Chargers need more consistent all-around play, which is why they are 1-4
While many teams have forged an identity five weeks into the season, the Chargers remain an enigma, a 1-4 club that has shown promise in many phases of the game and a capacity to collapse in all of them.
A tough, physical running attack was a priority for first-year coach Anthony Lynn, and the Chargers produced one in Sunday’s 27-22 victory over the New York Giants.
Melvin Gordon carried 20 times for 105 yards, with 72 yards coming after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. A dozen of those extra yards came after Gordon’s wicked stiff-arm of cornerback Janoris Jenkins on a 15-yard run in the second quarter.
But the Chargers mustered only 270 yards rushing in their first four games and rank 29th of 32 teams with an average of 78.8 yards per game.
The Chargers, led by ends Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, have a ferocious pass rush that has produced 17 sacks, tied for third-most in the league. They’ve gotten enough good play from a Casey Hayward-led secondary to rank fourth in passing defense, giving up an average of 190.2 yards per game.
They have given up four touchdown passes of 29 yards or more and rank last in rushing defense, giving up an average of 161.2 yards per game, with the primary culprits being spotty linebacker play, missed tackles and gap-integrity lapses.
Special teams play has been problematic, with the exception of punter Drew Kaser, who ranks sixth in the NFL with a 48.9-yard average. A blocked field-goal try and a missed field-goal try were costly in losses to Denver and Miami, and penalties have plagued all units.
Another impediment has been the wild swings in performance from a position from which the Chargers expected their most consistent play — quarterback.
Philip Rivers completed 75 of 110 passes for 870 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception, in the Denver, Miami and Philadelphia games. He threw three first-half interceptions against Kansas City, which led to 17 points in a 24-10 loss in Week 3.
Rivers, 35, was brilliant and brutal Sunday. He took a safety after a snap-count miscommunication and overthrew a wide-open Travis Benjamin in the end zone in the first half. His poorly thrown pass early in the third period was intercepted in the end zone.
Rivers responded by driving the Chargers 92 yards in 12 plays for the go-ahead touchdown on the next possession, threading a 16-yard pass between two defenders to Keenan Allen on third and 15, and hitting Allen over the middle for 18 yards on third and six.
From the Giants 25, under heavy pressure, Rivers threw a back-foot pass into the back-left corner of the end zone that could only be caught by tight end Hunter Henry, who made a lunging grab behind three defenders to give the Chargers a 17-16 lead.
“That was vintage Philip,” Lynn said. “I mean, he knew he threw a knucklehead pass and he came off. Then, in the very next series, he threw an unbelievable pass. That’s what the good ones do.”
Rivers threw a 10-yard pass to Gordon for the winning score with three minutes left but completed only 21 of 44 passes for 258 yards.
“I saw him make the plays he needed to make when he needed to make them,” Lynn said. “We all had plays and calls that we’d like to have back. But at the end of the day, he did what he had to do to help us win the game.”
Rivers is having a so-so season, completing 116 of 194 passes for 1,363 yards and nine touchdowns, with five interceptions. He ranks 22nd in the NFL with an 86.0 quarterback rating, well below his 94.5 rating over 14 seasons.
Could the Chargers, who play the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday, have another win or two with more consistent play from the quarterback? Maybe. Does Rivers deserve much of the blame for the team’s poor start? No.
“It’s more than just one player out there; it’s him and 21 other guys,” Lynn said. “And they have to trust in one another. They have to trust in the coaching staff. I believe we have a decent amount of toughness. I believe those guys will make the plays when they have to.”
They need to make more plays early. The Chargers have been outscored 43-7 in the first quarter and have trailed after the first quarter in all five games. Their only first-quarter score was a touchdown against Kansas City, which had scored two first-quarter touchdowns.
“This team, when we’re behind, we show this urgency, and we usually catch up and get back into the game,” Lynn said. “But we want to play from the lead; we want to jump out on people. We haven’t been able to do that yet. So that’s something we’re working on, is starting faster.”
Follow Mike DiGiovanna on Twitter @MikeDiGiovanna
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