In the wake of the Week 1 Los Angeles Chargers loss, the main point of contention was the failures of the defense. However, there was also a mild undercurrent of disappointment that Justin Herbert and the passing attack did not light up the stat sheet as much as expected. However, there is not really much to be concerned about even from that particular game, and there is reason to expect that we will see more of what we were expecting from the Chargers pass offense in Week 2.
Chargers Week 2 Matchup Should Lead to More Prolific Pass Offense
The Story in Week 1
In a game where both teams scored 30+ points, Justin Herbert went 23-for-33 with 229 yards and one touchdown, plus one rushing score. This is a quite respectable outing, but by Herbert standards, it is a little pedestrian – especially for a shootout like this. Some have suggested this indicates the offense getting worse, but that doesn’t take into account much context.
Vic Fangio’s defense stymied the potential of the passing offense with a back-loaded scheme that specifically limited the long pass. Ultimately, Herbert and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore were just taking what the defense gave them and avoiding forcing the issue – and Herbert still found a gap or two on occasion, as seen in the video below.
Interesting wrinkle from Kellen Moore on early explosive to Keenan Allen. #Chargers came out in 12 personnel. Dolphins matched with base. LAC went empty with two TEs and RB to right and Allen and Mike Williams to left. Got Allen matched up with a LB, and he won easily. pic.twitter.com/3eiIMm640i
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) September 12, 2023
The other point, of course, is that they didn’t need to lean on the pass as much because the running attack was working so well. When you’re rushing for 233 yards and 5.8 yards per carry, that does put less pressure/urgency on the passing attack to go off. And ultimately, when you score 34 points, you’re going to win most of the time.
The Week 2 Matchup
The Chargers will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. This matchup will behoove itself more to utilize the passing attack. Derek Carr and the Saints ripped apart the Titans secondary in Week 1, passing for 305 yards while going 23-for-33. In terms of Week 1 pass defenses, that was bottom-five – and Carr isn’t even a top-ten quarterback. Meanwhile, the Saints rushed for only 69 yards and 2.6 yards per carry. When Jamaal Williams and Tony Jones Jr are the top options right now, that’s not exactly an elite rushing offense – but it does indicate that the Titans are stronger defending the run than the pass.
Now, it’s fair to expect that the Chargers will still do well on the rushing side (though the injury status of Austin Ekeler could play a factor). But if the Titans are weaker in the secondary, it’s safe to say that Kellen Moore will ensure that is exploited – just as he exploited an evidently weak Dolphins rush defense in Week 1. If Carr could pass for 300 yards, it’s fair to expect Herbert will as well (unless they take a big lead early and lean on the run later).
In Conclusion
Based on the circumstances of the Dolphins game and how the Titans matchup looks, it seems safe enough to say that any “under-performing” that occurred was likely an anomaly and we should see a more aggressive passing attack in Week 2. But even if that ends up not being the case and the rushing attack ends up being superior again… if they’re able to score 30+ again, I do not think it matters that much which side of the offense performs better. 30 or more points should be enough to win, but if it’s not, that will likely be the fault of the defense again.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
