There have been a lot of things going wrong for the Los Angeles Chargers offense (4-7) this season. There was the Melvin Gordon holdout, followed by him playing terribly for a few weeks before finally returning to form. Then there’s been the struggles of Philip Rivers, who started out fine but has had two bad games in a row and a couple mediocre ones as well, making one wonder if perhaps the end is near for him.
But the Chargers offense as an entire unit has struggled at times this season. They fired offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and promoted Shane Steichen – which worked for about one game. Part of the issue has been them struggling to score in the red zone this season. And if they want to try and make a late-season run (even though the playoffs look unlikely at this point), they’re going to have to do better in that regard.
Los Angeles Chargers Offense Needs to Start Scoring in Red Zone
The Struggles
The Chargers have been plagued in the red zone this year by turnovers and by being forced to settle for field goals all too often. The field goal issue was particularly the case in the Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers. The offense was otherwise dominant, but until late in the game they just could not get in the end zone. This was one of the rare games this season where that didn’t hurt them; it probably helped that they weren’t turning the ball over in that game either.
Some of the red zone turnovers have come at very inopportune times as well. Most recently, we had Rivers throwing a game-ending interception in the end zone against the Kansas City Chiefs. But there’s also the infamous Melvin Gordon fumble from the Tennessee Titans game. Not to mention a couple of other goal-line fumbles this year.
Looking Further
Through 11 games, the Los Angeles Chargers offense currently has a red zone touchdown scoring percentage of 47.50%, which is 26th in the league. In contrast, last year they had a percentage of 64.41%, which was 8th best in the league. The difference is telling, and among other things, it’s another reason why they’ve gone from 12-4 to 4-7 and likely missing the playoffs this year. They just can’t punch the ball in the end zone the majority of the time.
We already know that Rivers is struggling, so that certainly plays a factor. But the level of struggle that this offense has had in the red zone suggests it’s not the only factor. The state of the offensive line can make it a little harder to punch in a running play on the goal line. But there may also be the play-calling / play design to consider.
The Wrong Looks?
Part of the issue may be that they’re not always looking to the right players. Lately, Keenan Allen has been getting most of the red zone targets. That’s not a bad thing by any means as he’s the best overall receiver on the team, but he’s probably only the third best guy to target in the red zone. Hunter Henry would obviously be a target, and he’s gotten his share of red zone looks.
But what’s odd is that the taller Mike Williams has gotten zero red zone looks in the past two weeks. Because of his frame and leaping ability, he should be one of the main red zone targets besides Henry. This isn’t to say they shouldn’t throw the ball to Allen in the red zone at all, because if he’s got a good look or opening, they absolutely should. But both Henry and Williams have more natural advantages down there. As such, they might want to try not forcing it to Allen as much in that area.
Last Word
In general, you aren’t going to win a lot of games if you can’t take advantage of red zone opportunities. Sometimes it is possible to get by with primarily field goals and great defense, as the Packers win showed. And the impending return of Derwin James ought to help with that defense. But normally you’re going to need more touchdowns. And you absolutely cannot have a bunch of red zone turnovers.
The Chargers do have a couple of lighter games on the schedule next versus the Denver Broncos (3-8) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7). Then again, the Broncos beat the Chargers earlier this season, so that doesn’t guarantee anything by any means. In order to help get those wins, Rivers obviously just needs to stop turning the ball over in general. But getting more touchdowns in the red zone would also help regardless.
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