Do the Chargers have an advantage in a battle of backup QBs? – Press Enterprise

COSTA MESA — The matchup looked pretty good when the NFL schedule was announced way back in May. But that was before the Chargers nosedived to the bottom of the AFC West with losses in six of seven games and then the Denver Broncos appeared to toss in the towel on their season.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers, healthy and playing at peak efficiency, facing Russell Wilson and the Broncos, healthy and playing at peak efficiency, seemed like a delicious late-season grudge match. But then Herbert got hurt and Wilson got benched and, sorry folks, there will be no ticket refunds.
Easton Stick will make his third consecutive start in place of Herbert, who suffered a season-ending right index finger fracture in the Chargers’ loss to the Broncos on Dec. 10 at SoFi Stadium. Jarrett Stidham will replace Wilson, who was benched by Denver coach Sean Payton this week.
Stick is 0-2 so far.
Stidham is 0-0, having played only once in a relief appearance earlier this month.
Advantage, Chargers?
Stick has made progress since being thrust into the lineup late in the first half of the Chargers’ 24-7 loss to the Broncos, after Herbert injured his finger after he was hit as he completed a pass. No question, Stick improved from the Chargers’ 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders to their 24-22 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“I think you get better every single rep you take – that’s the goal, at least,” said Stick, who has completed 66.3% of his passes for 651 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in place of Herbert. “I’ve really enjoyed being in the huddle with the guys. Communicating, getting lined up and going to play.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I think we’ve gotten better over the last two weeks. We’ll just try to clean up some little things and, hopefully, go play really well on Sunday.”
No question, the Chargers (5-10) have failed to get the desired results during their season-defining slide, which prompted the Dec. 15 firing of Brandon Staley as coach and Tom Telesco as general manager. But the Chargers have continued to play and root for each other in this lost season.
Stick endeared himself to his teammates and coaches with a determination that showed itself daily as Herbert’s backup and again when he finally got a chance to make his first NFL start after four-plus seasons. They admired the way he shook off their historic loss to the Raiders as easily as a hard tackle.
The Chargers especially admired his toughness when he scrambled for a 21-yard gain in the third quarter against the Bills this past Saturday, declining to slide safely but taking on a pair of Buffalo tacklers to advance the ball to the 17-yard line. Stick’s run set up Cameron Dicker’s 40-yard field goal.
The Chargers’ bench went into a frenzy.
It might not have been the smartest play, but it inspired his teammates.
“Yeah, we’d prefer a slide, but he had some adrenaline there, so he went for it,” Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “It’s a slippery slope. You want to let the guys play, but you have to be smart about it. (Running) is a piece of Easton’s game that he has utilized and he’s doing a really good job with it.”
Stick ran around the right end for a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter, the Chargers’ only touchdown in their loss to the Bills. He was the Chargers’ second-leading rusher with 25 yards on seven attempts, trailing only running back Austin Ekeler, who had 65 yards on 15 carries.
Stick also completed 23 of 33 passes for 210 yards against Buffalo.
The individual statistics were meaningless, as far as he was concerned, though.
“Just trying to win,” Stick said. “You put everything into this game. When you do that, obviously, there’s a ton of pride. This matters to a lot of people, especially in this building, it matters a lot. We’re going out there to get better on the field here and go out on Sunday to win.”

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