Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh manage victory over Titans – San Diego Union-Tribune

Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune rates the Chargers after Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Titans:

Quarterbacks: A

Justin Herbert ran for the Chargers’ first touchdown on a planned play. He had more success than ever before in his career and did an excellent job of blowing away defenders. Herbert is a much more patient quarterback under Jim Harbaugh. He doesn’t throw nearly as much and has only thrown one interception this season. He has now won three straight and has a record of 6-3.

Running Backs: B

Gus Edwards returned from injury and proved to be very useful. Third player Hassan Haskins, who never gets a chance, scored from the first minute. Freshman JK Dobbins had another productive day as he and Edwards & Co. managed 145 yards on the ground against a solid defense.

Receiver: C+

Quentin Johnston had a touchdown catch in the third quarter that put his team ahead by 10 points. Hayden Hurst dropped a potential touchdown. Will Dissly dropped a perfect throw into the end zone. Returnee Derius Davis took over the pass-catching duties. Joshua Palmer had a 36-yard catch. Ladd McConkey’s first catch came early in the second half, and he caught a 37-yarder in the fourth quarter to get his offense out of a deep hole.

Offensive line: B

Herbert had time to throw and was not sacked. There were holes for the back. Nice work.

Defensive line: B

Run defense and tackling had a very poor SAT value at the beginning. But things took off. Poona Ford had a big sack just before halftime. The Titans’ only touchdown came in garbage time with 49 seconds left.

Linebacker: A-

Joey “The Magic Hip” Bosa played and got a sack. Daiyan Henley had 11 solo tackles and a chase-the-QB sack. Cam Hart had a nice sideline bataway. Tuli Tuipulotu, who is developing into a stud stallion, had two sacks. Then Bud Dupree had one. Seven sacks for the Chargers after six sacks last week.

Secondary: B

Ja’Sir Taylor shouldn’t have covered Calvin Ridley one-on-one, and he didn’t, allowing a 42-yard touchdown. Derwin James and Alohi Gilman were offside on consecutive plays. Corner Cam Hart is well on his way to becoming a good player.

Special Teams: A-

Davis had a 56-yard kickoff return to set up a score. Cameron Dicker The Kicker kicked two field goals. Davis later hit a punt at the 2 (which the teacher will never understand). JK Scott wasn’t particularly busy but did well as usual.

Coaching: A

Harbaugh wins games. His plan against the Titans was executed perfectly. It doesn’t take long for his teams to fall prey to the Harbaugh way. His defense’s turnaround has been exceptional, leading the league in fewest points allowed.

Next opportunity – against Bengals: B

There’s a lot to deal with, such as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, perhaps the best quarterback-receiver tandem in the league. This is the second of three straight home games, and with the Ravens on board, it has playoff implications.

Originally published: November 10, 2024 at 4:59 pm PST