Tag: Chargers run defense

Derwin James on Chargers’ run defense: ‘We know the elephant in the room that we have to fix’

Derwin James talked extensively about the Chargers’ run defense and how it can improve.

Derwin James talked extensively about the Chargers’ run defense and how it can improve. It’s something that Brandon Staley and the defensive coaching staff have stressed this offseason.

Just everybody understanding what they’re doing and going out, playing hard. Like I said, we know the elephant in the room that we know we have to fix. We’re going to get that fixed.

During training camp, Joey Bosa mentioned that he gained about 20 pounds in the offseason to make stopping the run a bigger priority. James, Bosa, and Khalil Mack will be integral to that effort. The defensive line will be critical as well. But for James, the implementation of the run scheme extends past the first level of the defense.

I feel like, overall, when you look at run defense, people be like, ‘Oh, it’s just the D-Line.’ I just feel like our corners understand more, whether it’s Zont [Asante Samuel Jr.], Mike [Michael Davis] or J.C.— even me. I’ve gotten better with some of my fits. Everybody understands the collective that it’s going to take everybody out there playing the run defense right.

It is a usual reaction by fans to point to the defensive line when the Chargers’ defense is getting gashed, but what James said is important. It’s about all three levels of their run defense working together to stop the run. There were missed tackles in the secondary last year that turned four or five-yard runs into much bigger plays. If the secondary understands the run fits better now, that’s a significant improvement for LA’s defense.

Like what Staley said at points this offseason, James also mentioned preventing lamented “explosive runs.”

I feel like, in spurts, we’ve stopped the run well, but I feel like when you give up those two to three explosive runs, whether it’s 20 yards, 30 or 40 yards, it really hurts your average. It really hurts how the day is going. Being able to stop them every play, win those downs and get those negative plays, I feel like that’s what’s going to help our overall run defense.

As James indicated, allowing those explosive runs certainly hurt their average. The Chargers gave up a league-high 5.4 yards per carry as a rush defense last season.

The Bolts were a particularly bad third-down defense last year regarding getting off the field. It’s not coincidental that their best overall defensive performances from last season were games like San Francisco and Miami, where explosive runs were limited at a high level.

Reviewing Chargers’ 2022 run defense, how it can improve in 2023

The Chargers’ run defense hit rock bottom last year. Here is a look at how they can improve in that department.

The Chargers’ run defense finally hit rock bottom last year. With a plethora of injuries on the defensive side of the ball and some poor tackling performances, the 2022 Chargers gave up 144.2 rushing yards per game.

Purely looking at the league rankings, Los Angeles, technically speaking, moved from 30th worst run defense in 2021 to 27th in 2022. But that rushing yards per game figure mentioned is more than the team has allowed in over 20 years. The 2003 Chargers allowed the next most at 139.6 rushing yards per game.

While the yards total is enough to suggest how bad the run defense was, figuring out what kind of runs were successful can lead us to a more layered diagnosis. The Bolts’ real struggle of 2022 was runs to the outside:

Of course, no one will argue that opponents averaging 4.5+ yards per carry on inside runs is good. It’s below league average but not historically significant. The health of Austin Johnson will be important in that respect.

On outside runs, however, per MIBPJ’s data, the 2022 Chargers allowed a whopping 8.73 yards per attempt. Out of 1632 unique team season run gaps since 2006, outside runs vs. the 2022 Chargers ranks last in run gap performance since the data has been tracked.

Let’s say the data tracks with almost whichever Chargers game is used as a sample from last season:

The diagnosis? The EDGE duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack did not perform at the level the Chargers expected, which led to more runs getting to the second + third levels of the defense.

Bosa was forced to miss most of the season after he left the Jacksonville game with an injury. His absence was brutally felt. Mack, unfortunately, had his worst season as a run defender in 2022 via PFF run defense grade and recorded the fewest run stops of his career in an entire season. The former Bear also finished with a 19.2% missed tackle rate.

So with the Bosa and Mack duo not working out in 2022, more outside runs got to the second and third levels. The Chargers’ run defenders and tacklers were relatively porous there as well. Combining the linebackers with the secondary for a moment, Derwin James and Michael Davis were the only Chargers players graded over 60+ in run defense on PFF. And when Los Angeles did snuff out a play properly, missed tackle rates were pretty problematic throughout the defense.

To some extent, the Chargers have recognized their problems against the run. Eric Kendricks is coming off of one of his best seasons as a run defender in Minnesota. Replacing Drue Tranquill with his production vs. the ground game is an upgrade.

