5 days ago
2
The Chargers head on the road for a Sunday night playoff game against the Patriots this week.
Here's a few reasons to be optimistic about LA getting Justin Herbert's first playoff win.
Hot pass rush
The Chargers ended the year tied for tenth in total sacks with 45, led by Tuli Tuipulotu with 13 and Odafe Oweh with 7.5. Second-year interior lineman Justin Eboigbe took a huge step forward and added 6, while Khalil Mack had another 5.5 to give LA four players with at least 5 takedowns. New England struggled to protect Drake Maye this season, allowing 47 sacks, the fourth-most in the league. The Patriots are getting healthier on the offensive line with left tackle Will Campbell returning last week and guard Jared Wilson progressing through concussion protocol, but there should still be an opportunity for Los Angeles to make a difference in that phase of the game.
Advertisement
Decent trench matchup
On the other side of the ball, LA has given up 54 sacks of Justin Herbert, which ranks third-most in the NFL. Part of that issue has been a league-leading 32 offensive line combinations this season, which has destabilized the line to a nearly untenable degree. But New England ranked 20th in ESPN's pass-rush win rate and 25th in pressure percentage in the regular season. Defensive tackle Milton Williams is back from injury, but the Patriots may still have a harder time than the Chargers' last few opponents in their attempts to pressure Herbert.
Offensive weapons
Six Chargers have at least 600 yards from scrimmage this season: Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston, Oronde Gadsden II, Omarion Hampton, and Kimani Vidal. Even if Hampton, who did not practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, is out, Los Angeles has a number of options to turn to in order to keep the chains moving offensively. That's a crucial point, with potential All-Pro corner Christian Gonzalez on the other side, likely limiting a No. 1 receiver. Herbert has been excellent at spreading the ball around this season, which could pay huge dividends on Sunday.
Advertisement
Defensive injuries
New England is sixth in total rushing defense this season, allowing only 101.7 yards per game, but leading tackler Robert Spillane has missed the last four games with an ankle injury and defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga has missed the last two with a foot issue. Spillane was limited in practice on Wednesday, while Tonga did not participate. Over the last four weeks of the season, the Patriots were 22nd in EPA per rush allowed, so the status of those two will be critically important in determining if the Chargers will have room to run.
A year early
Maye is the likely MVP this season, or at least the runner-up behind Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, but there's an argument to be made that the Patriots are a year ahead of schedule and may not be poised to make a run quite yet. New England's wide receiver corps is a below-average unit overall, even though many of those players have performed well in their roles, and it lacks premium, household-name talent at many key positions. The playoffs tend to expose young teams like New England, even when they have a quarterback playing at as high of a level as Maye is.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' path to beating the Patriots: Wild-card game optimism
English (US) ·