The Los Angeles Rams are looking to get back to .500 on the season when they take on their city rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, this week. The Chargers, who are 0-6 on the season, are coming off a bye week, but in their first six games of the season, they have displayed these three lessons that the Rams have to remember for their preparations this week.
The Chargers cannot push the ball downfield
The offense as a whole is awful, and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is clearly out of his element, but even if he were on his game, the Chargers do not have much to work with. Quarterback Justin Herbert is having his worst year as a professional, throwing only five touchdown passes to eight interceptions, with a game-high of 226 passing yards.
His top receiver, Ladd McConkey, is consistently
hurt, and that's about all the weapons Herbert has. The only thing the offense can do is beat the Rams in the running game, or if Herbert uses his legs to scramble. Even so, their offensive line is awful.
Three touchdowns should win it
In six games, the Chargers have only scored over 17 points once, and it was during a Week 4 trip to the Seattle Seahawks, where they put up 23. They have no red zone offense. They can't run against stacked boxes, they can't pass at all, and they'll be hard-pressed to stop the Rams' defensive line.
As long as the Rams protect the ball and play field position, three touchdowns should win the game.
The Chargers have an underrated defense
If the Chargers' offense were competent in any way, the scorelines for them this season would not look so lopsided; their defense has had to overcome fatigue and injuries to hold teams to limited scoring. There has been some drop-off due to the departure of Jesse Minter, but they have played well enough to win, and they have some talented, opportunistic defensive backs looking for some success.
It's something to consider when designing a game plan. The defense is underrated, but they will fall apart in the fourth quarter due to fatigue.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 3 things to know about the Chargers ahead of Rams' matchup Sunday
