The Good, Bad, and Ugly in Chargers Blowout Win Over Redskins

The Los Angeles Chargers destroyed the Washington Redskins, 30-13. Philip Rivers continued his stellar play as he attacked the Redskins deep down the field.

Defensively, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram were held in check, but without any running game Kirk Cousins couldn’t keep Washington in the game.

There wasn’t much to complain about, but heading into the biggest game of the season, work still needs to be done.

The Good

Hunter Henry

While the Chargers continue their playoff run, the entire nation will be introduced to Hunter Henry. In his second season, he is truly the heir apparent to Antonio Gates.

Henry was a complete mismatch against the Redskins. He had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. The gameplan should be a simple one for offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, get Henry the football.

Tyrell Williams

This is the first time that Tyrell Williams has had a big game since week four. With Keenan Allen and Henry emerging, Williams hasn’t seen as many targets. Although, he has dropped some big passes this season.

Williams was due for a big day. His big 75-yard TD pass will highlight his performance, but he ended his day with four catches for a whopping 132 yards.

Desmond King

Vernon Davis made King look awful early on. However, the rookie responded and put together a really strong game, ending his day with nine tackles.

He made a phenomenal tackle on Samje Perine and recorded his fourth sack on the season. King has made a play in seemingly every game and it’s clear that defensive coordinator Gus Bradley trusts him. When the team needs to dial up the pressure, Bradley calls on King to get to the quarterback.

Denzel Perryman

Since his return from injury, Perryman has been at his best. When the Redskins treid to get moving on the ground, Perryman met the backs with force. Even though the pass rush was held in check for the most part, Perryman shut down the Redskins rushing attack.

When Perryman went down with an injury, the entire fan base held their breath. Thankfully he only missed a play or two. It’ll still be worth keeping an eye on him throughout the week, but he will be a big factor in Saturday’s matchup in Kansas City.

Philip Rivers

Rivers is on fire. Despite looking quite old in earlier in the season, he has been rejuvenated during the second half of the season.

The 14-year veteran hasn’t slowed down in weeks. The key for Rivers has been taking care of the football. During this four game winning streak, Rivers hasn’t thrown an interception. He has done a good job on the season as a whole, with only seven picks, Rivers may end the season in single digits for the first time since 2009.

This should sum up Rivers’ performance of late...

Rivers went 18-of-31 for 319 yards and a pair of TDs. As December rolls on, Chargers fans can put their faith in Rivers.

The Bad

Austin Ekeler

Ekeler looked pretty good on the ground today. However, him not falling down after getting putting the Bolts in field goal range is inexcusable. Instead of falling down and keeping a few seconds on the clock before halftime, Ekeler tried to be a hero and set his sights on the end zone.

Ekeler didn’t make it.

There may have been enough time to for the team to call a timeout, but that play shouldn’t have come down to one second. Ekeler made a rookie mistake and took points off of the board.

Pass rush

The Redskins offense line was banged up heading into this game and it looked like a perfect formula to get after Cousins. The Bolts only managed a pair of sacks on the day. The devastating duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram were held in check.

Regardless, the Chargers defense only gave up six points. The unit as a whole stepped up and shut down a pretty solid offense.

The Ugly

Red Zone Woes

If Los Angeles was able to get into the end zone in the first half, it might have been a 30-point game at halftime.

Yet again, the Bolts couldn’t convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns. In the first half, Los Angeles had four red zone trips and only managed to score a touchdown once. With how well Kansas City’s offense has been, this cannot happen on Saturday.

On the plus side, t least Travis Coons was able to make a few field goals to extend the lead.

Kellen Clemens

It’s hard to pick on Kellen Clemens because he rarely sees the field, but he probably isn’t the best option as a backup.

His attempt to Mike Williams running a slant route was brutal and it led to a pick-six.

It was nice to see the Chargers go to the backups so early, so there’s that.