2022 Week 6 Recap: Chargers 19, Broncos 16 (by Ross Jacobs)
Pretty even game here between two not good but not terribly bad teams. Both of them are being held up by their defenses. The Chargers got the win after Denver fumbled a punt return in OT setting up LAC with a short field goal.
I have nothing radical to say about the Chargers. They aren't awful but aren't nearly good enough to make a playoff run. The offense just has no juice. They desperately need to go draft 3 speed receivers in the 2023 draft and dump everything else. It's ridiculous that they are wasting Justin Herbert's abilities throwing jump balls to receivers that can't separate. Herbert is a literal QB god, one of the truly elite players at the position and it makes me sick to watch him having to come up with miracles every other play just to keep the offense somewhat moving.
I do have something somewhat radical to say about the Broncos, however. Russ ain't the problem.
I watched closely here because I've been hearing so much about how awful Russell Wilson suddenly is terrible and blah blah blah...apparently a borderline Hall of Fame player has just suddenly forgotten how to play football...I mean does that make any sense? I don't know what analysts are coming up with this crap, I don't know what sport they are watching to make these judgments, but it's just complete nonsense in my opinion. Maybe I'm the fool but I don't think so.
I think the issue with the QB bashing is the same problem as always. It's the most important position. It's the position that touches the ball every play. It's a highly visible position and your eye is naturally drawn to the QB. And that makes it easiest to criticize the QB when the offense consistently gets bad results. That does not, however, mean that everything is the QBs fault. I'm just so tired of this crap. Remember when Brady was “washed” the last 2-3 years in NE? And then he went to TB where they built a good offensive line and he had Gronk and Evans and Godwin and Fournette to throw to? Funny how much better he suddenly looked. Or Tua who looked like garbage when he had Parker, Grant, and Williams as his top receivers? He sure looks like a whole new QB with Tyreek and Waddle doesn't he? Stafford was just ok with Golladay, Jones, and a leaky offensive line but immediately wins a Superbowl with Kupp, OBJ, and a dominant o-line.
Circumstances matter. A lot. Far more than most people think. And I, for one, am completely sick of all the lazy analysis just blaming everything on the QB. It doesn't make any damn sense that Russell Wilson forgot how to play football upon leaving Seattle. This idea that Geno is magically a better QB than Russ...stupid. Geno isn't better. You know what's better in Seattle? Their offensive line. Russ complained for years that management neglected the offensive line and left him to fend for himself and what does management do the second Russ finally leaves? They draft a tackle in the first round and another in the 3rd (who just so happened to be one of the best tackles in the draft in my opinion, maybe the best). You know what else they did? They changed the offense and built it around the Shanahan system where the QB gets to roll out of the pocket and get easy half field reads with wide open receivers running crossing routes. When Russell was there the game plan was run up the gut on first down. Run up the gut on 2nd down. Please Russell make a play and bail us out on 3rd and long. Has everyone just forgotten all of that already?
It's all being totally ignored by otherwise smart people in favor of this idiotic notion that Pete Carroll was right all along and Russ was fading off while the much younger Geno was just coming into his own as a QB....oh right Geno is 32 years old, only 2 years younger than Russ...but let's just ignore that for our stupid narrative.
My point in all of this is this: Russ isn't what's wrong in Denver. I watched closely. He started the game 9 for 9 throwing dimes, taking checkdowns over the middle...all the things these clowns are telling you he suddenly doesn't know how to do. It's pathetic. Russ is fine. The biggest issue is the offensive line can't block worth a damn and Russ is scrambling for his life at the snap just like he had to do in Seattle except now he doesn't have Lockett and Metcalf running routes, he has Sutton (who is ok at best) and Jeudy (who is terrible...sorry RC you were 100% right here). None of the receivers are getting open. Sutton was eaten alive by JC Jackson and Jeudy...I don't want to talk about Jeudy. I was so wrong thinking he would be ok with Russ. He sucks.
Now we've learned that Russ is dealing with a hamstring issue (which might have been impacting his play for a while now, we don't really know) and will be out this week against the Jets. They get the Jaguars the week after and then a bye week. Russ might be ready for Jacksonville but if they can somehow sneak out a win against the Jets I bet they let him rest until after the bye when they play the Titans. Lose to the Jets and they fall to 2-5 and the season will start slipping away. The schedule ahead isn't easy and I don't think Denver will be making the playoffs either way.
RC NOTE: Also, easy to forget in all this is Russell playing with a lat issue in his throwing shoulder…which is also huge. And the biggest circumstance Russ is dealing with, to me, is Nate Hackett and his O-C are awful. Featuring slow, journeyman TEs on too many ‘clever’ plays is not helping. Losing Javonte is another huge blow. Russ has it all stacked against him…and there is no escape this year. He should go on IR and take the rest of the season off and let Denver fire Hackett, and let a new regime come in.
