The Chargers will look to bounce back from their Week 1 loss as they head to Tennessee on Sunday. Both teams will be looking to avoid a 0-2 start. The Bolts have not started winless in their first two games since 2017.
Los Angeles (probably) won’t have to worry about quite the same offensive explosion they experienced on the defensive side of the ball last week, but the Titans present their own set of problems. Let’s jump right into it.
Limiting Derrick Henry
We will learn about the run defense one way or another in this one. Looking at the box score against Miami, one could say that the Dolphins only had 20 carries for 70 yards. But the Dolphins also didn’t consistently run the ball after the first quarter because they were busy attacking the Chargers in other ways.
Raheem Mostert’s touchdown drive in Week 1 was fueled by four carries for 31 yards. On that drive, in particular, the Chargers looked all out of sorts with their run fits. Miami then got the Chargers to bite on run fakes on a number of the rest of their first-half big plays.
Derrick Henry is obviously a different animal to be dealing with. Henry had 21 carries for 104 yards in last year’s contest in Los Angeles. He kept Tennessee close almost singlehandedly despite a tough injury to quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Simply put, the only way that the Titans cause trouble for the Chargers is a big game from Henry. LA has to prove they’re above their 27th-ranked 2022 run defense form. That’s true for Sunday and any chance at long-term contention this season.
Pouncing on Ryan Tannehill miscues
At the end of Week 1, Ryan Tannehill was dead last in the NFL in EPA + CPOE composite at -0.064. He threw three interceptions with a QBR of 15.6
At this stage of Tannehill’s career, he’s a game manager with a weaker arm and some wear and tear. This has to be a game where the Chargers take advantage of any miscues given to them by the Tennessee quarterback. More pressure from Khalil Mack and Derwin James certainly wouldn’t hurt. This also *should be* a bounce-back opportunity for the entire secondary.
It’s probably unlikely for Tannehill to have two bottom-tier games in a row. But the Chargers have to figure out a way to force a turnover from him once or twice to keep the ball out of Henry’s hands.
Justin Herbert will need to air it out
The Titans were the best run defense in the NFL last season after allowing just over 70 yards per game. In Week 1, they stifled the Saints for this week’s sixth-best rushing defense performance.
Given the Titans’ goals on defense and how they contrast with last week’s Vic Fangio scheme, the Chargers are likelier to air it out this week. The deep shots will be there for them, and they’ll probably not be able to replicate 240 rushing yards.
The Chargers’ secondary performance against Miami takes the cake for worst of the week, but the Titans gave up their fair share of explosive plays against New Orleans. Tennessee gave up eight 15+ yard passes to just one run that gained more than 10 yards.
Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, and the whole array of Chargers’ pass catchers should be in store for a more productive day in this one.
A confidence-boosting week for the secondary
J.C. Jackson and Michael Davis were graded in PFF’s bottom five defensive Chargers. Derwin James, Asante Samuel Jr. and the entire secondary did not have the best games.
In this one, the Chargers have to get back to basics. Specifically, the coverage assignments have to be more transparent and more concise. They cannot be as caught off guard by pre-snap motions as they were. While Tyreek Hill played a large part in the secondary’s demise last week, other players like Durham Smythe and River Cracraft were able to take advantage of the Chargers’ defenders simply not being in the right place at the right time.
From a momentum standpoint, it wouldn’t hurt the Chargers to get a few interceptions off of Tannehill, as mentioned earlier. A second straight week where the Chargers get beat all over the middle of the field could lead to a total collapse of the unit.
Jackson, Davis, James, etc. know they must play better. Going against a Titans team that may not have DeAndre Hopkins, there’s no excuse not to execute.
Brandon Staley has to outcoach Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel has put together a great defense in Tennessee. He consistently keeps the Titans in close games with his management and coaching. Despite Tannehill’s turnovers and even Henry not playing his best game, Vrabel’s squad lost by just one to the Saints on the road.
Throughout the Vrabel era, the Titans consistently drag other teams down into lower-scoring offensive games that turn into a referendum on who makes a mistake first.
In this game, Vrabel’s squad has a massive disadvantage at quarterback and overall roster on paper. There will be some significant questions about Staley to be answered if he can’t beat a Titans’ skeleton squad on paper with a Herbert-led roster that he constructed.
