The Chargers are hot, winning their last four of five games. However, they have to improve in certain areas to avoid being one-and-done. Which areas may be most vital in making necessary adjustments?
We identified four areas Los Angeles could improve as its postseason play kicks off on Saturday night against the Jaguars.
Gavino: Eliminate the explosives
After four consecutive dominant defensive performances, the Chargers hit a bit of a bump against the Broncos. They allowed 471 total yards, which was the second-highest amount of the season, including 205 on the ground. Additionally, the Bolts allowed three completions of at least 50 yards.
The Jaguars are eighth in passing offense DVOA. Los Angeles must pressure Trevor Lawrence. Joey Bosa should be back to a full workload after working his way back from a groin injury, and they must get him at his best. The same goes for Khalil Mack and Kyle Van Noy. Additionally, getting interior pressure from Morgan Fox and Drue Tranquill is crucial.
Against running back Travis Etienne, the Chargers must be stout at the point of attack, seal edges, take proper angles to the football and tackle in the open field. Etienne does his most damage outside the tackles, particularly on the left side, where he averages 8.2 yards per carry (5.35 yards after contact per attempt) and has seven carries over ten yards.
Alex: Get Justin Herbert on the move
This version of the Chargers’ offense is at its best when Herbert is outside the pocket for a few reasons. Reason No. 1: the offensive line has been inconsistent, allowing one of the higher pressure rates in the league down the stretch as Jamaree Salyer hit the rookie wall and the Chargers butted heads with some of the more dominant interior rushers in the league. Reason No. 2: Joe Lombardi’s route concepts often congest one area of the field anyway, and getting Herbert moving in that direction draws a defender or two his way and opens throwing lanes. Reason No. 3: Herbert has the tools to make some ridiculous throws off-platform, which allows him to catch the defense slipping without setting his feet to go downfield. Time and time again, Los Angeles has tried to go back to being a traditional drop-back passing team, but every time they do, the offense falters. Defenses have keyed in on the half roll deep shot the Bolts love to dial up, but utilizing play-action to draw defenders upfield before taking that shot is one way to avoid that. LA has primarily avoided doing that for reasons unknown. If they’re going to make a playoff run, with or without Rashawn Slater, splitting the field in half and letting Herbert rip it on the move is a key reason why.
Gavino: Secure the football
The Chargers had one of their better passing performances last weekend against the Broncos.
However, they were hampered by two dropped passes on third down and a fumble by DeAndre Carter as he sprinted into the red zone. Furthermore, Austin Ekeler fumbled the football.
Los Angeles is tied for third with the most dropped passes (27) and sixth in fumbles (9). In the playoffs, L.A. can not afford to have wasted offensive possessions because of these types of mistakes.
Alex: Convert takeaway opportunities
The Chargers have consistently put themselves in positions to turn opposing offenses over, but it feels like there’s always something that prevents them from finishing those plays. They recover just 45.45% of potential takeaway fumbles, tied for 16th in the league. There’s been a litany of dropped interceptions – Asante Samuel Jr. finished the regular season with only two picks despite having his hands on probably 3 or 4 more. These plays have sometimes proven costly, namely the failure to recover the fumble that led to the rugby scrum Tyreek Hill touchdown against Miami. LA is tied for 7th-best in the league with a turnover margin of 0.3, but some of that can be attributed to Justin Herbert’s very low 1.4% interception percentage. If they’re going to advance in the playoffs, the Chargers have to convert on their opportunities to cause takeaways, and then the offense has to turn those opportunities into points. It starts on Saturday with Jacksonville, where Lawrence leads the league in lost fumbles with nine. Part of that is bad luck, as Lawrence has only fumbled 12 times this season. For the Chargers, who lost the turnover battle 2-0 in Week 3 against the Jaguars in a 38-10 loss, continuing that streak of bad luck for opponents will be key to moving on to the divisional and beyond.
