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The Los Angeles Chargers endured a brutal 2023 season that saw them fall to 5-12 after making the playoffs the year before. It was clear the Chargers were lacking in leadership from the coaching staff, and Brandon Staley was fired as the disastrous season unfolded.
The Chargers have brought in Jim Harbaugh to turn things around, and while it may take 2-3 seasons to get the full Harbaugh effect, Los Angeles appears to be a much more competitive team this season. The Chargers have changed their game plan quite a bit under the former Michigan head coach as he wants his team to have a significant physical presence that allows them to develop a punishing ground attack and control the clock.
Delivering a hard-hitting defense goes hand in hand with a more conservative offensive plan of attack. The Chargers are making progress in both areas. As they head into their Week 6 game at Denver, they have the 9th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL. They were 25th in that area a year ago.
The Los Angeles defense has also shown dramatic improvement, as the Chargers have allowed the 5th fewest yards in the league. That is a huge upgrade over their performance a year ago, when the Chargers ranked 28th. The Chargers also rank first in points allowed per game.
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Despite those changes, the Chargers will still need quarterback Justin Herbert to come through with a big game if they are going to beat the Broncos. He certainly has all the tools needed to be consistently successful. If he can get support from a ground game and an improving defense, Herbert is likely to have a solid performance in Week 6.
Justin Herbert will throw for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns and avoid throwing any interceptions
Herbert has excellent command of the Chargers offense and Harbaugh has confidence that he can lead the offense successfully. Herbert was slowed in recent weeks by a high ankle sprain, but he has apparently recovered because he is not on the current injury report.
As a result, Herbert should be able to make all the throws that Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have in the Los Angeles game plan, He should also be able to take advantage of his athleticism when he is forced to buy time with his feet or scramble away from pressure.
In addition to having the confidence of his head coach, the opposition also has respect from the Chargers' QB1.
Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph knows Herbert is leading a more conservative offense than opponents are used to seeing from the Chargers. He delivered a strong opinion about Herbert and the Los Angeles offense.
“He's the same player,” Joseph said. “But it's a different system. It's a run-first system. It allows him to get a clean picture in the pass game, because to stop this unit, it's got to be a heavy box and single-high coverages. So, it cleans the quarterback's reads, so he's not seeing single shell coverage.”
While the Broncos will try to slow down the ground attack, Joseph knows that Herbert can deliver the ball effectively. Look for Herbert to throw the ball to rookie wide out Ladd McConkey (15-176-2), Quentin Johnston (11-142-3) and tight end Will Dissly (9-85-0).
J.K. Dobbins will support Herbert with 90 rushing yards and a TD
There is little doubt that the Broncos will be respecting Herbert because of his arm strength, quick release, accuracy and athleticism. However, the Chargers want to employ a running game that takes time off the clock and gives their defense a chance to get off the field and retain its strength.
The Chargers have a two-headed running attack that is led by J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. At this point, Dobbins is the primary threat for Harbaugh, as he is more than willing to trust the former Ohio State running back. Dobbins has 56 carries for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns, and his 6.2 yards per carry average is very impressive.
Edwards has not been able to match that level of performance as he has 113 yards and a 2.97 yards per carry mark, but he is capable of picking up yardage between the tackles.
The Los Angeles offensive line is doing a solid job of opening holes for the running game, and the receivers are doing their part on the blocking front as well.
Defense will put pressure on Broncos QB Bo Nix and force 2 interceptions
The Chargers are going to try to put pressure on Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix. While he has done a respectable job to this point — 102 of 165 for 866 yards with 3 TDs and 4 interceptions — he is still in the learning phase.
The expectation is that defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will come after Nix and try to pressure him into mistakes.
There is little doubt that the quarterback will have to take note of veteran linebacker Khalil Mack, because he is one of the hardest hitters in the league. Mack has 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks to this point in the season.
However, the big problem that Nix will face is Joey Bosa's ability to get to the quarterback. He has 2.0 sacks to this point, but he has a hip injury and is listed as questionable.
