RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 13: Center Jacob Spomer of the Los Angeles Chargers readies for play during the NFL preseason game between Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers on August 13, 2026, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Chargers came out and “out-physical’d” the Texans for the majority of the game, per Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans. After a back-and-forth game through the first half, the Chargers’ depth continued to pour it on during the final 30 minutes. And that goes for both sides of the ball.
Unsurprisingly, that was reflected in this week’s grades from Pro Football Focus.
Without further ado, for the first time this season, here are the best and worst performers from Chargers-Texans, per PFF.
Offense
Best
OG Kayode Awosika – 90.1 C Jacob Spomer – 82.0 Trevor Penning – 78.1 OT Travis Burke – 73.8 WR Devonte Ross – 73.7
Spomer looked like a seasoned vet at times when in at center. He replaced Slaughter when the latter moved to left guard and I don’t think we saw any notable drop in play. As one of only two Chargers to receive a grade above 80.0, he has earned more looks as a prospective lineman of the future for the Bolts.
Ross caught the lone touchdown of the night and had the third-highest receiving grade on offense (72.8).
Penning was fourth in run block grade (73.1). and second in pass block grade (82.2) on the night. He was called for a holding penalty, however.
Worst
RB Kimani Vidal – 38.1 QB Trey Lance – 43.0 TE Jerand Bradley – 45.7 WR Dalevon Campbell – 48.3 OG/C Jake Slaughter – 51.1 TE Evan Svoboda – 51.1
Lance looked at times to be in control of the offense but he threw one egregious interception and almost threw another that was somehow dropped by the defender. His scrambling ability is still there which keeps his floor high, but he did not look any better at reading defenses on Thursday night.
Slaughter was up-and-down during his 51 snaps played against the Texans. His run block grade of 46.4 was the lowest on the entire team, but a pass block grade of 72.5 helped him stay out of the trenches. This one is definitely a “gotta watch the tape” situation, in my opinion. He looked great in pass pro, especially when it came to handling Houston’s games and stunts up front.
Defense
Best
LB Marlowe Wax – 91.9 LB Troy Dye – 88.9 LB Junior Colson – 87.0 EDGE Akheem Mesidor – 80.9 DT TeRah Edwards – 79.8
Jim Harbaugh said the thought the linebacker play of the Chargers was really good and based on these numbers, he was right. Wax was elite with a 91.9 overall grade which included a 90.0 in coverage (he should have had a pick!).
Dye was great across the board (four of five grades above.a 73.0) while Colson finished top four in pass rush, coverage, and tackling.
Mesidor looked to be shot out of a cannon during his limited snap count. He had one play where he smacked the living daylights out of the right tackle before getting into the face of quarterback Davis Mills. His pass rush grade of 74.6 was second best on defense.
Worst
EDGE Kyle Kennard – 35.7 DT Nick Barrett – 44.7 S Noah Avinger – 47.0 Jacob Guillory II – 51.6 DT Jahmeer Carter – 56.0
Kennard continues his rough transition to the NFL level after being the lowest-graded player on the entire team against the Texans. His 49.4 pass rush grade was the lowest on the defense while his run defense grade of 59.1 was the lowest among edge rushers.
Barrett was by far the worst-graded tackler as he earned a 22.9, the lowest on the team by a whopping 45.3 grade points (68.2).
Carter was solid in the box score, but his 53.1 pass rush grade hurt his overall score to get him into the bottom five.
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