Where the Chargers rank among remaining strength of schedule

The Chargers shouldn’t have it too rough the rest of the way.

Currently, on the bye week, the Chargers are 4-2.

Upon returning next weekend, Los Angeles is set to have a favorable schedule, which should help as they look to maintain superiority in the AFC West.

According to Tankathon, the Chargers have the fifth-easiest schedule remaining in the NFL. Only the Jets, Eagles, Titans, and Bills have a more manageable schedule remaining.

The Bolts’ remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .427. The Chargers’ two losses came from games against Dallas and Baltimore, two playoff contenders.

The most recent loss to the Ravens exposed a significant need for improvement against the run. The team is allowing 162.5 rushing yards per game, which is the worst in the NFL.

Furthermore, the early-down playcalling and special teams areas that Los Angeles needs to shore up.

If the Bolts can make the changes and you couple that with how advantageous the remaining schedule is, the team has a great shot at winning the division and locking up one of the top spots for the playoffs.

4 Chargers players who need to step up after bye week

A look at four Chargers players who can eliminate some lapses and elevate the team with stronger play.

The Chargers are in a great position at the bye week, currently sitting with a 4-2 record, first place in the AFC West, and second in the conference.

Even though Los Angeles has one of the easiest remaining schedules on paper, key players are still going to need to step up their play in order for it all to come to fruition.

With that being said, here are the five guys I most want to see increased quality of play and/or production from when business resumes in Week 8 against the Patriots.

LB Kenneth Murray

Expected to make a leap in Brandon Staley’s defense, which was viewed as a scheme that would cater to his strengths, Murray’s play did not reflect that before getting sent to the injured reserve. Even though he was given more downhill responsibilities, Murray struggled with them. While opportunities were there, his tape was littered with missed tackles, poor instincts, over-pursuing ball carriers, and the inability to shed blocks or work off contact. Likely to be lifted off the IR soon, Murray will need to play more of a physical and disciplined brand of football to aid an abysmal run defense.

DT Jerry Tillery

Like Murray, many anticipated Tillery to make a leap this season. While he has shown promise as a pass-rusher, Tillery has yet to put it together as a run defender. I’ve seen him win with speed, initial quickness off the snap, and quick hands to make an impact at getting after the quarterback. However, far too often Tillery has not been able to push the pocket and take on double teams with strength, which has turned into gaping holes up front. In order to become a complete player at the position and help the run defense, Tillery needs to play tougher and stronger at the point of attack.

OT Storm Norton

The revamped offensive line has fared really well in keeping Justin Herbert clean in the pocket for the most part. However, the right side is arguably the biggest weak link after the injuries to guard Oday Aboushi and tackle Bryan Bulaga. It remains to be seen if or when Bulaga will return, but if the veteran does not, Norton will have to do a better job of protecting the edge. While he has had his highs, Norton has also had plenty of lows. Norton has given up seven quarterback hits, which is tied for the third-most. Part of how he does will fall on him performing more sound all-around, and the other will be…

G Michael Schofield

Playing in place of Aboushi, who is out for the remainder of the season, is Schofield. So far, it’s been a good start for Schofield, who had previously played for the Chargers from 2017 to 2019. Through two games, Schofield has only allowed one pressure and a quarterback hit. In order to lift some of the weight off Norton’s shoulders and maintain efficiency and consistency on the right side, Schofield’s performance will be vital the rest of the way out.

3 areas the Chargers need to improve after the bye week

Highlighting three areas the Chargers need to solve or improve during the bye week to give themselves the best chance to succeed.

The Chargers are in good shape at the bye week, currently sitting at 4-2, first in the AFC West and second in the conference.

Despite what the record shows, there are a few things Los Angeles needs to clean up before heading into the final stretch of the season for success.

Here’s a look at four things that the Bolts need to improve upon when they return to the action next Sunday and take on the Patriots.

Run defense

The Chargers not being able to slow the run has been an ongoing issue since the start of the season. Los Angeles was able to mask it with the offense and ability to limit the pass, but the team found out last weekend against the Ravens it was only a matter of time until it came back to bite them.

L.A. is allowing 162.5 yards per game and 5.6 yards per rush, which both rank dead-last in the NFL.

It has been evident that the defense does not have a front capable of consistently holding its own at the point of attack. Part of that is a lack of talent, especially with Justin Jones injured, and the other part is not having the player personnel to match the schematical changes.

Jones is expected to return after the bye, and while it should aid the area, it is not going to fix everything entirely. Therefore, the team should strongly consider making a trade for a player like Akiem Hicks before the deadline or signing a free agent.

Nonetheless, main contributors Linval Joseph, Jerry Tillery, and Christian Covington still all need to perform better and play more physically down the stretch.

