The Chargers (5-3) are on the road this week to face the Titans (1-7) in Nashville.
Los Angeles is coming off a dominant win over the Vikings behind stellar performances by their quarterback Justin Herbert
and running back Kimani Vidal. Joe Alt’s return from a high ankle sprain was also key in unlocking the offense’s potential once more.
This week, they face a Titans team that’s swirling around the bottom of the barrel. They’re last in most offensive categories while the defense isn’t faring much better. It’s a prime opportunity to get a free mark in the win column ahead of Week 10’s matchup at home with the Steelers.
With that said, here are three things I’ll be watching for when these teams take the field on Sunday.
1.) Can the Chargers dominate for the second consecutive week?
The Chargers came out and romped over a 3-3 Vikings team to get back to two games over .500 on the season. Their 37-10 victory was a reminder that, when healthy, the Chargers are still a dangerous football team.
Looking ahead, the Bolts are entering what could be a pivotal stretch of their season in regards to their postseason hopes. Their next four games are coming against the Titans (1-7) this weekend, Steelers (4-3), Jaguars (4-3), and Raiders (2-5). The Titans and Raiders games should be givens. Emphasis on the SHOULD BE. The Steelers have been up-and-down with their defense regressing a bit this year compared to recent campaigns. Then there’s the Jaguars who aren’t as good lately as they looked to begin the year.
If the Chargers can take care of business and win these next four games, they’d sit at 9-3 ahead of a final five-game stretch that includes games against the Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans, and Broncos.
The best case scenario is that the Chargers get to 9-3 and then attempt to split the final five games either at 3-2 or 2-3. Heck, even if they somehow drop 4 of the final five, you’re still at 10-7 and likely in the playoffs. I cannot stress how important it is that the Bolts continue to stay hot and take care of business over the next month.
2.) Could we see an increase in snaps for several rookies against a lowly opponent?
Last week against the Vikings, rookie safety R.J. Mickens was pressed into starter snaps following the injuries to both Derwin James and Tony Jefferson. He impressed by grabbing his first interception to help bury Minnesota late in the game. This week, there’s a chance either one of James or Jefferson is sidelined entirely (or partially) which could lead to more snaps once again for Mickens, especially if the Chargers want to play it safe with their veterans.
One other name to look for when it comes to an increased first-year wideout Tre’ Harris who caught his first professional touchdown against the Vikings. After seeing no more than 25 snaps through the first five games of the season, Harris has now recorded 53, 33, and 42 snaps, respectively, in each of his last three outings. He’s been arguably the team’s best run blocker amongst the wide receivers and you can see the coaching staff’s trust growing for him each week. If the Chargers can build a decent lead against Tennessee on Sunday, I’d expect to see Harris get more play in place of Keenan Allen whom the team may not want to risk in garbage time.
3.) How will the Chargers harass rookie quarterback Cam Ward?
Entering Week Eight and just two days before the Chargers took on the Vikings, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper posted this on X:
Not only does this show how bad the protection was for Herbert without Joe Alt protecting his blindside, but it also highlights just how bad things have been this year for Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward. He’s been protected by a handful of different tackles due to injuries, but none have been worse than Dan Moore Jr. who leads the team with five sacks allowed and 21 pressures. One other tackle has five sacks allowed as well (JC Latham) but the next closest player in pressures has just 13 (Oli Udoh).
The Chargers performance is coming off a performance where they sacked Carson Wentz five times. Now Ward is a bit more mobile than Wentz, but the Bolts have some athletes to get after him if the Titans protection continues their rough first half of the season. Jesse Minter was able to utilize personnel packages on defense that featured the trio of Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Odafe Oweh and all three of them managed to take down Wentz at least once.
I’d say let’s keep the formula the same until it stops getting the job done.
