Chargers bring electric pass rush
FOXBORO — It can be difficult enough to block the fleet of Los Angeles Chargers pass rushers when you know where they’re coming from. But with the likes of Chris McCain, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, the Chargers can make it an elaborate guessing game that leads to offensive line gaffes and, ultimately, sacks, pressures and lots of pain for quarterbacks.
Mental errors along the offensive line could potentially lead to disaster for the Patriots when the Chargers visit on Sunday.
Although McCain, Ingram and Bosa are all listed as defensive ends, Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley can manufacture chaos by moving those players, especially Ingram, to different spots along the front seven. Ingram can put his hand on the ground and start from the edge or interior, or stand up somewhere and rush, drop into coverage or just act as a decoy.
That sleight of hand has been productive for Los Angeles. In seven games, those three players have combined for 21 sacks. To put that figure in perspective, only seven other teams have recorded 21 or more sacks. The Pats have 15.
“Third-and-long’s basically just a sack and turnover reel,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said yesterday of watching the Chargers defense on film.
Two third-down situations this past Sunday in the Chargers’ 21-0 shutout of the Broncos in Los Angeles highlight the challenge opponents face.
In the second quarter, the Broncos faced a third-and-22 from their 15-yard line. McCain and Bosa rushed from the edges while Ingram hung back and made a swipe at Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian’s pass to running back Jamaal Charles, which only gained 9 yards. Bosa was able to beat his blocker and apply pressure even though the Chargers only rushed three and had Ingram off the line.
On the next Broncos possession, they faced a thirdand-6 from their 29. Six Chargers lined up at or near the line of scrimmage, again with McCain and Bosa at opposite ends. Ingram stood across the left guard but instead of dropping back, twisted inside and flew in at Siemian unblocked past the late-reacting center. Ingram leveled Siemian for a sack but was penalized for roughing the passer because of a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Regardless of the infraction, the end result was a massive collision, the type Patriots quarterback Tom Brady needs to avoid.
“We’ve just got to communicate as an offensive line,” Pats left guard Joe Thuney said. “The tackle can see things I can’t. Center can see things I can’t. So it’s just important to communicate and make sure everyone’s on the same page with our assignments. That’s just the main priority for us.”