INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Preseason game one is now in the books as the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Los Angeles Rams 34-17.
Quarterback Easton Stick had the start at quarterback, throwing for 109 yards and one touchdown right before halftime to rookie receiver Quentin Johnston.
The defense sacked the opposing quarterback four times, including C.J. Okoye, who came via the International Player Pathway (IPP) class.
Here are three players who stood out on Saturday:
1. Derius Davis
Davis turned into Barry Allen by showing off his speed on an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. He evaded three potential tacklers and became The Flash to score six.
The rookie 4th round draft pick has had a rollercoaster camp. He has made some plays while also having some drops, but Saturday showed what he was drafted for to be a dangerous weapon in the return game.
Positive start for Davis.
2. Chris Rumph and Tuli Tuipulotu
Rumph kept pressuring Rams quarterback Brett Rypien and eventually brought him down for a sack while second-round pick Tuipulotu kept putting pressure.
“I see Tuli [Tuipulotu] out there, the second-round pick we got,” safety Derwin James said. Chris Rumph, a lot of the young guys are stepping up.”
The defense will need the edge rushers not named Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to step up. Last season, when Bosa went down, they struggled to generate a pass rush. If they can step up like this during the season, they could be dominant.
3. Elijah Dotson
Dotson has shown flashes during camp, but Saturday, he showed out. The former Northern Colorado running back had six carries for 92 yards for two touchdowns.
The two touchdowns came from 37 and 40 yards out.
As a whole, the running game had 29 carries for 216 yards and two Dotson touchdowns.
The running back competition just got a whole lot more interesting.
