5. Desmond King, flying under the radar
Casey Hayward, Derwin James,and Trevor Williams are probably the players in the Chargers’ secondary that get the most attention. But Desmond King may be the best corner on the team this season.
Graded by PFF, King is the highest-graded corner in the league. QB passer rating is 53.4 against him, the fourth worst mark in the league. He’s third in interceptions. Simply put, he’s been impressive and dynamic this season, and against Seattle, he came up with a game-breaking pick six.
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OVERALL
The Chargers suffocated Seattle on defense and lit them up, especially in the first half, on offense. Sturgis has been dealt with, and for now, they’ve solved the kicking problem (FOR NOW). They sit at 6-2 in the driver’s seat for the first Wild Card slot in the AFC, and a pretty good chance at competing for the division with the red-hot Kansas City chiefs.
This is the best Chargers season through eight games in 12 years. This might be the best team in that amount of time as well. It’s OK to get excited.
NEXT WEEK
The Chargers visit the struggling Oakland Raiders for their second and final matchup of the season. While not a must win, there’s absolutely no reason the result shouldn’t be one. The Chargers must string together wins before a difficult stretch against some playoff-level foes at the end of the season.