COSTA MESA – Melvin Gordon took the handoff on first down and ran headlong into a wall. The second half was just beginning last Sunday, and the 49ers had stacked the box with nine defenders, all of whom seemed to be in the hole where Gordon was meant to run.
Just to return to the line of scrimmage, amid this high-speed traffic, would require serious maneuvering. But by the time Gordon was finally brought down seven seconds later, he’d amassed 13 yards, five broken tackles and one dazzling, mid-air pirouette, anyway – all of which seemed to suggest what NFL defenses are quickly beginning to realize about the Chargers’ running back.
Melvin Gordon is really, really tough to take down.
And it’s only gotten tougher this season, his fourth in the league. After averaging 3.9 yards per carry in each of his past two seasons, Gordon averaged 5.1 yards per carry through the Chargers’ first four games, a large majority of which came after contact. In spite of facing stacked boxes 32 percent of the time (8th-most in the NFL), Gordon has been tackled on first contact on just 59 percent of his carries, better than every NFL running back outside of Marshawn Lynch, who, coincidentally, the Chargers will be tasked with stopping on Sunday, when the Raiders (1-3) come to Los Angeles.
Gordon contends he’s always been a physical, punishing runner, with the balance to stay upright through contact. “It’s natural instincts, man,” Gordon says. “It’s just something that happens.”
But the Chargers are running the ball this season better than at any point in his career, and Gordon, as he showed on that extraordinary run last Sunday, has been more physical and punishing with his touches than ever before.
“One of the things that we focus on is him extending runs,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “He’s worked at that really hard. It’s been an emphasis for him. I think you can see it. He’s winning his one-on-ones more, and it’s paying off for us.”
You could certainly see it during that highlight-reel run last Sunday. Searching for a sliver of room, Gordon hit the brakes as he hit the line, buying just enough time to slither past linebacker Malcolm Smith and cut up field. In recent weeks, coaches had noticed him perfecting his footwork, and as 49ers nose tackle Earl Mitchell approached, that work was on full display. Gordon cut suddenly, landing several feet to his right, and sliding just past Mitchell’s arm tackle, before changing direction again to dodge another. He would slip past yet another tackle, before 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster lowered his shoulder into him, spinning the Chargers running back like a top.
.@Melvingordon25 just kept on going.
pic.twitter.com/ZsjfC9PYpc
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) October 1, 2018
“When I first came here, the trainers always told me the best backs in the league had good balance,” Gordon said.
As he fell forward, Gordon made a compelling case to join that group. While his right leg helicoptered through the air, Gordon somehow stayed upright, even as both of his feet left the ground. Steadying himself with his right hand in the dirt, he’d manage a few more yards before finally succumbing. Behind him, a pile of 49ers lay in his wake.
“It just didn’t seem like anybody could tackle him,” offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said.
This week, broken tackles will, again, be at premium. And no one is more adept at the fine art of breaking them than Lynch, who, at 32, has been running like a much younger back this season. Through one month, Lynch is on pace for 1,200 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, basically on par with the totals from his four-year stretch of dominance from 2011 to 2014.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Lynch “isn’t slowing down at all”, despite this being his 12th season.
“He looks better this year than he looked two, three years ago,” Lynn said. “You know, he sat out in 2016, came back last year and was a little rusty — but he’s in rare form right now. He’s just a very unsatisfied runner.”
The Chargers and Raiders have both been more than satisfied with their running games so far this season. Lynch ranks fourth in the league in rush yards. Gordon ranks fifth in all-purpose yards, trailing only Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley and Julio Jones.
“They’re doing a great job helping Melvin Gordon become one of the best all-purpose backs in football,” Gruden said.
But only one of these two AFC West foes have shown much interest in stopping opposing running backs. The Raiders rank 31st of 32 NFL teams in yards per carry allowed (5.6), after bottoming out due to the loss of defensive end Khalil Mack, who’s among the best run stoppers in the league. Last week, in Oakland’s first win of the season, Browns backs Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb piled up 187 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 carries.
If Gordon continues to run with reckless abandon, he and shifty backfield mate Austin Ekeler could break similar ground on Sunday. Together, the two backs have produced exactly 50 percent of the Chargers’ total offense, as both continue to punish defenders who dare come at them with arm tackles.
“We’re running the heck out of the ball right now,” Phillip Rivers said. We’re averaging over five yards per carry, which is huge. The best offenses that we’ve had in my time here have been very balanced. That’s what it feels like right now.”