Special teams

The Chargers spent this past offseason attempting to shore up the special teams. Los Angeles brought in players, like Tristan Vizcaino, Kyler Fackrell, Ryan Smith, and rookies Nick Niemann, Chris Rumph, and Larry Rountree, among others, hoping for a quick turnaround.

That has not been the case.

Starting with the most glaring issue, Vizcaino has not done much to show he was the right choice over Michael Badgley. Vizcaino has missed five extra points. Furthermore, he was coveted for his leg strength, but his kickoff touchback percentage is 41.94, ranking 30th in the league.

The return game has been woeful, particularly the kicking department. L.A. is last in average yards per kick return (16.5) and average starting field position on kickoffs (20.9-yard line).

After rotating through four players, the team has its fingers crossed for a higher success rate with Andre Roberts fielding both kicks and punts.

The coverage units have to be much better, as well. That means rallying to the football at a quicker pace, getting off blockers, and making low-man wins tackles.

The Chargers are averaging a starting field position of the 26.3-yard line on punts, which ranks 26th in the league, and the kickoff team is allowing a starting field position of the 24.6-yard line, which ranks 18th in the league, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

Early-down efficiency

The trend for the Chargers offense this season has been the success on third and fourth downs. The issue is that the unit has been in those situations far too often. The reasoning for that is because of the lack of production on first and second downs.

It’s been a combination of underwhelming play-calling and scheming and execution. If the offense allows Justin Herbert to be more aggressive instead of running the ball or throwing short parts of the field, the offense might be more efficient early and often.

Chargers remain positive despite tough loss to Ravens

Despite the shutout loss to the Ravens, the Chargers are still in great shape.

The Chargers endured their toughest loss of the season against the Ravens on Sunday. What was supposed to be an entertaining matchup between two good teams turned into a 34-6 blowout.

As Los Angeles heads into the bye week, the overall attitude of head coach Brandon Staley’s squad is a positive one. Quarterback Justin Herbert spoke on what the upcoming week off will look like for the Bolts.

“I think it comes at a good time,” Herbert said. “Allows our guys up front to get their legs back and to have a week of rest and enough weeks to watch the film and get back over it. There’s a lot of good film…there’s a lot to learn from so it’s going to be a good teaching lesson for us.”

Instead of letting the blowout be a narrative for the remainder of the season, the Chargers are hoping to learn and grow from the loss. Safety Derwin James Jr. also shared his thoughts on the loss to Baltimore.

“Today let us know everything we need to work on,” James said. “Being 4-2, we’re not mad at the world, the world is not over, there’s a lot of football still left to be played. I feel like we learned a lot from this game and we’re going to be better for sure.”

Los Angeles’ two losses are against the Ravens and the Cowboys, two really good teams that will likely be in good playoff position. But be careful not to forget the four wins the Bolts have under their belt against the Chiefs, Washington, the Raiders, and the Browns.

The Bolts managed to beat an undefeated Las Vegas team at the time, as well as Cleveland, who made a playoff appearance last season. Furthermore, the Chargers earned a win against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company in one of the most hostile environments, Arrowhead Stadium.

Staley echoed the positive attitude of his players heading into the bye week.

“I know that we’ve played six really good teams, we’re 4-2,” Staley said. “We’ve beat four really good teams; we’ve lost to two really good teams. That’s what I told the team, I think that’s where the truth is, and I think where we need to go is we need to learn from this game because there’s plenty in this game that we need to learn from. I think that the bye is coming at a good time for us. Get rested up and then come back and be ready to go against a really good New England team.”

As the Chargers enter the bye week, the run defense, special teams, and early-down play-calling should be atop of the coaches’ priority list when they reflect on what adjustments need to be made before entering the last half of the season.

Set to have one of the easiest schedules remaining, Los Angeles should be in great shape if they can make the proper adjustments, especially considering that they will get Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, Nasir Adderley, Justin Jones, and potentially Bryan Bulaga back.

Chargers’ bye week report card, Offense

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez grades the offensive side of the ball for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The start to Chargers’ 2020 season has been littered with games that have went down to the wire. But they’ve been unable to prevail all but one.

Sitting at 1-4, Los Angeles has a lot of reflecting to do and they need to make some changes if they wish to get back to their winning ways.

With that being said, I assess each position group to see what’s going right and wrong.

Quarterback: A

After a bizarre injury to QB Tyrod Taylor, rookie Justin Herbert was thrown into the fire in Week 2. Herbert delivered a spectacular performance against the Chiefs, and he hasn’t slowed down since then. The former Oregon product has been fantastic, throwing for 1,195 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions through four starts. The first-round pick is the reason for the offensive success and this is just the scratching of the surface.

