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San Diego Chargers PFF Gradebook: Week 7

Your weekly look at how the Chargers performed against the Jaguars according to Pro Football Focus, and a preview for what the Bolts will face next week. Who impressed and who disappointed?

By Kevin Grauel
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Offense

Another brilliant game from Philip Rivers. His +2.6 overall grade was brought down by a -1.3 grade running (or should I say waddling?) the ball. Of his 26 attempted passes, he had 1 batted pass, 1 throw away, and he was hit as he was thrown once. This gives him an Accuracy Percentage of 95.7, completing 22 of 23 "aimed passes". Rivers leads the NFL in such percentage with an 82.9 on the season. He is also first in accuracy percentage under pressure (75.9), first in completion percentage (78.4) and QB rating (156.9) when using play action, and fourth in deep passing completion percentage (50), all according to Pro Football Focus. So, yeah, this guy is good.

Johnnie Troutman is having an excellent season, in what is effectively his rookie season. Troutman spent all of 2012 on IR but has come back in 2013 to give a battered Chargers offensive line a huge boost. He boasted a +3.8 grade overall against the Jacksonville Jaguars, largely due to a monster game run blocking. Troutman can be seen mauling defensive tackles, blocking linebackers at the second level, and finishing blocks-- a few traits rarely seen by San Diego Charger offensive lineman in recent memory.

On the other hand, Antonio Gates had a game to forget. He finished with a -3.3 overall grade, thanks to only 31 receiving yards and abysmal run blocking. Gates leads the Bolts with 42 receptions and has been Rivers' go-to-guy in 2013, but his run blocking ranks 45th out of 56 qualifying tight ends, according to PFF. Meanwhile, Ladarius Green fights for more playing time. He has only managed to get on the field for 92 snaps, but has a slightly higher PFF grade than Gates (+2.4 to +2.3). Green actually has a positive grade run blocking, which was the knock on him coming out of school. Combine that with his receiving skills and big play ability, there is no reason for Ladarius Green not to see more snaps in 2013.

Defense

Corey Liuget continues to improve after a rough start. He totaled 2 sacks and 4 hurries to create a lot of pressure up the middle of the offensive line. He had only 5 QB disruptions in the first 4 games, but has 11 disruptions in the last 3 games. His stops have also increased, after none in the first 3 games, he has 10 in the last 4 games.

Thomas Keiser teamed up with Liuget to carry the team's pass rush. He topped Liuget with 2 sacks and 5 hurries and an impressive +2.7 pass rush grade. The seven pressures tops his total for the past 2 seasons, although he only saw 6 games of action. Keiser's production will be something to watch, as the Chargers have very, very little pass rushing depth at OLB, as fellow pass rushers Tourek Williams and Larry English rushed the passer 46 times only to muster up 1 measly hurry.

In what has been a very frustrating situation at safety this season, Marcus Gilchrist had his best game of the season (+2.5) and the best coverage grade of his career (+2.2). His progress is important in shoring up a so far shaky secondary.

Speaking of shaky secondary, Shareece Wright had his 3rd consecutive game in the red (-1.7) he has been graded negatively in coverage in all 4 games he has played this season, and ranks 103rd out of 107 qualifying cornerbacks playing at least 25% of their teams snaps.

Peek to Next Week

Given the Chargers bye in week 8, there will be a more extensive preview for the Redskins next week.


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