FanPost

The Rundown: Player by Player Observations from the Chargers Game


Ahhhhh, it feels so good having a win, a really solid, full-bodied, fun win. It is the emotional equivalent of slipping into a bubbly hot tub after a twelve hour day of physical work.

We went on the road, second road game in a row, from the East coast the previous game all the way out to the West coast, and played the #1 team in the NFC West, possibly the best division in football. It almost does not get more challenging than that.

But wait, there's more!

The Dalvin Cook news distraction.

The Covid cases -- a teammate in the hospital, 29 others designated close contacts, a few other players out due to Covid (Bradbury, Willekes).

A decimated defense. We were missing our #1 defensive player (Hunter) who is also our top pass rusher, our top CB, our top Safety, our #2 LB who calls the plays on defense, and our top run stuffer.

This was an absolute up-a-steep-hill battle.

Add in a bunch of suspect ref calls as well!

We still won and were clearly the best team on the field.

Enjoy this win. It was a truly great win. It was gutsy and daring and smart, all at once.

Give credit where credit is due also. The play calling was fantastic. Kudos to Kubiak (let's start making T-shirts that say that). The execution was precise. The defense was tremendous if they'd been at full strength! Undermanned and missing 4 of our top 5 defensive players, including our #1, and a 5th starter as well -- half our defense numerically but two thirds or three fourths of our defense as per value -- and we dominated the #10 offense in the NFL. #10 after this game so maybe they were #7 or #8 before the game.

What made it happen? I'll tell you and I think we can agree because it is obvious. Great coaching. That's it. Great coaching. Accept it.

Our offense clawed back up from #9 up to #7 in the NFL again. Our defense moved upward from something like #27 to #23. Our defense keeps losing critical players and we keep, overall, improving. Due to great coaching.

Goofy Stat Observation:

Kirk Cousins is the #6 passer in the NFL (by QB rating, only counting those who have at least 1000 yards).

Dalvin Cook is the #6 runner in the NFL by yards.

Eric Kendricks is the #6 tackler in the NFL by total # of tackles.

666 ! That must be good luck, right?

OFFENSE

Kirk Cousins

Incredible game. He had a good rating, very good, but has had higher rated games this year. Despite that, I'd say this was his best game of the year which is really saying something. Precise darts, lasers, perfectly timed passes, taking advantage of tight windows, taking bold risks that paid off. He did it all and, yes, again he was under a lot of pressure. He rarely had a clean pocket and most his passes he had to whip out there quickly.

I couldn't be more impressed and would take Cousins just like this every game always. I don't need better than this. I just need more of this.

Justin Jefferson

There is an earned torrent of superlatives for JJ. All I can do is add a little.

In case there was any doubt, and I am a loyalist slow to change, JJ is our #1 WR. I know most of you already came to that realization long ago but I am finally joining you. Thielen is not as quick or dynamic as he once was. That is part of it. But, really, was Thielen EVER this good? No. Also, Diggs was not as good as Thielen when they played together and never as good as JJ. Memory plays tricks. Let me remind you: the year Thielen missed many games (2019) and Diggs was our #1 WR... he had 63 catches! All year!

JJ already has 55 catches. After 9 games!

Nine catches against the Chargers.

Yardage by catch:

6 - 7 - 18 - 21 - 21 - 4 - 27 - 12 - 27

I count explosive pass plays as ones of 15 yards or more. Against the Ravens, as a team, we had 4. 4 against the Cowboys.

JJ had 5 himself yesterday and these were not coverage break downs where he stood there wide open. These were GREAT catches.

Adam Thielen

Still very good, just not as good as he once was. He showed up in the second half and at critical moments and he also had three explosive receptions over 15 yards (19 - 16 - 18).

KJ Osborn

First game this year with no catches. He also slacked on blocking at the goal line. Had he given some effort Cook would have run in the TD instead of getting tackled at the half yard line. We still got the TD but that was not a sure thing. The rare times each player is on the field for those few seconds each play, they need to give maximum effort and Osborn did not. He acted like an on-field spectator, someone with such great seats they had no actual seat.