The Kendricks signing will set the tone for the defense, especially given that he’ll have Brandon Staley’s green dot play caller responsibilities. But it will not be enough to fix the Chargers’ issues on the interior or exterior by itself.

As mentioned earlier, the Chargers missed Bosa in several respects last season. He needs to stay healthy for LA to have a shot at getting the run defense going in the right direction. And even though he’s not what he used to be in Oakland and Chicago, I’d bet on a slight return to form for Mack if Bosa is available to play on the other side of the line.

Separate from this, the Chargers need their other players to step up and make their tackles when runs get past the first level. Whether Kenneth Murray takes a step forward in this regard as a starter in a contract year will determine a lot. Past solely the linebacker room, the Chargers’ secondary also needs to be more consistent in the same manner.

Chargers’ reasons for optimism vs. Dolphins

Reasons why the Chargers could beat the Dolphins on Sunday.

It’s time for the narrative battle of the century, with 2020 top picks Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa facing off for the second time.

Los Angeles needs a victory to stay relevant in the playoff race, but the battle of the quarterbacks will take center stage.

Here are four reasons to be optimistic about Herbert’s chances of evening out the series with Tagovailoa.

Who covers Austin Ekeler?

Miami doesn’t have a clear option to track Ekeler in the passing game, as evidenced by last week’s contest against San Francisco. Christian McCaffrey had eight receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown in that game, carving up Miami’s defense even with Brock Purdy playing most of the game. I’m not saying Ekeler is a McCaffrey-level player, but the Chargers back does lead all running backs in receiving yards, with five more than McCaffrey. Ekeler has been a focal point of the Chargers’ offense with the injuries along the offensive line, and that should continue to pay dividends for LA on Sunday night.

Pass protection

Miami is missing Austin Jackson, who was placed on injured reserve this week, while also waiting on the status of Terron Armstead, who did not practice Wednesday with toe and pectoral injuries. If Armstead can’t play, the Dolphins will start Greg Little and Brandon Shell at tackle, who have combined to allow 35 pressures this season. Shell’s pass-blocking efficiency of 95.6 and Little’s of 94.1 are in the bottom 12 offensive linemen with at least 275 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. That should give Khalil Mack and Chris Rumph plenty of opportunity to generate pressure on Tua Tagovailoa, which will be of paramount importance to prevent him from hitting long-developing routes to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Run game allergy

Miami runs the ball 22.4 times per game, third-fewest in the league, for an average of 89.7 yards per game, fifth fewest in the league. That’s good for a per-carry average of just 4.0, 27th in the NFL, suggesting that the Dolphins both avoid running the ball and aren’t good when they choose to. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. haven’t produced in the same fashion since their time in San Francisco despite playing in the same offensive system. It’s good news for the Chargers, whose run defense has struggled despite a fairly capable pass defense. Los Angeles allows the most rushing yards per attempt in the league, but Miami has already played the defense that allows the second-most: Detroit. In that game, which came in Week 8, Miami ran for only 4.1 yards per attempt despite the Lions allowing 5.2 per attempt for the season. The Dolphins needed 382 yards from Tagovailoa and a defensive stand in the fourth quarter to come away with a 31-27 victory.

Special team struggles

Miami is dead last in special teams DVOA this season, with negative points added in all five categories of the third phase of the game. Kicker Jason Sanders has recovered from a midseason hiccup during which he missed a field goal and two extra points in a two-game stretch, but he still seems to be a less reliable option than Cameron Dicker at this stage. Punter Thomas Morstead is just above average in punter EPA above expected, but Miami’s -5.1 points received from the punt team are sixth worst in the NFL, per Football Outsiders. The Chargers, meanwhile, are the 12th best special teams in the league, with positive points added numbers in every area except kickoff return. However, Miami’s kickoff unit is the fourth worst in the league by Football Outsiders’ metrics. If the game comes down to which team can make a play on special teams, that should move the needle in favor of LA.

Trio makes case for more work in Chargers’ defensive line rotation

The Chargers’ defensive front had its best showing this season in the win over the Steelers.

Without primary interior defensive linemen Linval Joseph, Jerry Tillery, and Christian Covington, the Chargers had to call on the backups and practice squad in the 41-37 victory over the Steelers.

Joining Justin Jones were first and second-year undrafted players Breiden Fehoko, Joe Gaziano, Forrest Merrill, and Andrew Brown.

