The three best things from Chargers-Falcons

In a stunning display, The San Diego Chargers were uncharacteristically solid at the end of their game against the Atlanta Falcons. Philip Rivers made some great throws, the defense held strong against the run and Melvin Gordon ran harder than ever. Finally, Chargers fans will wake up Monday morning with a smile.

Melvin Gordon

Melvin Gordon was a beast today. Of course, his yards per carry stat was low, but he provided some tough runs that kept drives alive late in the game. Gordon tallied 68 yards on 22 carries with a pair of rushing touchdowns.

The best part about Gordon’s performance was his fourth-and-one run where he looked to be stopped behind the line of scrimmage and then bounced to the outside to pick up the biggest first down of the ball game.

Coming in a close second was his performance as a receiver. He caught six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. It was reminiscent of when Danny Woodhead was coming out of the backfield. Gordon snagged a bunch of balls behind the line of scrimmage that turned into big plays.

Tyrell Williams

After a quiet game against Denver last week, Tyrell Williams exploded against the Atlanta Falcons. Williams caught seven passes for 140 yards. Rivers went deep to Williams multiple times and he was rewarded.

The longest reception of the day for Williams was a 49-yarder on a dime of a pass from Rivers. Even though the passes to Williams were generally deep down the field, he hauled in 70% of his targets. That’s no typical for a deep threat like himself. The rapport between Williams and Rivers is improving and the two should continue to be a fantastic combo for the remainder of the season.

Joey Bosa

It’s official. Joey Bosa is the real deal. He put together a dominating performance. He lined up against Atlanta’s tackle Ryan Schraeder and beat him over and over again.

When the final whistle blew, Bosa had two sacks, two quarterback hits, and five total tackles. Whether it was rushing the passer or stopping the run, Bosa was tremendous.

The Falcons went away from Bosa in the run game and double teamed him on multiple occasions on passing downs. There is no doubt that Bosa is making a major impact and teams are already taking notice.

(I’m going to cheat here a little)

Josh Lambo

Kickers deserve a little credit too. Josh Lambo was clutch today. He hit four field goals including game-winner in overtime. Enough said.