Oronde Gadsden — Week 2: Ten Yards for the Only Lead
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 21
Gadsden caught both of his targets for 18 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown on second and goal with 9:53 left in the third quarter that put the Chargers ahead 14–10, their only lead of the day. Both targets came after halftime, and David Njoku left in the second quarter, in a 26–14 loss to the Raiders.
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10 to seven, Raiders, nine 53 left in the third quarter, second and goal at the Las Vegas 10. Two snaps earlier Tre Harris had taken a deep ball 53 yards to the five, and one snap earlier an aborted snap had pushed it back to the 10. Justin Herbert threw short right to Oronde Gadsden for 10 yards and the touchdown. +2.0 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and +7.7 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. 14 to 10 was the only lead the Chargers held all afternoon.
The line: two targets, two catches, 18 yards, one touchdown, one first down, +2.0 expected points on the targets. The second catch was eight yards short right on second and 15 with five 29 left in the fourth quarter, down three. He was not thrown to before halftime.
The tight-end picture changed during the game. David Njoku had all three of his targets in the first quarter, was injured on the first play of the second, and was carted off with a knee injury, per ProFootballTalk at NBC Sports. From there the tight-end targets went three to Charlie Kolar and two to Gadsden. Kolar caught his three for 21 yards, two of them on the two-minute drive before halftime.
Back in June the preview made no call on Gadsden — the eighteenth tight end at pick one 42, priced dead on a rookie season that finished seventeenth at the position, with the new coordinator's scheme priced at zero, and the caveat that if the split with Njoku tilted his way the price would look quaint. Week 1 the split tilted the other way, five targets to two. Sunday he had two again, this time with a touchdown, and the man he was splitting with left in the second quarter. Two games: four targets, four catches, 50 yards, one score. He has caught everything; the volume has not moved, and with Njoku out of the game the extra throws went to Kolar at least as much as to him. The Chargers are at the Bills on Sunday the 20-seventh.
_Data via nflverse._
When Oronde Gadsden's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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