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The Los Angeles Chargers, already without running back J.K. Dobbins, could be missing wide receiver Ladd McConkey for some time. The rookie came down awkwardly when making a reception against the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old pass-catcher was questionable to return and did not return to the game because of a knee injury, per the Chargers social media.
Before leaving the game, McConkey hauled in nine catches for 117 yards on 12 targets. He led Los Angeles in all three stats. The Chargers would go on to win 17-13, improving to 8-4. The Falcons dropped to 6-6, opening up the opportunity for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to pull into tie at the top of the NFC South standings.
Ladd McConkey's quietly great rookie season with Chargers
Is McConkey having a great season or do the Chargers just have nothing else going for them in their passing game? One could argue that Los Angeles' run-first offense doesn't lend itself to a productive passing attack. That's not entirely true. The Chargers have 35 pass plays of 20+ yards, so they're more geared toward big chunk plays. But that stat points to a stylistic choice that hasn't proven effective for the offense.
McConkey has caught 49 of his 69 targets, good for a 71.0% catch rate. Compare that to Josh Palmer's 57.5% catch rate (23-for-40) or 52.4% for Quentin Johnston (22-for-42). Well, maybe the Chargers are trying to get Palmer and Johnston more involved downfield than McConkey. It would make sense if McConkey were catching everything if he was being used more as a possession receiver than a downfield threat.
McConkey's Average Depth of Target (ADoT) is 10.4 yards, and he's had six deep targets. Compare that to Palmer's 16.0 ADoT, the sixth-highest in the NFL and 12 deep targets and Johnston's (13.1 ADoT and 12). Palmer is the downfield threat, and Johnston is somewhere in between. So, on paper, McConkey has the better stats, but he should, given his role in the offense.
Considering all that, another argument could be made that Palmer and Johnston are just not particularly well-suited to working the intermediate and deep portions of the field. Well, Johnston has his strengths (length, leaping and catch radius), but his hands are average. Palmer can stretch the field vertically, but he's not especially fast or long at the point of attack to make contested catches.
For a mixed-match offense, head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman will need a few years to build the roster toward their system. It's worth noting that Roman has been an OC for most of his career, going back to 2011, when he took that role with the San Francisco 49ers alongside Harbaugh.
The Chargers travel to Kansas City in Week 14 to play the Chiefs on Sunday, December 8 at 8:20 p.m. EST.