Fantasy Player Notes:
– If Russ can get fully healed and come back after the bye week, he's got a difficult string of teams to try and beat but also a stretch of schedule that looks decent for fantasy. Titans, Raiders, Panthers, Ravens, Chiefs x2, Cardinals, Rams, and Chargers...there are some weaker pass defenses in there as far as fantasy goes. Of course, a few of them have improved dramatically after some early weaknesses (the Ravens and Cardinals mostly). It's something we'll have to watch for. But at least on paper it's easier than what he's faced so far. Maybe there's a way to turn things around for Russ but it's a thin chance. He should be good for the three games right after the bye at least then maybe we can flip him before the Ravens if the masses are getting back on board.
– However, there's one big reason to fear any kind of turnaround...Hackett. He's going to be one and done, I firmly believe that now. He's a weak leader and the final nail in that coffin is how he caved to Melvin Gordon this week. Gordon was benched in-game after starting it because he's terrible at this point. Latavius Murray is somehow the clearly better player, don't ask me how. Well Gordon decided to whine about it to the coach and Hackett gave in. I know he's trying to save his job by getting the players to like him but that's not going to work if they keep losing and playing Gordon is a really good way to keep losing games. Murray should be the starter with a healthy rotation of Mike Boone but now they have sold out and will go with a heavy dose of Gordon.
I don't want much to do with Gordon for fantasy this week. He's slow, indecisive, working behind a bad offensive line, and no defense is going to be scared of Rypien at QB. They are playing the Jets though, a team that's not good at stopping RBs so maybe there's a sliver of hope if you're desperate.
Obviously every other Denver option is a no-go with Rypien at QB. The offense stunk with Russ and now they get a rising, aggressive young Jets defense that's playing fired up. Count me out.
*RC NOTE: I bet Gordon flops as ‘starter’, and is either only a ceremonial starter…or gets a heavy run early and if he fumbles – I bet they cut him next week and go Murray-Boone and pick up a young RB off some practice squad. Gordon will not last the season as a Bronco…he may not last the month.
Rookie TE Greg Dulcich played his first game and looked fine. He's not bad but doesn't look like a future star or anything. His TD catch he just got lost in coverage.
– I don't want to bash the Chargers quite so hard as Denver. They have a terrible plan and bad personnel for what Herbert is good at, but at least Herbert is so good he can keep things somewhat afloat. He's lucky he has Ekeler to take a little pressure off. Both of them are so good and always going to be near the top for fantasy.
– Mike Williams isn't bad, but not particularly good these days either. He's basically another Courtland Sutton, old school big receivers that have to win with physicality and 50-50 passes. Sometimes it works in the right matchup but Williams was no match for Patrick Surtain, one of the best young corners in the league and a guy that does not get talked about nearly enough. The matchup with Seattle looks good on paper for Williams but if they match up Tariq Woolen on him it's going to be another long day. If he draws coverage from Mike Jackson he should have a solid day.
*RC NOTE: Josh Kelley was put on IR this week, and rookie Isaiah Spiller has been activated…after weeks of being inactive. If Spiller gets some touches and looks flashy…he’ll be an RB many will chase off waivers next week.
If you got a spot on the roster that makes sense in redraft, and Spiller is out there – he’s not a bad idea to sit on this weekend and see what he does. If he looks OK but then Ekeler goes down…oh, my the waivers craze!
IDP Notes:
– Alex Singleton popped up with a massive 21 tackle game. He's a solid player, one of the top tacklers in the league last year for Philly, but this was just a weird line. I didn't even have a note on him and then my eyes popped out of my head when I saw the box score. I had to go back and rewatch to be sure.
It was mostly fluky, just him following Ekeler around for the most part, lots of easy tackles over the middle. He averaged 7 tackles per game week 1-2 before getting injured but registered 9 last week while only playing around half the snaps. I wouldn't expect any more monster performances like this but if he's starting then he's definitely worth playing in IDP.
– Baron Browning played inside linebacker while Fangio was running the team, but this summer the coaching staff asked him to switch to outside linebacker. Browning started off a little slow but looks like he might be putting it together now. He had 6 qb hits and his first sack last week against Indy and followed it up here with another sack and a strong performance. He's clearly still figuring things out but his raw athleticism pops on tape. This looks like a good long term move for him.
Snap Counts of Interest:
87 = Big Mike
81 = Palmer
68 = Carter
61 = Ekeler
30 = Michel
51 = Everett
39 = McKitty
19 = Parham
58 = Sutton
53 = Jeudy
33 = Hamler
12 = Hinton
41 = Dulcich
16 = Beck
16 = Tomlinson
27 = Murray
21 = Boone
9 = Gordon
