Chargers Austin Ekeler presents problems for Raiders as a receiver
ALAMEDA, Calif. — When Chargers Austin Ekeler entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Western State in 2017, no one would have guessed he’d challenge Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk’s season receiving record for a running back a couple years later.
But with two games left in the 2019 season, Ekeler is just 156 receiving yards short of Faulk’s record of 1,048 — set back in 1999 with the eventual Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. If Ekeler continues at his current pace — averaging 64 yards per game — he’ll finish 28 yards short.
That said, Ekeler has had more than 100 yards receiving in the Chargers’ last four games.
Whether or not he breaks the record, Ekeler is a remarkable story considering Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn admitted he knew little about him when he first came to Los Angeles.
“He was invited to rookie mini-camp as a tryout. He wasn’t even a college free agent on the board — did not study him in college,” Lynn said. “When he got here, first thing he did was he asked how he could make the football team. I sent him to the special teams coordinator’s office, and he stood out on special teams.”
That’s when Lynn figured he could contribute on offense as well.
“So I started giving him some snaps and every time he was in the game we just noticed he moved the sticks,” Lynn said. “Whether it was receiving or rushing, he moved the sticks and he’s still doing it.”
Aided somewhat by running back Melvin Gordon’s holdout that lasted until Week 5, Ekeler has 78 receptions for 892 yards with eight touchdowns, plus 119 carries for 500 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
“It’s not surprising to me because he’s been growing, developing and getting better every single year,” Lynn said. “He’s a young man that doesn’t take anything for granted.”
Given his precision as a route runner and his ability to break tackles, defending Ekeler is no small task. The Raiders did hold him to just two receptions for 29 yards in their Week 10 victory on Thursday Night Football. But one of those catches went for a six-yard touchdown.
“He does some of the jet sweep motions. They’ll put him out there, run routes. Put him in the backfield, run the ball with him, run some screens,” Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. “So he can do all of it. He’s a really good player.”
If there is one element the Raiders may be able to take advantage of on Sunday, it’s Los Angeles’ penchant for turnovers. The Chargers have 16 giveaways in their last four games, including a season-high seven in last week’s loss to the Vikings.
“You can’t explain that. I mean, at least I can’t,” Lynn said. “This year, turnovers have come in all shapes and forms for us. To me, it’s been the downfall of our season so far — not taking care of the football and not taking it away as well. But that was last week. I don’t expect to see a repeat performance this week.”
So far this season, only Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston has more interceptions than the Chargers’ Philip Rivers’ 18.
“He would like to have some of those throws back, for sure,” Lynn said. “But … sometimes interceptions are not all on the quarterback. Receivers have stepped down, balls have been tipped. So we win as a team and lose as a team. But we definitely have made some careless mistakes, We acknowledge that.”
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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.