What We Saw: Week 2

Chargers @ Titans

Final Score: Titans 27, Chargers 24

Writer: Justin Mello (@JustinMelloNE on Twitter)

The Chargers and Titans both looked to pick up their first win of the season, and Tennessee ultimately did so in a game where 60 minutes of play wasn’t enough. The two teams exchanged leads throughout the contest, but Nick Folk was finally able to seal the deal for the Titans after the Chargers punted on the first drive of overtime. Once again, the Chargers managed to let a game slip away when it seemed like they had a win in their grasp.

Three Up

• Keenan Allen – Allen absolutely ate in this one. He went for 111 yards and two touchdowns and appears to be as dangerous as ever, even at age 31.
• Mike Williams – Williams had a somewhat disappointing outing in Week 1, but he bounced back in a major way against the Titans. He was targeted 13 times and was a very important part of the offense.
• Ryan Tannehill – After a disastrous 2023 debut where he looked like he no longer belonged on the gridiron, Tannehill was efficient, accurate, and reliable en route to the Titans’ upset win.

Three Down

• Joshua Kelley – With Austin Ekeler injured, there was a lot of hype suggesting Kelley thrive as a legitimate fantasy asset in a workhorse role. He looked lethargic on Sunday, though.
• Quentin Johnston – Despite his first-round pedigree, Johnston has not established a prominent role for himself in the offense yet. He was a non-factor against the Titans.
• DeAndre Hopkins – Nuk looked solid, but it is concerning that he recorded zero receptions and just one target in the first half against a defense that just let Tyreek Hill do whatever he wanted against them.

Los Angeles Chargers

Quarterback

Justin Herbert: 27/41, 305, Yards, 2 TDs | 1 carry, 0 yards

The Chargers went full air raid against the Titans and found success doing so. Herbert routinely found his two top receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, downfield and pieced together a solid day. His fantasy performance fell just short of spectacular due to the lack of scrambles he usually pads his fantasy stat line with, but it’s nice to see just how effective he is when his receivers are healthy.

Notes

• He looked confident in the pocket stepping into his throws.
• He seems to already feel comfortable in Kellen Moore‘s offense.

Missed Opportunities

• In classic Chargers fashion, the chance to win the game.

Running Back

Joshua Kelley: 13 carries, 39 yards| 1 target

Kelley looked great in Week 1 playing behind Austin Ekeler, but he disappointed in Nashville. Kelley did not look like a starting caliber RB against Jeffrey Simmons and the Titans front 7. The running alleys seemed far and few between in all fairness, but Kelley also lacked the burst and agility to make defenders miss when he had the chance to do so. He may not be as exciting of a handcuff as we thought he was a week ago.

Elijah Dotson: 4 carries, 6 yards| 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards

There’s not much to write about here. Despite popping in the preseason, Dotson worked in sparingly behind Kelley and failed to make any real impact. There’s no reason to believe he’ll develop a meaningful role in the offense.

Isaiah Spiller: 1 carry, 3 yards

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Keenan Allen: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TDs

The 11-year vet boomed big time against the Titans. He seemingly ran just about every possible route in the route tree and routinely found himself open downfield. He doesn’t appear to have lost any burst both as a route runner or as a ball carrier after the catch. One of the biggest knocks on Allen historically has been his inability to find the end zone, but he was able to work his way open twice against Tennessee. The first was a fake screen pass where there appeared to be miscommunication between the Titan defenders, who let Allen blast by them and work his way wide open in the back of the end zone. The second was a crazy broken play in which Justin Herbert stumbled and somehow miraculously tossed the ball into Allen’s waiting hands. Keenan did a great job of tracking and high-pointing the football to ensure the score.

Notes

• He clearly had all of the trust of Justin Herbert, who constantly was looking his way.

Mike Williams: 13 targets, 8 receptions, 83 yards | 1 carry, 3 yards

It was a bounce-back performance for the 7th year receiver out of Clemson. In a game where the Chargers were throwing it constantly, Williams received plenty of volume. Williams has never been much of a separator, but he was actually able to find open spaces on more than a few occasions while working his way across the field.

Missed Opportunities

• He was targeted in the end zone on a deep shot but was unable to haul in what would have been a great contested catch.

Quentin Johnston: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

Johnston isn’t seeing the field enough to be a relevant fantasy asset yet. He played behind not only Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but also Joshua Palmer. The talent is clearly there, but Brandon Staley and Kellen Moore don’t utilize him regularly given how crowded and talented the receiving corps is.

