Below are three takeaways from Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback Justin Herbert, wide receiver Quentin Johnston and others following the Week 2 road win against the Panthers:
Johnston's big day
A performance like Sunday had been brewing all offseason for Quentin Johnston.
And the breakthrough came in a big way in the Chargers 26-3 road win over the Panthers.
The Bolts second-year wide receiver had arguably his biggest day as a pro, reeling in two touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career.
After a spring and summer showing strides and improvements, it came to a head in Week 2.
"We believe in him so much and we've seen that from him in camp, OTAs, he's gone up and made plays," quarterback Justin Herbert said after the game. "It was only a matter of time before we saw it on the big stage.
Herbert added: "I'm happy for him. Really excited for him, I know it's only the beginning."
Johnston finished the day as the Bolts leader in receptions and receiving yards with five receptions for 51 yards to go along with the two scores. The pair of touchdowns also matched the total he had in his rookie season.
His first score of the day set the tone for a game the Bolts would be in control of all afternoon.
Facing a third-and 10 on the opening Bolts drive, Johnston faced pressing one-on-one coverage from Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Herbert identified it, took a couple step drop and lofted a pass to give Johnston a chance to make a play — and he did just that for the first Chargers points of the game.
"I give a lot praise to Justin, that was a great ball," Johnston said of the touchdown. "After the huddle he told me to be ready on the backside for the fade. I ran it, a release and he threw a close to perfect ball in my opinion right there. I just slipped under him, made the catch and hit my little dance at the end."
Herbert added: "It's going to be a 50-50 ball, but with Q we believe that the odds are tilted in our favor. Saw the safety go back, just took a couple step drops, threw the ball up and let him go get it."
Johnston's second touchdown of the day came a bit easier than the first.
Again on third down, the receiver started his route from the left side of the formation and took it across the middle of the field.
He would then find himself wide open in the middle of Carolina's zone, as Herbert found him for the easy score.
"Wide open," Johnston said. "I guess it was a busted coverage, had a little cross but I'll take it for sure."
Johnston has caught eight passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games of the season.
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh had high praise Johnston following the game, giving him props for how he's handled everything that's transpired during his career thus far.
"Maybe nobody more excited for than Quentin Johnston," Harbaugh said postgame. "Everybody on the team really likes Q, loves him, respects him. Probably most of all because he's kind of been picked on by a lot of people.
"It doesn't faze him, he just keeps doing him and he works on stuff he needs to get better at," Harbaugh added. "Most important part, he doesn't ever get the big head. Just keep doing you Q."
The second-year wide receiver echoed his Head Coach's sentiment but acknowledged that it comes with the territory.
He's put it all behind him and focused on building on everything every step of the way.
"100 percent," Johnston said after the game. "But at the same time, I know that comes with the game, that comes with the spot I got drafted at, first round.
"They expect everybody to be right on right now," Johnston added. "The reality of it is it takes some people some time, I was one of those guys. I just took everything that happened to me last year, learned from it and just keep pushing forward."
Johnston was one of the Bolts to receive a game ball in the locker room after the game.
He'll enjoy the performance for now, but he hopes to continue growing in his second pro season.
"That's a great feeling," Johnston said about receiving the game ball. "At this level it's an achievement, it's not always easy having big games like that.
Johnston added: "I just have to take that into account, be proud of it for this moment and keep moving forward and take that on for the rest of the season."
Secondary gets key stops on 3rd downs
A lot of things have to come together on defense to allow just one third-down conversion in a dozen tries.
One of them? An active secondary.
The Bolts defensive backs were swarming the Panthers offense throughout Sunday's contest, coming up big on key downs to never let Bryce Young and the Carolina offense get in rhythm.
Starting fast was a goal all week, and the secondary made sure to contribute to that in all facets.
"Just seeing what the Saints did to them last week, they got to them early," cornerback Kristian Fulton said. "That's the message we want to send every week: start fast and finish faster."
Defensive back Elijah Molden added: "We're in the NFL and every team is capable of winning. But we wanted to get on them early and let them know our brand of football. I think we did that."
Fulton got it started on the first Panthers third down of the game.
With Carolina facing a third-and 2, the veteran corner was able to smother Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble in coverage and break up the pass to bring the punting unit on the field.
Fulton did it again on Carolina's third drive of the game, notching a physical tackle for loss on running back Miles Sanders who attempted to make his way to the sticks.
"Got to stay aggressive. That's my mindset," Fulton said of the early plays. "That's the money down where you have to make your money."
Ja'Sir Taylor and Molden followed the formula later in the second quarter, combining to bring down tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders after a gain of only two on third-and 7.
It was a dominant performance for a Chargers defense that kept everything in front of them and were able to make it a long day for the Panthers on key downs.
"Trying to get them in third-and-5 plus, you know?" safety Derwin James, Jr., said. "We weren't trying to be in third-and-1 or third-and-2."
The Chargers secondary finished with 14 solo tackles, four passes defensed and one interception as a unit.
That makes it back-to-back impressive performances — but focus now shifts to replicating and improving heading into Week 3.
"It was definitely a dominating win for us. But there's still stuff we can get better at," James said. "Now we need to come out and be ready for Pittsburgh."
LB group continues strong play
The Chargers linebacker group might not have garnered headlines heading into the season, but they proved once again how impactful they can be to the group.
The trio of Daiyan Henley, Denzel Perryman and Junior Colson formed a rotation once again to help the Bolts defense get high-level play against both the run and the pass.
Henley and Perryman finished the game as the top two leaders in tackles Sunday afternoon.
Henley led the team with nine total tackles and tackle for loss while Perryman had seven tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss as well. Colson, who left the game with a hamstring injury in the third quarter, notched a tackle.
"I like playing with both of them," Henley said after the game. "The rotation we have, it gives us time to be fresh and make sure each drive we're ready to go.
"Seeing Junior go down, that hurts for the whole linebacker room," Henley said. "He told us to keep balling and that's what we did."
According to Pro Football Focus, Henley finished the day leading the group with 43 defensive snaps, Perryman with 32 and Colson with seven before leaving the game. Troy Dye also logged four snaps late in the game.
The rotation has allowed the unit to stay fresh throughout the game, but plans changed when Colson left the game.
Still, both Henley and Perryman were able to hold it down for the rest of the game, as the countless reps the two got during the offseason has translated nicely to the regular season.
"Me and DP, ever since OTAs, have a lot of banked reps together," Henley said. "It was very familiar going out there with a guy who's a vet and dominant in the run game."
No matter who's in the middle of the defense, the unit wants to play stay consistent on how they play.
"As long as we could start fast then we wanted to finish the same way," Henley said.
