The Chargers were enjoying one of their best starts to the season in recent memory before they lost left tackle Joe Alt to a high ankle sprain. Since that occurred early on in Week Three’s matchup with
the Broncos, the Chargers offense has taken a sharp turn south and hasn’t quite been able to find a consistent footing.
Also not to mention that Justin Herbert’s been hit more times than any quarterback this year by a long shot. Getting back Alt isn’t just good for the offense, it’s going to be a massive boost to the team’s overall morale since they don’t have to continue watching their best player get walloped over and over again.
Alt’s return will be the biggest headline on Thursday night, but there’s a few more I’ll be watching closely, as well.
Let’s go ahead and jump into it.
1.) Will Joe Alt’s return be enough to protect Herbert from Brian Flores’ defense?
The Chargers began the year 3-0 by playing and executing their brand of football almost perfectly. They wanted to run the ball, exploit mismatches in the play action game, and limit opposing offenses with a smothering defense that made opponents earn every first down.
Unfortunately a good chunk of that winning formula went down the drain once left tackle Joe Alt went down with a high ankle sprain in Week Three. Yes, they still beat the Broncos in that game, but the whole tream truly hasn’t felt the same since. They’ve lost three of their last four and Justin Herbert has taken the largest of beatings in the meantime. He’s been hit 62 times this year which is the most in the league by a wide margin.
Alt’s return (and Trey Pipkins’, as well) should provide a very obvious improvement to the offense as a whole, but I’m sure Herbert will be thanking his lucky stars that Austin Deculus isn’t going to be protecting his blindside any longer. The level of confidence that he can stand in the pocket with this week should be astronomical compared to recent outings.
Still, this isn’t just another NFL defense that wants to shut down Herbert. It’s being led by Flores who has made a name for himself as one of the most aggressive coaches in the league who has never seen a blitz he didn’t love to call. The Chargers have faced good defenses this year, but none have liked to mix it up and bring pressure in a variety of ways more than the Vikings.
Alt’s picking one heck of a week to return and I cannot wait to see how he helps mitigate the expected pressure packages from Minnesota.
2.) How will Jesse Minter attempt to stop the bleeding on defense?
The Chargers defense has allowed 27, 27, and 38 points, respectively in each of their past three games. That’s an unheard of stretch from defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit. After averaging less than 18.0 points allowed all of last season, the Bolts are now letting up 23.3 per game which is almost a full touchdown more.
Yes, injuries have hurt their performance this year, but by no mean do I think the time missed by players should have changed their efficiency this much. Khalil Mack is great! But him presence — or lac thereof — should not all of a sudden make the Chargers incapable of defending an outside run or setting an edge. Denzel Perryman being sidelined should not hurt the tackling ability of everyone else left on the field.
In recent weeks, it simply seems like the defense’s best players have not been showing up nearly as much as they did in those first three weeks. We are not hearing Daiyan Henley, Tarheeb Still, or even Derwin James’ names all that much. The team’s difference-makers are not making as much of a difference right now!
Something has to give, and it’s up to Minter to figure out what that is. Is it mixing up the starting lineup? Is it coming up with different and more exotic personnel packages?
I’ll
3.) Will the Chargers lean on any other running back not named Kimani Vidal?
Hassan Haskins has already been ruled out against the Vikings. Without him, the Chargers will be down to Kimani Vidal and veteran Nyheim Miller-Hines as the team’s top available rushers.
