The Chargers will open up the 2023 regular season at SoFi Stadium against the Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1:25 p.m. PT.
To get you prepped for the Week 1 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.
The man under center
Tua Tagovailoa led all quarterbacks last season in several categories, including passer rating, yards per passing attempt and passing touchdown percentage, despite sustaining two concussions. To help avoid the injury scares going forward, Tagovailoa changed his diet and got into a strength training program, adding 10 pounds. Additionally, he took jiu-jitsu classes on a weekly basis to avoid harmful falls on the field.
Dynamic duo
The Dolphins have two of the NFL’s most prolific wide receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. In 2022, Hill caught a career-high 119 passes for a career-high 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns. He set an NFL record for most receiving yards recorded by a player in his first season with a new team. Conversely, Waddle led Miami last season with eight receiving touchdowns and an average of 18.1 yards per catch.
New defensive mastermind
The Dolphins’ biggest splash of the offseason was hiring defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio succeeded Josh Boyer, who was fired after three seasons as Miami’s DC. Before taking the job, Fangio was recently the head coach of the Broncos (2019-21). During his three seasons, Denver had one of the top defensive units. Before being a head coach, Fangio oversaw the defenses of the Panthers (1995-98), Colts (1999-2001), Texans (2002-05), 49ers (2011-14) and the Bears (2015-18). Brandon Staley is a disciple of Fangio and his system, having spent time with him in Chicago and Denver.
Prolific pass rushers
Fangio will have a handful of weapons at his disposal, led by the edge defender tandem of Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. When Chubb and Phillips were on the field together in 2022, the team had a 40% pressure rate against opposing quarterbacks. Chubb only finished with 2.5 sacks, which is lower than what he has compiled in previous seasons, but he dealt with a couple of injuries. On the other hand, Phillips totaled seven sacks and finished in the top ten of all edge defenders in pressures with 70.
Look out for…
Jevon Holland, a third-year safety from Oregon. Holland, a playmaker on the backend, has 165 tackles, four interceptions, four sacks and 17 passes defensed across his first two seasons. Given Holland’s versatility to play safety, corner and nickel, Fangio will use him in a lot of different roles in his two-high safety look.