Despite some issues with the passing and run game, and a fight that resulted in the ejection of wide receiver Joshua Palmer, the Los Angeles Chargers began the season on a high with a win against the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. Below are some ways to keep the momentum going against the Carolina Panthers this week:
Chargers Keys To Victory
Keep Up The Run Game
The run game didn’t get moving until the second half, where during the Chargers’ first drive of the third quarter, running back J.K. Dobbins, on a third-and-2, broke free and traveled from the Chargers’ 47-yard line to first-and-goal. The play reminded me of what the Chargers have seen for years on the other side of the ball, and I had to rub my eyes to make sure it wasn’t a Raider picking up an explosive play.
And then it happened again, on the Chargers last drive of that quarter, running back Gus Edwards had a 10-yard run for another first down. Then at the start of the fourth, Dobbins went another 12-yards for the Chargers’ first touchdown of the 2024 season. The “lightning and thunder” that running backs coach Kiel McDonald had talked about during his first press conference, referencing both Dobbins and Edwards, had materialized and these two former Ravens brought the storm to the field.
The Panthers weren’t too bad in stopping the run last year, ranking 14th in run defense according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) for all teams. The Chargers will not have to contend with Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who played the second most run defense snaps of the team in 2023, as he unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.
But they will have to deal with safety Xavier Woods, who played a fair amount of run-defense snaps last season, as well as linebacker Shaq Thompson, who’s coming back from a season-ending injury in 2023. Despite some of the defensive obstacles in their way, if the Chargers can improve a bit on the run blocking side to get things going earlier, they should be successful. Because even with a few good players, the Panthers have a lot of weak areas, so the Chargers should be able to exploit most of those.
Clean Up The Penalties
The false starts just kept coming with tight end Will Dissly getting them on back to back drives in the first quarter, while both wide receiver Ladd McConkey and tight end Eric Tomlinson each got one during the second. The biggest penalties of the game were ultimately offset, but resulted in losing Palmer and Raiders safety Jack Jones, when he and Jones got into a physical confrontation toward the end of the fourth. The Chargers need to clean it up next game, especially when they can’t get much going on offense except field goals in the first half.
Let Bosa and Mack Cook
I was so entertained watching edge rushers Bosa and Mack last week, as we finally got to witness once again what happens when both are on the field. Bosa was in fine form, and on one play, as he fell to the turf, he literally grabbed Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew‘s ankle so that he couldn’t get the first down.
Mack also had so many good moments, including two sacks, and a tipped ball in the forth, causing an interception to end the game. Panthers Quarterback Bryce Young does have some good pass protection, especially in guard Robert Hunt who was just acquired this offseason from Miami. However, this Chargers’ edge rusher group is ruthless, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
Protect Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert was provided good protection throughout Week 1 from rookie right tackle Joe Alt, and as always left tackle Rashawn Slater was on point. The pass blocking could have been better from left guard Zion Johnson.
Even with Raiders edge rusher Malcolm Koonce out on IR, edge rusher Maxx Crosby was relentless in the pass rush. In particular for this next matchup, I worry about Panthers defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, if he’s healthy enough to play. The pass protection should hopefully be a bit more buttoned up this next game.
Utilize The Wide Receivers
McConkey and wide receiver Quentin Johnston were Herbert’s go-tos in this last matchup, as they each had the most targets. But because the pass rush was so strong, Herbert didn’t have as much of a chance to connect with others, especially Palmer, so that should change this week.
