The Chargers meet a spiritual equal on Sunday, facing a Vikings team well acquainted with the sort of heartbreak LA’s fans have come to expect.
With both teams standing at 0-2 despite productive offensive performances, something has to give.
Buy Chargers TicketsHere are four reasons to believe Los Angeles comes out on top.
Poor run defense
Normally, such a heading would be about the Chargers. But it’s Minnesota who’s struggled to defend the run this season, namely last week against injury fill-in D’Andre Swift, who put together 175 yards on the ground for a dominant Eagles team. Philadelphia has one of the best offensive lines in the league.
However, Los Angeles has shown the ability to run the ball, especially against lighter boxes. They had 233 yards on the ground against a Dolphins defense focused on stopping Justin Herbert and the passing offense but struggled against a Titans front that’s one of the best in football. Minnesota has played a ton of three safety sets to help out their middling corners in the passing game, leaving the middle of the field wide open to be run through.
Even if Austin Ekeler (ankle) can’t go on Sunday, expect the Chargers’ game plan to be more run-heavy, as it was against the Dolphins. That afternoon, both Ekeler and Joshua Kelley had 16 carries. If Ekeler is absent on Sunday, that balance should tip more in Kelley’s favor, with Elijah Dotson and Isaiah Spiller the secondary options.
Turnover prone
Minnesota’s reasons for their 0-2 record despite a strong offense are rather simple: they’ve turned the ball over too often, usually in critical moments. The Vikings have seven turnovers through two games, six of which have come via fumble.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been especially susceptible to the fumble to start the season, with two in Week 1 and another last week against Philadelphia. Running back Alexander Mattison, receiver Justin Jefferson, and punt returner Brandon Powell all have once each. In short, it’s been an issue all over the roster, and it’s often resulted in huge swings in the game.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has yet to turn the ball over through two games. While that only makes it more mind-boggling that the Chargers are 0-2, nothing about how they’ve played this season suggests any reason to believe that will change on Sunday. Justin Herbert is one of the league’s most turnover-averse players, and Kelley hasn’t fumbled since 2021. If both trends hold on Sunday, the Chargers should win the turnover battle – if they do, that should come with a victory.
Lopsided offense
Music to Chargers’ fans’ ears: this Vikings team either cannot or will not run the ball. Minnesota has run the ball just 26 times for 69 yards through two weeks, both last in the league by a wide margin. They’re aware something’s not working, too, as they traded for Rams running back Cam Akers on Wednesday.
Akers likely won’t be active on Sunday with such a short ramp-up with his new team. The same is likely true of new guard Dalton Risner, who signed on Tuesday to a $4 million deal for the remainder of the season. Until those players hit the field, the only information to work off of is what Minnesota has put on the field so far.
What makes this all the more interesting for Minnesota is that these league-low numbers are despite opposing defenses being built to stop the passing game with Cousins and Justin Jefferson lining up on offense. The Chargers have looked improved on run defense this season, holding Derrick Henry under 3.5 yards per carry last week, so evidence suggests the reasons to be concerned in that department are shrinking. It’s been the pass defense that’s struggled, however. But if Minnesota can’t run the ball even when defenses are selling out to stop the pass, perhaps the Chargers can find a way to stem the leaks in their secondary without sacrificing a big day on the ground.
Pass blocking chops
In Week 1, the Chargers went up against a backup left tackle for the Dolphins but could not produce a sack of Tua Tagovailoa. This wasn’t due to a lack of trying – Khalil Mack had six pressures and Joey Bosa had four to lead the way for an LA defense that totaled seventeen pressures of Tagovailoa. The problem was that Miami’s quarterback was getting the ball out at lightspeed: his 2.5-second average time to throw was seventh in the league among quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks in Week 1.
Against Minnesota, the Chargers could potentially face a third-string left tackle. Christian Darrisaw (ankle) missed last week’s game and has been a limited participant in practice this week, while his backup Oli Udoh, suffered a season-ending injury last week. Even with Darrisaw in the lineup, LA has ways to generate pressure, with rookie Tuli Tuipulotu looking like a home run draft pick. Kirk Cousins has been pressured on just under a third of his dropbacks so far this season, with his 30 dropbacks under pressure tied for 11th most in the league. While Cousins has only taken four sacks on those plays, those have resulted in disastrous outcomes.
