Jim Harbaugh picked up his first win as Los Angeles Chargers head coach on Sunday afternoon. The 22-10 Week 1 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders wasn’t easy for the Chargers, who trailed 7-6 heading into halftime. However, the second half was more fruitful for the Chargers, who outscored the Raiders 16-3 in the second half.
Here are key takeaways from the Chargers performance.
Penalties were a problem for the Chargers early
The Chargers had four false start penalties in the first half, their most in a half since 2002. Two of the false start penalties were committed by tight end Will Dissly, who also had a holding penalty in the first half. In all, the Chargers racked up seven penalties for 50 yards. The problem was that most of these penalties really backed up the offense and put them into obvious passing situations.
Chargers defense played great
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter put together a great game plan and limited the production of the Raiders offense. The Chargers had four sacks and two fumble recoveries, plus a game-sealing interception by defensive tackle Poona Ford. Los Angeles kept Las Vegas to 5-of-14 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down. Further, the Chargers impressively limited star receiver Davante Adams to five receptions for 59 yards. The L.A. defense has playmakers such as safety Derwin James, cornerback Asantne Samuel Jr. and premier pass-rushers in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. It isn’t a major surprise this unit looked really good right out of the gate.
Smash-mouth football ends up coming through for L.A.
The Chargers didn’t run the ball effectively in the first half, generating just 26 yards on the ground. The second half proved to be a different story. The Chargers finished the day with 176 rushing yards, including 135 and one score from former Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins, who ripped off a long run of 61 yards.
The balanced offensive approach will keep Justin Herbert healthy
Justin Herbert missed most of training camp recovering from a foot injury and he was still listed on the injury report heading into Week 1, albeit as a formality. Herbert also missed the final four games last season after breaking the index finger on his throwing hand. Herbert has to stay healthy in order for the Chargers to make a playoff run.
Harbaugh has made it clear that the offensive line must protect Herbert and that the offense needs to be balanced so that “Herbert doesn’t have to be Superman every single play.” In this opening-week win over the Raiders, the rushing game produced and the O-line held up well enough to keep Herbert upright. Herbert was sacked just once on Sunday, which is stellar considering Raiders defensive stalwart Maxx Crosby (who picked up the lone sack) has the ability to wreak havoc each and every down.
Herbert’s stat-line was efficient, rather than eye-popping, which could happen a lot during the Harbaugh era. The franchise quarterback was 17-of-26 for 144 yards with one passing touchdown. The only stat that really matters, though, is that the Chargers are 1-0 on the season heading into a Week 2 matchup against a Carolina Panthers team that lost 47-10 to the New Orleans Saints.
