Skip to main content
Advertising

Chargers Official Site | Los Angeles Chargers - chargers.com

5 Players Who Stood Out Against the Seahawks

Tuli 5 Players

The Bolts wrapped up their first exhibition game of the year Saturday night at SoFi Stadium.

Here are five players who stood out against the Seahawks:

LB Nick Niemann

The fourth-year linebacker was one of the more active players on defense after checking in the first half.

Niemann led the game with 12 total tackles (nine solo) including a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits while filling in against the run as well.

"A lot of ups and downs, a lot of stuff to learn from but there was good stuff to take away, too," Niemann said. "Just trying to do that every week."

He was most effective when the Bolts decided to heat up the Seattle backfield and bring extra pressure.

On third-and-8 with Seattle driving with under two minutes left in the first half, Niemann brought down Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell to get the ball back to his offense.

Later in the game, Niemann was close to getting his second sack, coming through the line and getting a hit on quarterback PJ Walker just moments after he released the pass.

"We got a lot of good blitz packages with [Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse} Minter and stuff," Niemann said. "It was just one that he called, just trying to run up the way that they draw it up for us to get free and stuff.

"Just keep playing the play and stuff works out," Niemann added.

But perhaps the highlight of his game came midway through the third quarter with Seattle on the verge of scoring.

With the Seahawks at the one-yard line, Niemann was able to get to the backfield and slow down the runner while fellow linebacker Shane Lee and the rest of the defense joined to get the goal line stop.

OLB Tuli Tuipulotu

He might not have played a ton, but Tuli Tuipulotu made the most of afternoon back at SoFi Stadium.

"Tuli, it looked like they couldn't block him," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said postgame.

Tuipulotu was everywhere during his short stint on the field, finishing with three tackles on the afternoon, including one for a run stop.

He also was getting pressure on the quarterback on multiple occasions, nearly notching a sack of his own.

It was clear the second-year edge rusher couldn't wait to be back on the field.

"I think just going against somebody else finally," Tuipulotu said. "I get tired of going versus the same guys. Just going against somebody else.

"I didn't get to play much, but it was fun," Tuipulotu added.

K Cameron Dicker

New season, same Cameron Dicker.

The Bolts kicker was only called upon once to kick a field goal — and it was a long one.

Dicker opened the scoring for the team with a 58-yard field goal make right down the middle.

The kick would have been Dicker's career long in a regular-season game.

"Just trying to hit the same ball every kick I have, whether it's up close or farther back," Dicker said on the long field goal. "Not too much, just trusting in what I do and continuing to trust the guys around me. Having guys like Josh and JK make my life easy. I know where the ball is going to be easy."

Harbaugh added: "Cameron Dicker, a 58-yard field goal. We're going to remember that for a long time."

Dicker also had his first opportunity to try out the NFL's new kickoff rule Saturday in a live game.

While it is early, he could see that as the game went along, his unit settled in a bit more — and the more reps everyone gets, the more comfort that will settle in.

"It's good," Dicker said. "It's preseason game one, so you don't see too much about how everything goes, but it was a fun time to just get out there and see these guys cover for real."

He later added: "As it goes on, everybody is going to get used to it and know what they have to do, figure out how to defeat blocks in the right way. We'll just see as time goes on what ends up happening."

OT Joe Alt

All eyes were on Chargers first-round pick Joe Alt when the starters took the field.

The rookie got his first taste of on-field action Saturday, as he took the field for 21 snaps in his Bolts debut.

The results? A good start.

"It was good. He got 21 plays, I thought it was really solid," Harbaugh said. "Joe belongs."

Alt faced a couple of members of the Seattle first-team defense and was tested early on.

But overall, the first-round pick was happy to finally get the first game out of the way and continue to build.

"It felt great," Alt said in the locker room after the game. "It's always good to get your first live play under your belt with the group you have the most experience with. It was good to be out there will all of them."

He later added: "Every day just working on things I need to improve and things that I'm getting more comfortable doing."

Browse through live action photos of the Bolts Preseason Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

WR Jaylen Johnson

The most explosive play of the afternoon came from undrafted rookie Jaylen Johnson.

With the Bolts looking to make something happen down late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Luis Perez looked for Johnson deep down the right side.

The rookie receiver found some space after a quick release off the line of scrimmage, leaving enough room for Perez to drop a nice pass in the bucket and a gain of 36 yards.

It was the team's longest play of the day, and a good moment to build on for Johnson who has made some nice plays throughout training camp as well.

Advertising