BOLTS’ RUN GAME GRINDS TO HALT
All 11 players and coaches need to find the answers soon
When the Chargers rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries in their season opener against the Miami Dolphins, it seemed all their offseason work and talk had been justified. They actually could be a dangerous team while running with the football.
Three months later, the Chargers’ ground game has regressed to the point that it hardly registered during this past Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. The Chargers barely averaged one yard per attempt, gaining a grand total of 29 yards on 24 carries in a waterlogged, 6-0 victory.
How did it come to this? Was their season-opening showing an aberration?
Were they fated to be this bad on the ground?
More to the point, what can be done about it in the season’s final five games?
Lots of questions. Few answers.
“I think we’ve been able to do it in spurts,” coach Brandon Staley said. “I think what’s frustrating is that we’ve done it (but) we haven’t done it consistently. I think that’s where the frustration is. It would be one thing if I haven’t seen it at all. Then I think you’d be frustrated and upset.”
Staley then the obvious.
“It’s not just about the offensive line,” he said. “It’s not just about the runners. It’s about all 11 guys, and coaching included. It’s just finding that formula. I said it a couple of weeks ago. There are just some aspects of your team that take longer than others in a season. There are just some aspects that way.”
It’s not too late to turn around the Chargers’ fortunes. They have five games remaining in the regular season, starting with Sunday’s home date against the Broncos. Realistically, the Chargers (5-7) must win all five to rally for a 10-7 record and ensure a playoff spot.
Can it be done with a rushing attack that’s averaging 97.7 yards per game and ranks 25th in the 32-team acknowledged
NFL? Can the Chargers improve on those figures and provide a better marriage between their ground game and their 11th-ranked passing game, which averages a healthy 240.9 yards?
“I think that there were some things that happened along the way where your identity shifts a little bit, in terms of maybe what you thought you were to what you are now,” Staley said. “Then, all of a sudden, you hit it, you find that rhythm later on in the season and away you go. That’s what we’re after. We’re after that. We believe in these guys. We’ve done it with these guys this year. We’ve done it with these guys in the past.
“We just have to keep searching for it.”
Staley pointed to the Chargers’ game against the Dolphins as an example of how an effective ground game can inflict significant damage. He admitted the Chargers went into the game without injuries at any position along the offensive line, at tight end, at quarterback and at running back.
Running back Austin Ekeler sprained his ankle in the second half against the Dolphins and sat out for the next four games, an injury that served to derail whatever progress the Chargers had made. Without him, the Chargers gained only 61 yards rushing in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
The Chargers did rush for 155 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, 139 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 and 150 against the Green Bay Packers in Week 11. But in every other week, against every other opponent this season, they have failed to top 100 yards rushing.
Ekeler leads the Chargers with 446 yards and four touchdowns on 126 attempts. Joshua Kelley is second with 376 yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries. Quarterback Justin Herbert is third with 228 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries. Overall, the Chargers are averaging 3.9 yards per attempt.
Last season, Ekeler gained a team-leading 915 yards and scored a careerhigh 13 touchdowns on 204 attempts, and the Chargers averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
It’s not the mixed results the Chargers worked for and talked about making for the 2023 season, and changes could be made in the backfield.
Kelley might replace Ekeler as the top ball carrier starting Sunday against the Broncos, another must-win game for the Chargers. Or at least get a greater share of the attempts.
“Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening,” Staley said. “I think you’ve seen it on defense, competing for opportunities. When I say, ‘keep searching,’ we’re going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I’ve been talking about.
“That’s certainly one way to do it.”