It’s week 5 of the NFL season, and the Washington Commanders will be facing the LA Chargers on the road at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA this Sunday at 4:25 pm EDT. The Chargers started the season hot,
beating out the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos (three division rivals), before finally losing to the 0-3 Giants last week.
On offense, the Chargers are coached by OC Greg Roman, former OC of the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014, first stint with HC Jim Harbaugh), Buffalo Bills (2015-2016), and Baltimore Ravens (2019-2022). A traditional Greg Roman offense centers around a power-running game with gap-heavy schemes, play-action passing, and a mobile quarterback and has sometimes been criticized for being too run-heavy and not featuring a complementary passing game. That was true for the Chargers in 2024, as their offense had a 55.09% pass rate (23rd in the NFL). However, the 2025 Chargers have turned into a high-flying aerial attack, with a 63.64% pass rate (3rd in the NFL). This is enabled by a talented trio of WRs. Quentin Johnston was a 2023 1st-round pick who was initially labelled a “bust”, but over time has developed into a true X receiver with the size, strength, and speed to win from all levels of the field. Longtime great Keenan Allen may be entering his twilight years, but has still shown the excellent hands and route-running ability that have enabled him to excel as a slot or Z receiver. Similarly, 2nd-year WR Ladd McConkey is an excellent slot and Z receiver who exploded onto the NFL last year with over 1,000 yards in his rookie season, but has been mostly quiet this year, with less than 44 receiving yards per game. The Chargers rushing attack is led by talented rookie RB Omarion Hampton, who ran for 128 yards (10.7 YPC) and a TD last week against the Giants.
On defense, the Chargers are coached by DC Jesse Minter, former DC of the Michigan Wolverines under Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers defense under Minter has been one of the best in the league, with the 3rd-fewest total yards allowed (5th-fewest passing, 15th-fewest rushing) and 4th-fewest points allowed. This defense has been characterized as a heavily zone coverage defense (81.7% zone, 4th most in the NFL) and although Minter’s defense at Michigan was characterized by a high blitz rate, that hasn’t been as true of his defense in the NFL.
I asked Michael Peterson of Bolts From The Blue five questions to better understand the state of the Chargers and what to look for in this game.
1) The Chargers have unfortunately been a team beset by injuries. Can you walk us through the most impactful injuries that will likely affect this week’s game?
The biggest one will be the loss of left tackle Joe Alt. His impact as a protector of Justin Herbert was immense and he did all he could to make up for the loss of Rashawn Slater who is out for the year. Without him, a player who should definitely not be on the field for the Chargers will get the start. That could be Austin Deculus or Jamaree Salyer.
There are other injuries on the team, such as linebacker Denzel Perryman and edge rusher Khalil Mack, but neither have truly shown to have much of an impact on the team anywhere near Alts absence. The defense is chugging along just fine. The offense and Herbert’s ability to make plays looks drastically different when he’s running for his life.
2) Many people expected Ladd McConkey to be a focal point of the Chargers offense this year, but so far he’s been a minor piece. Why do you think that is?
I think it’s mainly due to the emergence of Quentin Johnston and the attention McConkey was always going to get to begin this season. Greg Roman has found better ways to get the ball to QJ and McConkey is stuck drawing the best defenders in the opposing secondary. I think McConkey will end up getting his, but right now Roman is leaning into what is working. It also doesn’t help that Ladd is coming off his first game with less than two receptions and a pair of drops. It also can’t be understated how important Keenan Allen’s presence has been for Herbert. That connection is still there and Allen was the guy first for him before McConkey. It’s only natural for Herbert to go back to what he’s most comfortable with.
3) What factors allowed an 0-3 Giants team to beat a 3-0 Chargers team last week?
Two things: The offensive line and horrendous turnover luck.
When left tackle Joe Alt went down, it forced Texans castoff Austin Deculus to play on the blindside. So, at that point, the Chargers weren’t just down three starters up front, they were down their three BEST starters. Two All-Pro level tackles and their one upgrade in free agency in right guard Mekhi Becton. Herbert could barely get a pass off, nonetheless will his team to victory.
The other part is the two interceptions by Herbert which were out of his control, no matter what he wanted to take the blame for afterwards. The first pick was a deflection by Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence who happened to have the ball bounce right back to him before he rumbled all the way down inside the five-yard line. The second pick came when Ladd McConkey tripped over the feet of tight end Tyler Conklin who was setting a legal pick to get him open on a wheel route. When Ladd fell, the defender just finished the route for him because Herbert has to throw with anticipation.
It was just a perfect cocktail of a matchup to knock off this version of the Chargers.
4) Who is one Chargers player on offense and one player on defense that Washington fans probably don’t know much about, but should?
Offense: Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II is a guy to keep an eye on. He may have a tough matchup against the Washington linebackers, but he’s been solid when targeted since making his NFL debut in Week Three. He can stretch the field as a vertical threat and still make the tough catch over the middle.
Defense: Rookie defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell should have an eye kept on him. He’s been a complete tackle for the Chargers who can wreak havoc in the backfield to knock opposing offense’s off kilter if given the chance. He wins with power as a pass rusher but also shows a nice get-off on the snap to swiftly get by would-be run blockers
5) How should Washington go about gameplanning this matchup on both sides of the ball?
Washington needs to do their best to attack the Chargers offensive line from just about every direction. They will be starting multiple backups while the actual “starters” that remain have been some of the worst in the NFL at their positions. Washington needs to throw as many stunts and twists up front to get after Herbert early and often and usually that leads to great things for the defense.
As for attacking the defense, the Chargers will attempt to keep everything in front of them at the second and third levels. If Washington can stretch the field vertically and horizontally, there should be plenty of room for the run game and specifically or Jayden Daniels to use his legs as both a designed rusher and scrambler. The Bolts were unable to cap Jaxson Dart in his first ever start and Daniels is a whole other beast in that regard.
A companion article to this with my answers to Michael’s questions is linked here.
Thanks again to Michael Peterson for taking time out of his day to answer our questions about the Chargers.