What was viewed as a mismatch coming into the game, they made rookie running back Najee Harris a non-factor. They limited Pittsburgh to 55 yards on 18 carries — a 3.1 yards per attempt average.

While Jones anchored the unit, playing 81% of the defensive snaps, the others aided, with Gaziano and Fehoko being the standouts of the crop.

Playing the second-most defensive snaps out of the positional group (62%), Gaziano made positive things happen in both facets, creating inside pressure and stacking the run.

Gaziano finished with three tackles, a quarterback hit, and a pass deflection.

“I really felt Joe in pass rush and in run defense,” coach Brandon Staley said on Gaziano. “He just was active. He blocked a couple of shots. This guy was really active.”

Besides occupying blockers to help keep his teammates clean, Fehoko showed off brute strength to reset the line of scrimmage and some quickness to work his way through gaps.

Fehoko finished with three tackles.

“He has that warrior spirit,” Staley said on Fehoko. “He’s a multiplier, man. He just makes you feel good at the game because you know this guy is going to give you everything that he has.”

Merrill had just 11 snaps, but he still made the most of them.

Merrill’s highlight play showed off his press strength and natural low pad level, walking rookie center Kendrick Green to the lap of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Even though it was one of the best showings in the trenches this season with those guys, Los Angeles is likely to get Tillery and Covington back for the Week 12 matchup against the Broncos.

Tillery and Covington will likely resume their roles upon returning. But after Sunday, Gaziano, Fehoko, and Merrill proved they should be part of the rotation the rest of the way out.

Chargers NT Linval Joseph turned on the jets vs. Eagles

Linval Joseph is one of the more athletic big men in the NFL.

At 6-foot-4 and nearly 330 pounds, you would not expect a person of that size to be fast at all.

Well, Chargers nose tackle Linval Joseph is here to defy those odds.

Head coach Brandon Staley said Joseph was clocked at 16 miles per hour at one point during last Sunday’s victory over the Eagles, which was the fastest mark in the game among defensive tackles.

That would not be the first time that Joseph showed he could turn on the jets.

In 2018 while he was with the Vikings, Joseph knocked the ball out of quarterback Carson Wentz’s hands and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown.

The big man athleticism was not Joseph’s main highlight against Philadelphia. Instead, he was a key piece of the turning point of the run defense in the second half.

Not only did he take on single and double teams, but Joseph also used his brute strength to shed blocks and make plays on ball carriers, finishing the game with nine tackles, which was the most by any Charger in Week 9.

Currently, Joseph has 19 run stops, which ranks second in the league among all interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus.

Set to be a free agent at the end of the season, Joseph is making his case to be re-signed.

Chargers’ causes for concern vs. Eagles in Week 9

A look at some causes for concern as the Los Angeles Chargers gear up to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chargers face the Eagles in Week 9 after suffering two consecutive losses to the Ravens and Patriots.

Now 4-3, Los Angeles has a few question marks surrounding.

With that being said, here are three reasons why the Bolts should be concerned about their matchup against Philadelphia.

HC Brandon Staley assesses Chargers’ run defense struggles

The Chargers need to get better against the run heading into the final stretch of the season.

Despite the Chargers’ 4-2 record, certain areas need some adjustments for the team to succeed down the season’s final stretch.

The most evident is the run defense, as Los Angeles has been gashed on the ground every week.

L.A. has given up over 150 yards in five of six games this season, with 400 rushing yards and six touchdowns coming from the Browns and Ravens the past two outings.

On Monday, at media availability, head coach Brandon Staley was asked about the issues in the department and how they could be improved. But, instead of pointing to the personnel, he blamed himself for the deficiencies.

“Our front mechanics and technique at the first level need to improve, and where it needs to improve is with me,” Staley said. “I need to do a better job coaching because our players will play better if we define things better.

We played three premium running teams that exposed those tough moments for us. So like I said, you can look at me for why it didn’t go well enough. We’ve made some good corrections over the last week or so, and I’m excited to get it going with our guys.”

While Staley’s defense is predicated on limiting explosive plays through the air, which he has done a great job of, the weakness against the run began starting to hamper the team as a whole against Baltimore, who totaled 187 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

One of the primary reasons the Chargers have been susceptible on the ground lies along the defensive line. Interior defenders have not been able to take on blocks efficiently, and with them getting pushed off the line of the scrimmage, massive holes have been created.

Plenty of that has to do with the lack of talent in the trenches. However, the group could be getting a boost this weekend with the likely return of Justin Jones, who was designated to return from the injured reserve.