Running Backs: C+

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Chargers had one of the league’s best rushing attacks, averaging over 150 yards rushing. However, that all changed when RB Austin Ekeler went down with a hamstring injury in Week 4 against the Buccaneers. The past two games, the team is only averaging 78.5 yards per game on the ground. RB Justin Jackson has established himself as the go-to option while rookie Joshua Kelley has struggled the past couple of weeks. Ekeler’s most likely return will be in Week 10 or 11.

Wide Receivers: B

WR Keenan Allen has solidified himself as Herbert’s No. 1 target, catching 34 of his 50 targets for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Right behind him is WR Mike Williams, who is starting to develop a chemistry with Herbert as a 50-50 specialist, averaging 17.4 yards per catch and totaling two scores. Jalen Guyton has done a fine job as the No. 3 wideout, serving as the speed option. Guyton has 10 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the group has produced a mixed bag of results. Tyron Johnson caught a touchdown against the Buccaneers. That’s been his only target. Rookie K.J. Hill has seen six targets, but has only caught two of those passes. The other rookie, Joe Reed, has been a healthy scratch the past two games.

Tight Ends: B-

In college, Herbert’s security blanket was his tight end. Fast forward to now, that hasn’t changed. TE Hunter Henry is second in receiving with 22 catches on 35 targets for 268 yards and one touchdown. Henry’s role as a blocker has increased significantly due to the below average offensive line play. Virgil Green hasn’t done much as a pass-catcher and instead, has served as an addition blocker. Donald Parham hasn’t been in on much of the action, but he did flash a solid red zone target when he recorded a receiving touchdown in Week 3 against Tampa Bay.

Offensive Line: D

Offensive production would be down significantly if it wasn’t for Herbert being mobile. But even then, it would be unfair to credit the offensive line for their success. The unit has been underwhelming, forcing the young quarterback to be in the heat of pressure almost every other passing situation, and allowing the backs to go nowhere. The Chargers were forced to roll with Ryan Groy and Tyree St. Louis to fill the void of Trai Turner at left guard while Trey Pipkins started in place of Bryan Bulaga at right tackle due to their perspective injuries. Left tackle Sam Tevi looked decent the first couple of games, but he’s been a liability in pass protection since then. Center Dan Feeney and left guard Forrest Lamp were stout early on, but the script has been flipped. Turner and Bulaga should be back after the bye week.

Chargers have one of easiest schedules remaining in NFL

The Los Angeles Chargers will have a favorable schedule after the bye week.

The Chargers’ 2020 season hasn’t gotten off to a great start, as they’re sitting with a 1-4 record.

Los Angeles has went down to the wire with every team they’ve played, including some of the best like the Chiefs and Buccaneers, but have struggled to close out games.

All of their losses have been within a score. This has been an ongoing issue dating back to last season, as the Bolts are 3-13 in one-score games since the start of 2019.

While L.A. looks to make a turnaround to their season, they have a favorable schedule to get back on track.

According to CBS Sports’ John Breech, the Chargers have the fourth-easiest schedule remaining in the league. Opponents have a .404 combined winning percentage.

The only opponents with a winning record that Los Angeles has yet to play are the Chiefs, Bills, Raiders (twice) and Patriots.

Along with having a pretty easy schedule, L.A. will benefit from getting key players back from their perspective injuries following the bye.

These things will help, but ultimately, the team will have to make changes to their play-calling, fix in-game woes like costly penalties and turnovers if they want to get back to the win column.

Chargers’ Joey Bosa grateful for bye week being moved up

The Los Angeles Chargers have a handful of players that are banged up.

The Chargers would have started their preparation today for a matchup against the Jets. But instead, they will be using the remainder of the week to rest and recover following five consecutive games.

Los Angeles’ schedule was reconstructed after the postponement of the contest between the Broncos and Patriots. Among the changes made was the Bolts’ bye week being moved up from Week 11 to Week 6.

Sitting at 1-4 after another close loss to the Saints in overtime, players are fortunate to have their week off come at time like this.

Among the crop is defensive end Joey Bosa, who is dealing with triceps, ankle and knee injuries. “I need it right now. It’s huge for a lot of guys,” Bosa said at Wednesday’s media availability.

Bosa was a game-time decision heading into the Monday night battle. He said he probably couldn’t have played if the game was on Sunday, adding the ankle gave him the most trouble.

L.A. has eight members of the team on the injured reserve, including key players like safety Derwin James, running back Austin Ekeler, defensive end Melvin Ingram, linebacker Drue Tranquill, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. among others.

The Chargers have also seen other notables like wide receiver Keenan Allen, tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner be forced to miss some action due to their perspective injuries.

There’s no denying that if Los Angeles had more reinforcements, the outcome to some of these games might’ve been different. But now they can only use this week to reflect on their woes and rest up to get healthy before their long stretch of the season.