Tyler Conklin

His yardage does not look impressive and many TE TDs are short automatic chucks with the TE wide open due to misdirection. Conklin's 2 TDs today were not like that at all. They were both earned and excellent. The first was a laser from Cousins while defenders crush in on him. The second was the lofty flopper desperation toss from Cousins that he dove for and held onto just inches from the turf.

Chris Herndon

Good news: Catch #2 since becoming a Viking. 14 yards!

Bad news: Drop #1 since becoming a Viking.

Luke Stocker

I just want to address that personal foul facemask penalty on him in the red zone. His hand basically swiped across the mask, caught on nothing, making light accidental contact. This should not be a penalty. Refs!

Dalvin Cook

I trashed him last week or I at least pointed out he mostly had runs that hurt the Vikings despite getting 110 yards. This week he got 94 yards, which is fewer yards, but he had a better game. He had two runs over 10 yards and a TD. He only had two runs where he lost yards (and one catch). Of his 27 touches, I'd judge 20 of them benefited the team. A great game.

I do not know all the facts of the former girlfriend situation, nor was I there as a witness, I am not a doctor, and do not even play a doctor on TV. But, I will say Cook has no known history of such things, she does have a history of anger issues (supposedly stabbing a former boyfriend when he did not listen to her), there is video of her yelling and screaming at a calm Cook on another occasion, she is a soldier and must be in fairly good shape, she did break into his house uninvited when the injuries supposedly occurred, and she never went to the police -- likely knowing she had no case and not wanting to be charged with making a false report, and then tried to get a bunch of money out of him. Basically blackmail.

Look, if a former girlfriend breaks into my house while I have a female guest and then commences to attack me... I'm going to fight back! Sounds like Cook is the same way.

Again, I do not know all the details and was not there. These are my impressions and I am the kind of guy who leaps to the defense of females I do not even know and against any and all odds.

Here, I will tell you a true story:

One of my best friends is a drop dead gorgeous blonde who looks just like who you would imagine would date the star QB. In fact, when I first saw her in college, I thought, "I bet her boyfriend is the QB on the football team." We teamed up on a project and became close friends, best friends really. For whatever reason, it was always platonic. I never made a pass on her and never had a crush on her despite her beauty. I don't know why. I was just more interested in her keen mind and hilarious sense of humor and her human insights.

Anyway, let me get to the point. Eventually, she was dating a handsome big dude who, though not on the football team, lived in a house with a bunch of football players, one of whom looked like a biggie size Troy Aikman. Just like Aikman, but half a foot taller.

I went for a swim with her one evening and noticed some bruises on her arms. I made inquiry. He had done it, while drunk, squeezing her arms, and holding her down from getting up off a couch, yelling at her as he held her down. She said he was extremely drunk, though, and had never done anything like it before. He'd always seemed pretty decent to me and she did not even remember exactly why he did it (or she would not say).

I said nothing to her and gave no indication of how upset I was or what I planned to do.

Later, I left after our swim and hang out was done. I knew roughly where he lived because I'd dropped her off one time but not at his place, just on the block he lived on as per what she said. She'd just told me to drop her off at the corner. I don't know, maybe because I'm a guy -- you know -- and I'm dropping her off at her boyfriend's. Or near.

So, I had an approximate area. I went there. I wandered. You know, you can get an idea of places when you look at them. One place looked like college guys might live there. Team flags, etc. Then I saw what looked like a giant Troy Aikman and remembered her telling me he had a roommate who looked just like Aikman.

This was the place.

I knocked. Biggie Aikman answered the door. I made inquiry and asked for who I wanted. He came to the door. I asked to speak in private with him. He took me down to the basement.

It was a little ridiculous. I'm quite average in size. He is quite big. Above us were five football players as big or bigger than him, his buddies.

I made him aware of what he'd done to her. He claimed he had no memory of it and he was horrified. Deeply horrified. Tears in his eyes.

