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Bolts Look to Build Momentum Heading Into Week 15

Dec 16, 2022 at 02:43 PM

Omar Navarro

Jr. Writer

The Chargers are back above .500 once again.

A Week 14 Sunday Night Football win moved the Bolts to 7-6 and with another big AFC game coming up, the team has a chance to set themselves up well entering the last month of the season.

Here's a breakdown of news from the Chargers 15th week of the season:

Monday: Victory Monday

The Chargers enjoyed a big Victory Monday, as they were able to bounce back with a 23-17 primetime win over the Dolphins.

The story of Sunday night was that it was one of the Bolts most complete and impressive defensive performances of the season, as they held the explosive Miami offense to 219 total yards and 17 points.

And they did it without starting safety Derwin James, Jr., defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day and cornerback Bryce Callahan.

Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley talked about the defense and their disguises, as it was apparent and a big part of the Week 14 win.

"As you know, that's a big tenet of how we play, is that post-snap rotation," Staley said. "That's something that we kind of feel like is a hallmark of the way we play. What we try to do is coordinate the disguise so that it's believable. We want you to feel like it's one thing and then it becomes another thing after the snap."

"We just wanted to make sure that we were well-coordinated in the things that we were disguising last night and buy ourselves a count post-snap because they're such a big play-action team," Staley added. Our safeties, our linebackers and Ja'Sir Taylor, they did a really nice job yesterday."

Taylor, a rookie sixth-round pick who has played mainly special teams this season, stepped in place of Callahan and more than held it down.

His play earned the praise of Staley, as he pointed back to his traits he knew since before the draft.

"I'm really proud of Ja," Staley said. "I'm not surprised because he's done an outstanding job on special teams all season long. He has a lot of the characteristics that we value in the secondary. That's why we drafted him.

"We did a lot of legwork on him pre-draft. I think he's exceeded everyone's expectations, for a rookie," Staley added. "I think, probably, his best characteristic is his make-up. He's poised, very competitive, really smart and an instinctive player. Normally, that's a pretty special combination."

The win moved the Bolts to the seventh seed in the AFC as of Sunday night. The win was a good rebound following last week's tough loss and also a big one, which is one of the reasons the locker room had that reaction to the win according to running back Austin Ekeler.

"I guess all of our games have been so tough this year it seems like," Ekeler said. "When were on like a little losing streak, I don't even know how many losses, like three in a row or something like that, we're finally able to get a game where we won."

"Just to get a win, especially when we are coming down to the end of the season where it's crunch time and then we have the playoff picture in sight, it's definitely emotional," Ekeler later added.

Tuesday: Chargers make a move in AFC playoff picture

The Patriots win over the Cardinals on Monday Night Football dropped the Chargers to the eighth spot in the AFC playoff picture.

Still, the Bolts win on Sunday nearly doubled their playoff chances and as Chargers Senior Writer Eric Smith mentions, consistency will be the key down the stretch.

The Chargers entered Week 14 with a 30-percent chance to make the playoffs, but that number shot up after a win over Miami. The Bolts will now look for consistency as the final four games await.

The Chargers will have another opportunity to improve their AFC record and face a playoff-caliber opponent this Sunday when they take on the Titans.

To read Chargers Senior Writer Eric Smith's full AFC playoff picture breakdown, click here.

Wednesday: Bolts begin Titans week

The Chargers participated in a walk-through on Wednesday for the second-straight week, as they geared up to face the AFC South-leading Titans.

Participation was estimated, but Callahan, Joseph-Day and tackle Trey Pipkins III all participated in a limited fashion.

James, however, was estimated to not have participated, and his status remains day-to-day.

"Day-to-day. Today would have been a rest day for a lot of guys," Staley said on Wednesday. "We're going to try and get him back, but we are definitely going to err on the side of patience. We'll let his body talk to us."

James and everyone else's status will be a topic as the week progresses, but the Bolts expect to see another big target back on Sunday.

Staley expects to get back tight end Donald Parham, Jr., who has been on Injured Reserve since early November, on Sunday. His return will be a big boost for the offense not only in the passing game, but in the run.

"I'm excited to get [Parham] back. I'm really proud of him," Staley said. "He's been extremely patient. His patience has been tested. To get him back, it's going to be great to have him back in there. He has been a very productive for us."

"To get more tight ends in the game, adding him into the mix with [TE] Gerald [Everett], [TE] Tre' [McKitty] and [TE] Stone [Smartt], we think that that is going to hopefully be a thing that helps us down the stretch here," Staley later added.

Staley specifically mentioned Parham's blocking, an area he showed effectiveness in last year.

His return may be able to help a running game that the Chargers are emphasizing, especially in the redzone.

With limited space available in the redzone, being able to run the ball effectively can go a long way in turning a field goal into a touchdown. Staley says the team is working hard on it and is an area for improvement.

"There's not a lot of space to throw it down there," Staley said. "You lose the vertical space down there. Going that way is a great way to be an effective red zone team. Running the ball is different, in terms of how people do it — some people get in big groupings, some people spread you out.

"To be able to hand the ball to your back, I think that is a great way to do it." Staley added. "Just finding that consistency, for us, in how we run the football down there, I think is important. We're working hard at it and it needs to improve for our team."

While the circumstances aren't exactly the same at this point this year compared to last year, Staley did say in what areas he and the team learned that can help him this year.

Specifically when it comes to managing this final stretch, Staley hopes that what he and the team learned last year can come in handy these final four games.

"After last season, I knew that you have to engineer your whole program for this time of year, for December," Staley said. "We tried to do that last year, but just making the subtle tweaks to the schedule and getting the guys fresh and playing well and the focus. Their routine at the end of the year I think is really important.

"Bringing them together the best you can and I think hopefully getting healthy at the right time," Staley added. "Getting your guys back healthy at the right time. Getting that addition that can help you go play well on Sundays. Learned a lot, for sure, and we will see."

Chargers Senior Writer Eric Smith released his weekly mailbag on Wednesday, where he answered questions about the playoff chances, the defensive performance in Week 14 and much more.

Chargers & Pechanga Surprise Students with New Bikes

Earlier this week, the Bolts continued an 18-year tradition of surprising local elementary school students with brand new bikes for the holidays! Chargers OLB Khalil Mack, DL Morgan Fox, WR DeAndre Carter, K Cameron Dicker, DL Otito Ogbonnia, LB Derek Tuszka, and LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams joined the Bikes for Kids Foundation and Pechanga Resort & Casino at Mayo Elementary school where they were greeted by over 150 deserving second and third graders. The bikes were built by Bolts Community Crew – powered by Pacific Premier Bank – volunteers the Saturday prior, and kept hidden from the students until the players revealed the news.