The Chargers on a two-game skid and desperately need to find a way to right the ship this week against a 1-4 Dolphins team.
When you look at the remaining schedule, it actually gets a lot more difficult
through the second half of the season. Aside from games against the Titans and Raiders, I’m not sure there’s any other game that you could argue the Chargers “should” win given the state of the team and their recent struggles.
As of now, the Bolts need to keep pace with the Broncos who now share the AFC West lead at 3-2. The thing is, the Broncos are healthy for the most part and are not missing any glaring superstars. Their playmakers are all healthy and available.
It’s a taller task for the Chargers in every way to stay atop the division, but if Jim Harbaugh is the coach everyone believes he is, he’ll find a way to tread water until their impact players start to sprinkle back into the lineup.
With that said, let’s take a look at the three biggest things I’ll be watching when these two teams take the field on Sunday.
1.) How will the Chargers defense attack a weak interior protection for the Dolphins?
The Chargers just got an influx of speed and athleticism in their pass rush room by trading for Ravens edge rusher Odafe Oweh this week. The former first-round pick is a 6’5, 265-pound flash off the edge who is, despite being off to a rough start this year, gets an excellent opportunity to find his groove versus a porous Dolphins pass protection.
Per Pro Football Focus, three of the Dolphins’ starting offensive linemen have a pass block grade below 50.0. In particular, offense guard Jonah Savaiinaea has a pass block grade of 0.0 (!!!!). Yes, that is correct. If 60.0 is an average grade, how bad can this one player be? If that tells me anything, it’s that the Chargers need to use a variety of stunts and twists to get a mismatch on him and just cause a bout of confusion as often as possible.
Without using stunts, the edge rushers should be able to still take advantage of offensive tackle Larry Borom who has a pass block grade of 45.8 on the year and has allowed a team-high two sacks (the same as Savaiinaea).
No other player on the team besides Tuli Tuipulotu (27) has more than eight pressures on the year. Oweh, while playing in a decreased role through five weeks for the Ravens, still has 12. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can hit the ground running this weekend.
2.) How will Hassan Haskins/Kimani Vidal maximize this opportunity against the league’s worst run defense?
Entering Week Six, the Dolphins currently rank dead last in rushing defense as they have allowed an average of 174.2 yards per game on the ground. For the team that just lost their starting running back for at least four games, this is an excellent opportunity for the team’s backups to find a groove and some confidence while they attempt to keep the running game afloat in the meantime.
However, this all sounds great until you consider the state of the offensive line. Current starters Trey Pipkins and Jamaree Salyer have both haven’t practice this week as of Friday morning. There’s a chance the Chargers will be down to third and fourth-stringers at the majority of positions up front. If that’s the case, only God would seemingly be able to help this pass protection and run game.
3.) How will the Chargers tighten up their self-inflicted wounds with even more new faces?
As of Friday’s practice, the Chargers were going to have yet another new face along the offensive line as newly-signed offensive tackle Bobby Hart was getting first-team reps while Trey Pipkins remained sidelined for the third consecutive practice. Thankfully Mekhi Becton is back at right guard, but Austin Deculus is once again set to handle blindside duties.
Over the past two games, Herbert has been abused at a very high clip while the Chargers have been flagged 24 total times. It’s not insane to think that the Chargers should 5-0 if it wasn’t for the penalties that have derailed many a promising drive.
Veteran Bobby Hart is getting the start at right tackle. It will be his first game as a member of the Chargers. He’s only been with the team a little over two weeks. There’s a chance he is not up to speed enough to keep the offense churning efficiently. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is flagged for a false start at least once on Sunday.
If the Chargers do not want to be a team of excuses, they’ll have to show us this week that no matter who is on the field that they are prepared, disciplined, and well-coached.