Jones should aid this area, but he will still need assistance from his fellow teammates to get on the right track. Therefore, the second and third levels need to take proper angles to the football, stay off blockers and be low-man-wins tacklers with stopping power.

The Patriots do not have a prominent rushing offense, only averaging 95.4 yards per game. However, it would not be a surprise if offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels resorts to it in hopes of exploiting the Chargers’ shortcoming.

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 HC Brandon Staley acknowledges Kenneth Murray’s early-season struggles

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley addressed the state of the linebacker room.

The start of linebacker Kenneth Murray’s sophomore season has not been all sunshine and rainbows.

Expected to be a key piece in the middle of the defense, Murray has struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s system.

Only a year removed from finishing with 107 tackles in his rookie campaign, Murray hasn’t looked like the same player who was consistently rallying to and making plays on the football.

While opportunities have been there, Murray’s tape has been littered with missed tackles, lack of mental processing, over-pursuing ball carriers and the inability to shed blocks or work off contact, all of which have attributed to the team’s lackluster run defense.

“I think up and down,” Staley said about Murray’s performances. “I think there have been some really good moments. And then, there have been some moments that we need to have him improve.

That’s part about seeing the game, understanding his style of play versus what’s on the other side of the football, understanding where he fits in within our defense.

He needs to improve for us just like a lot of guys. And I think that the exciting thing is that he’s such a hard worker … I think that you’re going to see him continue to improve.”

As for the rest of the group, Kyzir White has been the standout as the other starter in both pass coverage and against the run. White is greatly benefiting from Staley’s scheme that is tailor-made for his overall skillset.

Drue Tranquill, on the other hand, has only played 14 defensive snaps this season, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. In the small sample size, Tranquill has still made an impact, and it’s likely that he’s going to see the field more moving forward.

“Drue’s playing well,” Staley said. “We’re going to get him on the football field, that’s for sure. He played well in the Dallas game. He’s practicing great. It’s one thing I said in the preseason, I do feel like he’s a starter. We’re trying to unpack that rotation right now.”

If order to fix the issues, Murray needs to start utilizing proper eye discipline and play recognition to put himself in proper position, stay under control to avoid poor angles and overrunning plays and be more physical and quicker to avoid blockers from stringing him out of the action.

Chargers’ run defense problematic in loss to Cowboys

The Chargers currently have the fourth-worst run defense in the NFL.

Leading into the Chargers’ Week 2 matchup against the Cowboys, I talked about how critical stopping the run was going to be.

Despite their rushing attack being nonexistent in the season opener, the Cowboys knew that run defense was a weak spot for Los Angeles. They resorted to it early and often, and had plenty of success with it.

Dallas finished with 198 yards rushing on 31 carries (6.4 yards per carry). Tony Pollard totaled 109 yards on just 13 carries, while Ezekiel Elliott had 71 yards on 16 carries.

With Zack Martin back in the starting lineup at right guard, the 30-year old had his way against Linval Joseph, Jerry Tillery, Christian Covington, Eric Banks and Joe Gaziano.

Holes were consistently opened and tackles were missed far too often by the second and third lines of defense, with Kenneth Murray and Michael Davis being the primary culprits.

“We were just a little bit off in the first level, which caused our second level to be a little bit off,” head coach Brandon Staley said.

“We have to play more physical at the point of attack so the ball doesn’t get to the second level as often as it did. And then when the ball does get to the second level, we have to be where we need to be and we need to tackle. We need to tackle physically.”

It did not help that Justin Jones, an active contributor in the trenches, was out with a calf injury. But there were other factors into the run defense woes that went beyond Jones’ absence.

Staley often shows light boxes, which is when there are fewer than six defenders in the box due to his frequent use of nickel and dime packages. Therefore, it invites the run, specifically between the tackles, since there are natural gaps that form as a result of the alignment.

As far as the product on the field, the front allowed blockers to gain initial leverage, had no point-of-attack strength or counters once tied up, no answers against double teams and were easily turned from run lanes as a result, and too many missed tackles, of course.

It’s easy to point to the penalties as to what held the Chargers back on offense, but how the defense played the run was entirely in their control, which could’ve helped with the outcome. Unfortunately, they simply lacked execution.

Los Angeles needs to make adjustments now, whether that be in the playbook or elevating someone like Forrest Merrill or Breiden Fehoko, or else it will continue to be a major concern for the rest of the season.