The Los Angeles Chargers have been one of the most disappointing franchises in the NFL during the 2023 season. After suffering a historic collapse in the 2023 playoffs during Super Wild Card Weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, that lack of success has carried into the regular season.
At 4-4 heading into a Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Chargers have wasted a golden opportunity with Justin Hebert on his rookie contract. A record-setting first three seasons in the NFL has resulted in zero playoff victories, a disappointment for the franchise.
A big reason for their lack of success has been the performance of their defense. Thus far this season, the Chargers rank 21st in points scored and 30th in yardage gained. That is part of what Kris Rhim of ESPN believes is the one stat that defines the first half of the 2023 season for Los Angeles.
“The Chargers are allowing the most passing yards per game in the NFL (286). The Chargers have allowed just 718 yards rushing this season, the sixth-best mark in the NFL. But the issue for this defense is that teams don’t need to have success running the ball because they can get just about whatever they want through the air. Their worst performance this season came in Week 7 against the Chiefs, when Patrick Mahomes threw for 321 yards in the first half, his most in a half this season,” wrote Rhim.
The Chargers have the talent on offense to keep up with any opponent on a given week, but if there are any struggles from that unit, this team will struggle to win games. Their run defense is only successful because teams are throwing constantly, knowing there will be no resistance.
The front office attempted to change the fortunes defensively when they signed cornerback J.C. Jackson to a huge contract in free agency in 2022. He was released earlier this season as one of the bigger free-agent busts in recent years.
The passing offense isn’t the only issue the Chargers have to figure out in the second half of the season. Getting the ground game on track is imperative to take pressure off of Herbert; having running back Austin Ekeler back in the lineup will hopefully help in that regard.
If things don’t turn around in the second half of the season, some major changes could be made this offseason. The first could be searching out a new head coach as Brandon Staley should have already been on thin ice after the playoff meltdown.
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