National Football League

Peter Schrager's Cheat Sheet: These Chargers have a new feel, and that's good

Updated Oct. 10, 2021 2:57 p.m. ET

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By Peter Schrager
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Welcome to the Week 5 edition of the Schrager Cheat Sheet.

Each week, I take a look at several things you need to know heading into the NFL weekend. This week, we tackle the rising Chargers, a new Cowboys star, the Browns' defense and more!

Let’s get to it.

Peter Schrager's Cheat Sheet Week 5: A star is born in Dallas! Are the Chargers legit?

Are the Chargers legit? Is there a new star in Dallas? Peter Schrager gives his Cheat Sheet on the five things you need to know heading into Week 5.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

1. Not the same old Chargers

I don't blame you if you're resisting "believing" in the L.A. Chargers after their impressive 3-1 start. Ask a Chargers fan with a Natrone Means jersey or a Ron Mix tattoo, and they'll probably nod their head in agreement. Fans of this team — whether in San Diego, Los Angeles or parts unknown — have been through too much and seen too many inexplicable defeats over the years to simply "buy in."

Chargers fans have real scar tissue. There have been not only years but also decades' worth of fast starts — to a game, to a season, to a coaching regime — followed by befuddling collapses, missed kicks and questionable clock management. Browns, Lions and Jets fans often claim they're snakebitten. Bolts fans have a case, too.

But the 2021 Chargers seem to be different. Hell, forget "seem." They are different.

And that's by design. When Brandon Staley took the job back in January, the first-year NFL head coach knew it was more than merely taking over a squad with a losing record. Staley, whom I've spoken to about this many times, knew he was going to have to change the perception around this franchise and kill some ghosts of yesteryear along the way. 

He has done that, not only with a positive, steely demeanor but also with in-game decisions that scream, "We aren't the same Chargers you're used to!"

A case in point came Week 3 at Arrowhead against the Chiefs. The Chargers had the ball late in the fourth quarter, fourth-and-4, on the Chiefs' 30-yard line. Rookie lineman Rashawn Slater was flagged for a false start, making it fourth-and-9 at the Chiefs' 35. 

I don't know what the analytics say, but it's probably something other than "go for it." But Staley went for it, the Chargers drew a pass-interference flag, and they scored the go-ahead touchdown seconds later. The call itself, in a vacuum? Probably nothing. But within the context of how the Chargers have lost games over the past decade and how they opted to punt on a crucial fourth-and-2 against the Chiefs in Week 2 last season? It was symbolic of what they want to be.

Fast-forward to eight days later against the Raiders, and it's a crucial third-and-2 in the fourth quarter, with the Chargers up only seven points after leading by 21 earlier in the half. Incomplete pass. Fourth-and-2 around the 50-yard line. What's the call? Field goal? Punt? Staley didn't hesitate. Justin Herbert went right to the line of scrimmage and completed a pass to Jared Cook to move the chains. Six plays later, Austin Ekeler ran one for six, and the game was over 28-14.

This stuff matters. Staley isn't here to merely not lose. He's here to win games. And the players are taking notice. 

Here's what Joey Bosa — when he wasn't speaking on Derek Carr — had to say after the win Monday: "In years past, you come into halftime with a lead, and I'm like, ‘Oh God. What are we gonna do this time to screw it up?’ I'm sorry, but it's how my mind works because it's just happened so many times ... I think we're coming together as a team. We believe in each other, and we believe in the coaching."

The Chargers take on another 3-1 team in the Browns this weekend. It'll be another test. Brandon Staley, I assure you, is not worried. And for the first time in what feels like forever, it sounds like his players aren't, either. 

For more up-to-date news on all things Chargers, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

2. A new star in Big D

After the Cowboys' victory over the Panthers on Sunday, NFL Network cameras caught Dez Bryant in the bowels of AT&T Stadium complaining that they weren't selling No. 7 jerseys in the Pro Shop yet. Don't worry, 88, that will change soon. 

Trevon Diggs has been more than merely a sensation. The dude might be the best cornerback to play for the Cowboys since Deion wore No. 21. What he's doing right now can't be undersold. On consecutive drives Sunday, Diggs picked off Sam Darnold to put the game on ice. He was the closer in a game that was getting oddly tighter than it should have been.

Diggs has an uncanny nose for the ball. The NFC's Defensive Player of the Month in September, he has an interception in every game he has played in this season, five total. He has eight in his first 16 career games. Dallas has long sought an elite No. 1 corner. Whether it was Terrence Newman way back when or Morris Claiborne in 2012 or Byron Jones in 2016, the search has been long and difficult.

But now here's Diggs, the 51st overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, with five interceptions in four games. The most INTs a Cowboy has had since 1996 — when Deion Sanders got there — is six by Anthony Henry in 2007. Diggs can tie or break that record this weekend.