We agreed. Nothing like it would ever happen again or I would murder him. He heartily agreed. We shook hands, not warmly, but in solemn agreement, like a business deal.

It never happened again. I never had to murder him.

Alright, that got off track but that is my story as per that I am a hero complex kind of guy who defends females, those who are weaker, those who are stronger, turtles, geese, any animals. And... I do think, at this point, that Cook was the victim.

(You should hear my turtle story!)

Alexander Mattison

That catch and run was incredible. That was some HOF career highlight reel material. Another explosive play there.

Mason Cole

I'm not sure he is a world beater pro bowler, but I do see a difference with him in there and I think maybe he's won the starting Center position. An illustration is one of JJ's 21 yard catches. It was just a hair away from being knocked away by Linval Joseph. Cole had just enough to give Cousins just enough time to get it away. That was a critical play in the game and it led to a TD. I truly believe that if Bradbury were in there that Joseph would have gotten the sack or the knockdown and we would not have scored.

Yes, we may have won this game because Cole played instead of Bradbury.

This from a guy who endorsed the Bradbury draft pick as an A+ pick.

Oli Udoh

Don't hold. Don't. Hold. Do not hold.

Christian Darrisaw

He is for real. A holding call but he is the real deal.

Brian O'Neill

Also a Holding call to go with Darrisaw's and two for Udoh. I'm not saying these guys were not guilty but the Chargers were just as guilty and were not getting called at all. It did seem like the refs tried to give this game to the Chargers. They tried really hard!

DEFENSE

Everson Griffen

Quiet game. Several hurries and also a penalty.

Dalvin Tomlinson

I saw in the snap counts that Watts and Richardson both got more snaps than him, which is weird. But the Chargers are not so much of a run team. Maybe the coaches felt like their pass game was more of a threat or maybe Tomlinson had some minor injury. He split our only tackle behind the line and he also knocked down a pass, so he did play well.

Armon Watts

Real quiet game. He came back down to Earth this week.

Sheldon Richardson

Quiet. A couple Hurries.

James Lynch

Really good Run D with two solo and an assisted tackle at or near the line of scrimmage. Did a fantastic job holding his ground and sliding sideways to shadow the horizontally running runner and then making a move when they turned it upfield. Strategic play. Great awareness in traffic.

DJ Wonnum

Several Hurries and a pass knocked away. Still, he, like the rest of the line, overall, did not enforce their will or take over the game.

Eric Kendricks

Look, if he has a second half of the year like the first half, he should be strongly considered for defensive player of the year. He is a leading tackler in the NFL, has 4 Sacks, and 2 of the sweetest, most skillful interceptions you'll ever see from any player let alone a linebacker.

Blake Lynch

Presence felt. Split a tackle behind the line and had another on his own near the line. Our run D overall was excellent.

Nick Vigil

He looked like Kendricks in coverage! Great stuff.

Xavier Woods

His late pass defense saved at least 3 points and maybe more. Game changer. He has likely been our best new player, draft picks included.

Camryn Bynum

Looking like a future pro bowler. Two great games in a row. He's playing better than most safeties taken in the 1st or 2nd rd over the last decade. Most or all of them. An incredible pick up in the 4th round.

Cameron Dantzler

I think he takes CB2 when Peterson returns. Tackling has not been an issue despite his size.

Mackensie Alexander

That pass interference wasn't. It was and it wasn't. It was if the ball was catchable but the Chargers player, even if not touched, never could have even touched that ball, not even if he laid out for it. Either it should have been a no call or, at worst, defensive holding though it really wasn't that either. This was another time the refs impacted the game in the Chargers favor, incorrectly. It pretty much gave the Chargers a TD.

Alexander also had a pass knocked away and some good coverages.

Bashaud Breeland

Probably his worst game and that is saying something. Worst of the many bad games. Two blown coverages, a missed tackle, and a long pass interference penalty. Just awful.

Let's beat the Packers! Let's do it! Nail them! Destroy whiny plague Rodgers!

SKOL!

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.