The Chargers are back from bye and will face a banged-up Rams team as they continue to search for their first win of the season.
Here are a few reasons to be pessimistic that Jim Harbaugh and company will win the cross-town matchup.
Lingering defensive injuries
Derwin James Jr. has not practiced this week with a hamstring injury, which Harbaugh attributed to a setback during the bye that could land the former All-Pro on injured reserve. Cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Rodney Shelley, dealing with hamstring injuries of their own, have only been able to practice in a limited fashion, while corner Deane Leonard has missed both days of practice with a concussion. Even with wide receiver Davante Adams and ascending tight end Terrance Ferguson on IR for the Rams, dealing with that many
injuries in the secondary will make defending a talented Rams offense a challenge.
Puka Nacua's impact
That talented Rams offense has revolved around Nacua with Adams out, as the fourth-year wideout is seventh in the NFL in receptions with 45, a whopping 17 of which came in an overtime loss to the Bills three weeks ago. Nacua was targeted 24 times in that game, so the Rams have certainly shown that they're willing to just keep throwing him the ball if it's working or if the offense gets into a jam. Tarheeb Still will likely draw that assignment for most of the afternoon, but the Chargers may be best served by having Still travel with Nacua and letting Cam Hart take his chances against the likes of Konata Mumpfield and Jordan Whittington.
Interior line matchup
Do you think second-round rookie Jake Slaughter and sixth-round rookie Logan Taylor were anticipating a matchup with Aaron Donald when they got the call on draft night? Slaughter, who has started every game at center with Tyler Biadasz out for the year with an ACL injury, will have his hands full even with Kobie Turner and Poona Ford on injured reserve for the Rams, as Donald and Braden Fiske are plenty capable of making it a long day for just about anybody. Missing Kayode Awosika (fibula) at left guard will hurt too, as that'll put Taylor into the starting lineup for the third consecutive game. Right guard Cole Strange has been healthy all year but has massively struggled, so the hope is that the bye week has reset his season.
Plenty on the line
With the Chargers 0-6 heading into Sunday while the Rams flew high as the league's most super of super-teams, there might be an angle to call the battle for LA a trap game, especially with the Chargers coming off a bye. Instead, the Rams have fallen well short of expectations as well and sit at 3-4, fresh off a 35-21 drubbing of the Raiders to take out some frustration from back-to-back losses to the Bills and Cardinals. With Washington and a rematch with Arizona on the schedule after the Chargers, the Rams have to get right during this stretch of their schedule if they're going to reach the heights they were expected to. That takes Sunday out of trap game territory and puts it into a scary place for Chargers fans.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 4 causes for concern for Chargers against the Rams in Week 8
