ESPN’s NFL power rankings are out. And guess who’s at number 10? The Los. Angeles. Chargers. It only took the Bolts about 10 weeks to get back into the mix, but here they are. Is it false hope? Too little, too late?
Aside from the “true”, “ride or die” fans – many Chargers fans had already counted the team out, and were already calling for the heads of Staley and Lombardi. And to their point, justifiably so. The offense had looked atrocious, and the defense – even worse! Schematics were off. Hope was dwindling. Injuries had mounted to a point of no return… Even after an inspiring win against a sub-par Cardinals squad, the Chargers went and blew it against the crying baby– I mean, Derek Carr-led Raiders. Things were bad…
And yet, after Sunday night’s whooping of the new-and-improved Dolphins – the Chargers are officially back on the radar with the media juggernauts, but more importantly – the playoff hunt as well. For the first time since nearly the start of the season, all seems well in Los Angeles (and San Diego, for some) — at least as it pertains to the NFL power rankings. To go from 17 to 10 is saying a lot. But thankfully, so did the Chargers play on Sunday night, for all to see – which, clearly, they did…
Takeaways from Sunday Night
To anyone in Charger-land reading this – NEVER doubt the importance of Mike Williams. To be fair, the Chargers’ front office sure didn’t, as they inked him to quite a rich contract over the off-season. Point is, for being a “number 2 wide receiver” – he sure looked a lot like number one in terms of impact. There is absolutely ZERO slander to Keenan Allen in saying this, but after swaying without one of the two receivers throughout the year, I’d say it’s increasingly obvious that Mike Williams is paramount to the Chargers’ success for one main reason —
He stretches the field. Which brings me to point number two- the Chargers taking deep shots is almost parallel to the Chargers’ success. Any fan who’s watched the Chargers throughout their 6 losses can testify to this. Joe Lombardi had been restricting one of the strongest young arms in football to a West Coast system that had equated to a 0% success rate. (NOT ACTUAL DATA, it was just that bad). You can’t take the wings off of a bird and expect it to fly, and Sunday night, Williams’ return seemed to cure his hampered wing in a big way…
On that note, regarding Herbert’s constraints thanks to Joe Lombardi – the Oregon product who was known for throwing on the run hadn’t been doing any such thing. No designed runs, nor improvisation. It was like watching Phillip Rivers all over again! Any sort of pressure, and the play was ruined. However, against the Dolhpins, Justin Herbert went 10 of 11 on the move. Just let that sink in…
And statistics aside, there was one first down run from Justin Herbert where the young stud got up and celebrated… that’s right, celebrated! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Justin Herbert is an elite athlete. Once you treat him like one, he’ll not only perform like one… but he’ll feel like one, too.
Moving Forward
Now that it’s established that the offense needs to get Justin Herbert on the move and taking shots downfield, let’s talk about the defense. Because what was seen– nay, witnessed on Sunday night was an absolute spectacle of schematics… and execution. Over one year and a half later, Chargers fans finally got to see the “defensive guru” hype of Brandon Staley materialize.
Even without J.C. Jackson AND Derwin James, the Chargers were able to stop one of the most electrifying offenses in the NFL. Even down their best men, the Bolts noticed what worked against Tua in the week prior against San Francisco: jammed coverage. So, not only did the Chargers hone-in on the press, but they also forced everything inside, right into the other man’s zones. In other words, just when Tua thought he had a man open, the receiver would either alter the route and make the throw look terrible – or it’d be right towards a defender, who’d bat it down.
In my humble opinion, I had previously thought it’d be imperative for the Bolts to put the pressure on Tua; and ironically, they did that – just not how I thought they would. Which finally brings me to the title of this section: if the Chargers want to experience any success moving forward, they’ll need to find what’s worked in stopping the opposing team’s offense, then put their own spin on it. Like, playing the press against Tua, but given that the Chargers couldn’t play man-to-man with their personnel; they used the zone. Tah-dah!
NFL Power Rankings vs Materialized Success
While the shiny new top-10 spot in the NFL power rankings is cool and all – it doesn’t mean jack in terms of success. Say it with me Chargers fans, “this year is no longer Super Bowl or bust”. How could it be, with all of the injuries to legitimate pro bowl level players? But, with the pieces in place now – particularly including the all-world talent at quarterback, I’d say it’s fair to adjust to “playoffs or bust”. That sounds about right.
So, how can the injury-plagued, scarily inconsistent Chargers do that? It’s fairly simple…
Keep Justin Herbert’s legs moving, chuck the ball deep to Mike Williams a couple of times, and study/execute on defense, that’s all. That’ll easily get the Chargers wins against the Colts, Rams, and Broncos. Don’t think I forgot the other team remaining… the Titans.
That’s a whole different story – but will tell equally as much as Sunday’s match did. A win against the Dolphins (as well as two hard-fought games against the 49ers & Chiefs) showed the country that the Chargers have a shot – and it showed in the NFL power rankings. But if one of the league’s perenially-worst running attacks against a generational back in Derrick Henry? That’s another thing.
If the Chargers can do that, it’s smooth sailing. And if Brandon Staley has another “guru” moment in him – now is the time…