The Cowboys have had a lot of famous players over the past three decades. They now have another one in Diggs, at a position where they've long coveted one, too. 

For more up-to-date news on all things Cowboys, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

3. Memphis: The new Running Back U?

You can have your University of Miami or Oklahoma or Ohio State. When it comes to finding the next great NFL running back, I'm looking no further than the University of Memphis. Now, the Tigers program has had a few great running backs in the past — DeAngelo Williams, to name one — but the past few years, Memphis has churned out one talented running back after another, perhaps more than any other school.

Antonio Gibson went 66th overall in the 2020 Draft and is now the clear-cut No. 1 RB for the Washington Football Team. Tony Pollard went 128th overall in the 2019 Draft and is half of what has been the best running back duo in the league through four weeks of the season.

Now, enter former Memphis star Kenneth Gainwell — wearing the un-running-back-like number 14 — who is tearing it up for the Philadelphia Eagles. Gainwell was selected 150th overall in 2021 and was so good in the summer that the team had him ahead of longtime NFL player Jordan Howard on the depth chart.

On Sunday, Gainwell came alive against the Chiefs, setting career marks in snaps played, targets, receptions and receiving yards. His nine touches went for 89 yards and opened the eyes of many around the league. The back from Yazoo City, Mississippi, got more touches than Miles Sanders down the stretch last week and showed he can block in the passing game, too.

You can have your Alabama or Wisconsin. Gimme the running backs from Memphis.

For more up-to-date news on all things Memphis, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

4. Cleveland rocks

Lost in all of the hysteria over Justin Fields' forgettable NFL debut was a shockingly impressive effort from the Browns' defense. Fields didn't sack himself nine times. He didn't throw more than twice as many incompletions as completions against no defense. Actually, Cleveland's D caused him and his Bears offensive line fits.

Guess what? The Browns did the same exact thing in Week 4 against the Vikings.

Minnesota was riding high after a big victory over the Seahawks in Week 3, but Cleveland's D made the Vikings' offense look pedestrian at best. Kirk Cousins was pressured on 55% of his snaps, and guys such as safety John Johnson III and rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah pounded Cousins on separate plays even as he got passes off. 

The offensive lines of the Bears and Vikings have been solid in other games this season. They looked inept against Cleveland. The Browns' D might be the best unit in the league.

It's a group of talented guys with big names, many of whom are looking to prove something. Myles Garrett wants to be seen as the top defensive player in the sport. He has been unblockable this season. Malik Jackson, Takk McKinley and Jadeveon Clowney want to show why they were once all viewed as top talents at their position. Then there are the stories behind guys such as Malik McDowell, Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit — three players who've had injuries interrupt their NFL careers.

This offseason, general manager Andrew Berry wanted to make sure the defense got faster, longer and smarter. With the additions, including rookies Owusu-Koramoah and Greg Newsome, this defense is significantly better than it has been in years prior.  

The Chargers await the Browns. Or is it the other way around?

For more up-to-date news on all things Browns, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

5. Zach attack

Zach Wilson had three passes Sunday that showed exactly why he was the undisputed No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft. 

The arm strength exhibited on the deep pass to Keelan Cole …

… the TD heave to Corey Davis …

… and the sideline beauty to Cole in OT were all truly impressive.

The Jets might not win too many more games this season, but this feels different than other years and other quarterbacks. None of the other young QBs before him have had the cannon that Wilson does.

For more up-to-date news on all things Jets, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

6. Sports fans are everywhere

Every NFL team has a list of "celebrity fans," and as someone who lives and breathes this league every day, I can be a skeptic when I hear that term used. Does the guy make sure every Sunday is open so he can watch the team? Is she really paying attention in March and April or just showing up to the games in October? Celebrity fans can be hit or miss. 

Not the case with Blake Shelton. The dude is a die-hard Cardinals fan, and with Arizona having a moment at 4-0, he is loving it.

I got to know Shelton, who is fairly busy these days and currently on tour, a few years back. Our friendship — if that's what you want to call it — is solely based on Arizona Cardinals football. 

With Kyler Murray the QB (Blake's a die-hard Oklahoma fan, too), it's easy to focus on that one player. But Shelton has thoughts on Budda Baker, feelings on Jordan Hicks and the linebacker group, and real love and affection for GM Steve Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury — so much so that he invited them on tour with him last offseason. 

I shouted out Shelton on Tuesday's "The Herd," and sure enough, minutes later, got this tweet in return. 

The Cardinals are the hot team right now. Their "celebrity fan" is soaking it all in. 

Peter Schrager is an NFL writer for FOX Sports and a host of "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network. 

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National Football League

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Peter Schrager