Joshua Palmer: 5 targets, 3 reception, 13 yards

Palmer operated as the WR3 but was unable to turn that into a solid fantasy performance. He often struggled to work open, and while the end zone target was great to see, he failed to get both feet down on a potential touchdown.

Notes

• Never seemed to get separation.

Missed Opportunities

• Almost had a beautiful toe drag touchdown in the back corner of the end zone but his second foot missed the turf by what looked like a millimeter.

Gerald Everett: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 47 yards

It’s no secret that the Everett is not a focal point of this offense, which features Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and (usually) Austin Ekeler. That said, Everett has proven to be reliable and contributed in meaningful ways against the Titans. Despite being a bit undersized for his position, Everett impressively shed tacklers and fought for extra yards on multiple occasions on Sunday. He looked impossible to tackle at times, even though his stat line was less spectacular.

Stone Smartt: 1 target, 1 reception, 24 yards

Donald Parham, Jr.: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

Tennessee Titans

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill: 20/24, 246, Yards, TD | 1 carry, 12 yards, TD

The stats don’t always tell the story, but the ones above do. In a word, Tannehill was methodical. He wasn’t asked to do too much given many of his attempts were short throws on play action passes against a stacked box. He did his job, nonetheless. He also had some more impressive throws on the run, and he threw a beautiful arching deep ball to Treylon Burks. This was the exact bounce back he needed to prove he’s still a starting caliber QB in the NFL.

Notes

• Played safe, but smart.
• Much more accurate than Week 1
• Showed great mobility and quickness on a speed option play where he kept the ball and sprinted into the end zone.

Running Back

Derrick Henry: 25 carries, 80 yards, TD| 4 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards

Probably the biggest concern for Henry going into Week 2 was usage. The fantasy community was collectively worried when rookie Tyjae Spears out-snapped Henry last week, but Week 2 should silence those concerns. Henry was used as a bell cow just as he has been for the last five years or so. He wasn’t super efficient, but he fought for extra yards and was just as effective as ever in short yardage situations.

Notes

• Received manufactured opportunities in the passing game as the Titans ran multiple designed screens to him
• Was visibly exhausted by the end of the game; started to look sluggish and was clearly panting in the fourth quarter and OT.

Tyjae Spears: 8 carries, 49 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

The rookie played behind Henry and looked great once again, displaying great burst and quickness when taking handoffs out of the gun. Spears doesn’t necessarily fit as well as Henry in the Titans power run scheme, but they utilize him in ways that benefit his strengths, making him effective and efficient in a limited capacity.

Notes

• Looked powerful and shifty.
• Almost exclusively worked out of the gun.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

DeAndre Hopkins: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 40 yards

Hopkins carried a Questionable designation into this contest and had a fine, but not-so-spectacular day against the Chargers. The Titans didn’t throw the ball much in the first half, but they aired it out a bit more and got Hopkins involved in the second half. He clearly still has plenty of gas left in the tank from what I gathered on the targets that he did see. His most impressive play came on a toe-tapping overtime catch on the sideline, which helped lead to the Titans’ game-winning field goal.

Notes

• Doesn’t appear to have lost a step.
• Not heavily targeted in the Titans run-heavy offense.

Treylon Burks: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 76 yards

The Arkansas product showcased why he was a Round 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Burks wasn’t heavily involved, but took advantage of his opportunities. The biggest play of the day came on a 70-yard bomb down the left side of the field where he burned his defender. There is no questioning the athleticism and explosiveness of Burks, and he displayed it on Sunday.

Notes

• Looked very fast, but wasn’t very involved in the offense.

Missed Opportunities

•  He caught three of four targets thrown his way, including the longest play of the game, so the biggest missed opportunity here: the Titans failing to give him more opportunities.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards, TD

Westbrook-Ikhine scored the last touchdown of the game on a play action pass in the fourth quarter, but he wasn’t involved in the offense much aside from that. His two other catches came in the first half where he was able to work his way open for short gains. While his final catch of the day was huge, he was far from the focal point of the offense and likely won’t be anytime soon.

Chigoziem Okonkwo: 4 targets, 35 yards

Okonkwo was somewhat of a sleeper during the preseason, but he failed to record a target in Week 1. He finally saw his first target of the season on Sunday and reeled in his first reception (and added an extra three as well). Okonkwo looked angry with the ball in his hands and even dragged Derwin James an extra eight yards or so while rumbling into Charger territory after catching a ball in the middle of the field. While he didn’t show elite athleticism, it’s clear that Okonkwo has a lot of natural talent, which the Titans may want to tap into more consistently, especially in a scheme that relies so heavily on play action passes.