When Kellen Moore was hired, the thought was that he would take the Chargers offense to another level. The team is midway through the season, and it has yet to transpire completely.
Specifically, Los Angeles wanted to be more explosive in the passing game and run the ball more efficiently. However, there have not been a lot of shots down the field from Justin Herbert and the running game has been stagnant.
Moore’s offense has only scored two second-half touchdowns in the past five games. His unit ranks 26th in second-half offense.
“It’s a work in progress,” Moore said. “You go through ebbs and flows and you have a few guys go down, navigate some different roles and we would certainly love to play better. It’ll happen over time. We will get better.”
There are some factors in the offense’s inability to be at its full potential, starting with Herbert breaking the middle finger on his non-throwing left hand during the Week 4 game against the Raiders. Since then, he has worn a splint on it, which has hindered him to a certain extent.
Along the offensive line, Corey Linsley has been out with a heart issue. Will Clapp, Linsley’s replacement, has struggled. Herbert has been sacked five times in two of the past three games. Linsley’s absence has negatively impacted the group as a whole, and the consistent pressure has given Herbert little time to throw.
At wide receiver, the Chargers have been without Mike Williams, who suffered a torn ACL against the Vikings in Week 3. Joshua Palmer, who is on injured reserve with a sprained knee, will be out for at least the next three games. Quentin Johnston has shown flashes but has yet to play to his first-round billing.
Furthermore, they have lacked blocking production from the tight end position since the start of the season.
“We are where we are right now. I think that this group is still figuring it out together, but I like the group that we are coaching and I like the way this group’s competing,” Brandon Staley said.
As Los Angeles gets into the second half of the season, they need to quickly figure out the offense if they want to find themselves in the playoffs again.