LA Chargers Week 10 Overreactions: A changing of the guard?

The LA Chargers lost to the Miami Dolphins 21-29 in Week 11, a game in which they were simply beaten by the better team.

Once again, the Chargers found a new way to lose in Week 11. This time, they were simply outplayed all game.

Here is a look at the overreactions from Week 11, considering both the positives and the negatives of the week.

Overreaction #1: Michael Davis is the best active cornerback on the roster

In recent weeks, the LA Chargers secondary has struggled significantly. That did not stop in Week 11, despite facing a rookie quarterback just beginning to find his way in the league.

Given the injuries in the secondary and those causing a lack of a pass rush, it is not too surprising that opposing offenses are gouging the defense, but the way it has happened is a bit surprising.

More and more frequently, teams have been able to pick on Casey Hayward in coverage.

While dropoffs tend to happen for corners after the age of 30, Hayward is either in the midst of a slump or a significant dropoff.

On the other hand, Michael Davis has shown some improvement this year. He is responsible for one of the defenses’ few turnovers – a touchdown scored against Tom Brady.

Furthermore, Davis had several good pass breakups in this game. These differing performances beg the question – is Michael Davis currently the best active corner for the Chargers?

The thought that Davis might be the secondary’s best corner is extremely concerning, and it is why so many mock drafts have the Chargers selecting a corner early in next year’s draft.

Unfortunately, the stats seem to agree that Hayward has been outplayed by Davis in 2020. While neither has played extremely well, Casey Hayward has allowed a 102.1 passer rating when targeted this season as compared to Michael Davis’s 90.8.

Another key difference here is that Hayward and Davis are generally playing against receivers with far different skill sets. For example, Hayward was challenged with guarding Devante Parker against the Dolphins, while Davis typically was against Jakeem Grant.

For that reason, it is a slight overreaction to say that Michael Davis is the best corner on the active roster, but it is not as big of a stretch as one might think.

Verdict #1: Slight overreaction