Justin Herbert returned the ball in the seventh straight game to start the 2026 season. He ended up with a pair of interceptions thrown and another fumble that was fortunately knocked out of bounds before the Rams could secure it.
Most days, it’s easy to turn your back and blame the offensive line that usually puts up a poor performance in pass protection. That wasn’t the case in Week Eight as almost the entire front five had decent and good days protecting Herbert.
The defense unsurprisingly had some standouts. Holding the Rams to zero first downs in the first 28 and a half minutes of the game is something to be proud of. Unfortunately the nine point score during the dominant stretch was nowhere near enough to put the game away.
Let’s go ahead and check out the grades from Sunday.
OT Joe Alt – 77.7
TE Oronde Gadsden II – 74.4
OT Travis Burke – 69.4
WR Tre’ Harris – 66.1
WR Quentin Johnston – 63.1
Alt remains one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL and that didn’t change after missing two games with a neck injury. He returned to be the leading player on offense, posting a pass block grade of 89.9 just a hair short of an elite mark.
Gadsden had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Rams on five receptions, which also tied his previous season high. With eight catches on 10 targets over the past two games, McDaniel hopes to continue working to get Gadsden back to his rookie season form where he was a surprising standout.
Rookie Burke remains one of the Chargers’ best offensive players despite being forced into a starting role sooner than he probably expected. Behind both Alt and Rashawn Slater, Burke was actually the team’s third-highest rated player on the year. He had a team-high 67.5 run block grade against the Rams.
In his first game back from injury, Harris was the team’s top wideout after catching three passes for 31 yards. He remains the best run-blocking wideout for the Chargers. Johnston also caught all four of his targets for 37 yards.
FB Scott Matlock – 31.9
RB Omarion Hampton – 47.2
AND Cole Strange – 48.6
QB Justin Herbert – 50.2
WR Ladd McConkey – 51.0
After a strong return to the field following his IR stint, Matlock had a rough outing against the Rams where he earned a porous 38.5 as a run blocker and was flagged for a penalty.
Hampton’s 30.5 receiving grade dropped his overall score. However, he has a very strong 74.9 in pass protection.
Strange is on pace for the worst overall season grade of his career. His 39.5 pass block grade on the year remains atrocious and he continues to be one of the Chargers’ bottom five players week-in and week-out.
Herbert threw two more interceptions and just extended his league lead to 10. McConkey dropped one of the first passes thrown his way Sunday and his stat line (4-86) would have been better had he not been unlucky to catch a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half (54 yards).
CB Isas Waxter – 89.0
S RJ Mickens – 84.2
LB Troy Dye – 82.8
LB Del’Shawn Phillips – 79.8
DT Justin Eboigbe – 73.7
Check out the rookie Waxter go! He is the highest rated player not only on defense, but on the entire Chargers team. He posted an 89.9 in coverage. His 79.6 tackling grade is also third best on the team.
It was also Mickens’ best game of the year. His 85.6 in tackling led the team and his 75.1 in coverage was fifth best.
Despite playing very few snaps each week, Dye is making an impact. His 80.8 in coverage is second on the team while his 76.9 in tackling is fourth best.
Eboigbe is one of the team’s best run defenders (74.5 in run defense) and sixth in tackling (71.2).
LB Daiyan Henley – 27.7
DT Dalvin Tomlinson – 29.8
DT Jamaree Caldwell – 47.4
S Elijah Molden – 53.3
DT Nick Barrett – 55.1
Henley had a tough outing against the Rams. He was put on his butt more than once and struggled mightily in coverage (27.2). He allowed all four targets to be completed and missed a tackle.
Tomlinson posted the team’s worst defensive rating with a 29.9.
Molden was put one-on-one multiple times with the running back in the open field on Sunday. It hasn’t gone well for him and that shows in his run defense (33.0) and tackling (24.6) grades.