The Chargers are on the road again this week to face the Seahawks (2-1) in one of the most intimidating venues for traveling teams. It’s going to be loud, loud, LOUD for the Chargers and that’s only going to make communication more of an issue for the Los Angeles offense that’s already struggling to be on the same page play-in and play-out.
Defensively, the Chargers are tasked with putting a lid on the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in wide receiver Jaxon Smitch-Njigba. JSN is currently on an
absolute tear through three games with 400+ yards and six touchdowns already to his name.
No way around it, the Chargers are going to have their hands full this Sunday.
While that’s happening, here are the storylines I’ll be keep a close eye on when these teams are on the field.
1.) Can the offense make…any progress at all?
After scoring 14 points in each of their first two games, the offense improved in Week Three by scoring…16 points…against the Bills who were allowing 31.0 PPG on defense coming in.
The whole group once again was disconnected and working against each other seemingly on every play. The run game was fine but the lack of Hampton being able to find a groove made it look a lot worse than it probably was. Through the air, receivers struggled to gain separation and Quentin Johnston unfortunately authored another third-down drop that killed a drive.
So this week, can the Chargers make literally any progress as an offense?
Mike McDaniel told reporters this week that he has a “much better understanding of things that lead to (Justin Herbert) making good plays.”
My question is, why didn’t you already have this knowledge down before the regular season started? You had the entire offseason to watch all of his film and all of training camp to gather this knowledge, but we’re still learning how to make Herbert the most comfortable almost a month into the schedule?
This is less than ideal!
In all fairness, I am not really sure what a “win” would look like this week outside of actually beating the Seahawks. Seattle has the league’s top defense and it’s likely the Chargers offense will look pretty bad once again given the circumstances.
Even if Herbert and Co. are more connected and in-line with each other entering this game, the Seahawks are probably going to still make it hell on them. Most notably, that defensive front with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy is going to be one hell of a task for the interior of the offensive line.
So what will “progress” look like this week? Maybe going the entire game without a drop? Maybe Johnston records some new season highs?
It’s going to be tough sledding in Seattle.
2.) What is the plan at cornerback if Donte Jackson does not play?
When Jackson left the Bills game with a concussion, the Chargers were forced to play Rodney Shelley way more than they initially planned. Even with Deane Leonard healthy, the coaching staff seemed fine letting him only play special teams. I don’t necessarrily agree with that if the next best option is an undrafted rookie, but here we are.
Josh Allen exploited Shelley early and often. Several of the biggest passing plays for the Bills were against Shelley who let up three completions on three targets for 66 yards while only playing 11 snaps. This came after he was beat for a touchdown on just one of his two snaps against the Raiders in Week Two.
Isas Waxter was elevated for the Bills game but did not end up seeing the field. He’ll likely get another elevation this week given Jackson’s status with a concussion, but it sure seems like the Chargers could use some that isn’t currently on the team.
I don’t know if that’s a future trade yet to be made or what, but the Chargers defense cannot survive this season with only three cornerbacks who can hold their own.
