The Los Angeles Chargers are probably glad at this point that they had the Miami Dolphins on the schedule two weeks ago. Because aside from that game which essentially amounted to a bye week, the Chargers have struggled for the past month since their Week 1 win. They can now add a 24-17 loss to the also heavily injured Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) to their column. They have now slipped to 2-4 and with the Denver Broncos also at 2-4, they are now in last place in the AFC West. And while it certainly wasn’t the only factor, the Chargers running backs struggling for the second straight week were a big factor.
Los Angeles Chargers Running Backs Underwhelm Against Pittsburgh Steelers
Another Loss
Now when you see the final score of 24-17, don’t be fooled into thinking it was a close battle the whole way through. It wasn’t a close game at all until the fourth quarter. And while it did come down to the last drive, that final drive ended quickly when Philip Rivers threw an interception. This played out rather similarly to their loss to the Broncos the previous week. The opponent jumped out to a huge early lead, then the defense finally showed up, but it ultimately ended up being too little too late. And this was even with most of the offense healthy again – Hunter Henry made his return and had an excellent night, catching both touchdowns of the night for the team.
The Running Back Stats
Oddly enough, since Melvin Gordon returned the running back stats for the Chargers haven’t been pretty. They’ve been trying to still get Austin Ekeler some carries too, but Gordon is still clearly the main back. But regardless of that, the yards per carry was not good on Sunday night. Gordon finished with eight carries for only 18 yards. Ekeler had five carries for 14 yards. Both running backs averaged less than three yards a carry. It didn’t help that the team fell behind so quickly, but there was an alarming lack of production with the few carries they did get.
And this would also go back to the previous loss against the Broncos. In that game, Gordon had 12 carries for only 31 yards. Ekeler had only three carries for seven yards. They tried to stick to the running game a little more in that game, but both of them were ineffective as runners, also averaging less than two yards a carry. That was also a game where they fell behind quickly.
Finding the Problem(s)
There are a couple of angles that would be pretty easy to take here. One is the offensive line. And they certainly didn’t help on Sunday night. There weren’t a ton of easy running lanes to go around. It’d be pretty easy to say that Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey being on injured reserve played a factor. But he started the Broncos game where the running game also struggled, so his absence isn’t the sole factor. Neither is Russell Okung’s absence, because Ekeler did just fine with him missing. So while the offensive line isn’t helping, they’re not solely to blame here.
One might also wonder if either runner would’ve gotten it going eventually if the Chargers hadn’t fallen way behind both games. And that is possible. But both of them averaging less than three yards a carry for two straight games against teams with losing records doesn’t bode well. Sure, both the Broncos and Steelers have decent defenses, but there’s a reason they’re both 2-4 (just like the Chargers).
Beyond the offensive line, one likelihood is this: Gordon is not 100% fresh yet. He missed all of training camp, all of the preseason, and three regular season games before he even came to practice. The Chargers didn’t play him in Week 4 for that reason. But he may still not be where he’d normally be at this point in the year – physically, mentally, whatever.
The fact is, Gordon is just not normally this ineffective two weeks in a row. That said, while him maybe not being totally fresh is something to consider, that by itself wouldn’t be the only factor either. Gordon’s history – especially his most recent history in 2018 – would suggest otherwise. But the combination of the injury-plagued offensive line and him being just a little rusty? Together, such factors or another combination of factors could certainly result in an ineffective running game.
And Ekeler not getting many yards isn’t that relevant in this particular argument. He’s never been the better pure runner between the two (though he did quite well in Gordon’s absence). And only three carries in one game and five in another isn’t much of a sample size for him.
Last Word on the Chargers Running Backs
As previously stated, the struggles of Gordon or even Ekeler aren’t the only factor in the last two losses for the Chargers. The defense has been terrible in both first halves. Keenan Allen has surprisingly been a non-factor in both games. Rivers isn’t free of blame either – that interception at the end of the Steelers game was not good.
But it’s not good when you’re unable to get a decent running game going. It’s even worse when you fall behind early. These things force you to rely almost exclusively on the pass. This makes it easier on the opposing defense, assuming their secondary isn’t clueless. And while Rivers is more capable than most of shouldering the load, it hasn’t worked in the end the last two games. They need to get at least a serviceable running game going. And also the defense needs to not get torn apart early. Next up the Chargers face the struggling Tennessee Titans. It’s as good an opportunity as any to snap their skid. But if these things don’t improve, the end result will be the same.
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