Sunday was supposed to be a dope day for Melvin Gordon believers. He scored the first two touchdowns of his NFL career in a game where the San Diego Chargers were heavy underdogs, a situation where you would have expected very little production.
Instead, it was a reminder that happiness is fleeting and hope does not exist.
RB snaps for Chargers vs. Chiefs: Danny Woodhead 50, Melvin Gordon 23, Derek Watt 11.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) September 12, 2016
Well, poo.
Danny Woodhead out-carried Gordon, 16-14, and out-targeted him, 7-0. Although the results for Gordon were positive, everything else about the game was violently negative.
Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of this is the timing at which the two received their respective carries. This table splits the work the two saw by half, keeping in mind that the Chargers held a 21-3 lead at halftime, a script that should have played right into Gordon's hands.
| Running Back | First-Half Carries | Second Half-Carries |
|---|---|---|
| Melvin Gordon | 8 | 6 |
| Danny Woodhead | 5 | 11 |
Even though the team held a sizable lead for most of the second half, it was Woodhead -- not Gordon -- who saw a leap in his usage. Most importantly, this is when the team did not have Keenan Allen on the field, which is how the offense will look the rest of the way. That would add an extra check mark against Gordon's forward-looking output.
Now, the Chargers head home to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. The team will be able to gameplan around not having Allen, meaning we could see a shift in the way that Gordon and Woodhead are used. For that reason, we don't need to jump ship on Gordon quite yet, but you should be looking to sell high, regardless, just in case this trend holds.