henley. If Niemann can keep this up the Chargers will be forced into a hard decision.
Dicker The Kicker:
Not only did Cameron Dicker score the only Bolt points of the game, but he also made an incredible tackle (for a kicker) and had a great post-game interview. The tackle even impressed one of the league’s best open-field tacklers, Derwin James, who said Dicker looked like a safety out there.
Joe Alt, RT:
This is a stretch and irresponsible to add an offensive player as a ‘stud,’ but even a faint light in a pitch-black room is worth noticing.
The Chargers coaching staff opted to keep Alt on the field for an extended look. Alt played 40 percent of the offensive snaps. He allowed only one pressure and earned the O-line’s highest run-blocking grade per PFF. He delivered an expert block on the biggest rush of the day, Jaret Patterson‘s 16-yard rush.
Duds From Chargers Preseason – Week 1
Easton Stick, QB:
Easton Stick‘s stat line is really all you need to know about his performance; 5 of 13 for 31 yards and an interception with a quarterback rating of 14.6. He also had a 5.5-yard average depth of target, meaning he was not attempting to push the ball downfield. His preferred targets were running backs.
He appeared to be over his head and skittish in the pocket. The Chargers need to find a solid backup with Justin Herbert‘s health a looming question.
Chargers Wide Receivers:
This position group has many questions baked into it and none were able to be answered because the Chargers quarterbacks were so bad.
Brenden Rice showed his separation ability but was unable to come up with a catch on three targets. Simi Fohoko had the best day, late in the game. He caught three of four targets for 33 yards.
