{"id":77124,"date":"2019-11-29T14:56:51","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T19:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=77124"},"modified":"2019-11-29T18:57:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-29T23:57:55","slug":"los-angeles-chargers-offense-red-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/11\/29\/los-angeles-chargers-offense-red-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Chargers Offense Must Improve in Red Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"

There have been a lot of things going wrong for the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> offense (4-7) this season. There was the Melvin Gordon<\/a><\/strong> holdout, followed by him playing terribly for a few weeks before finally returning to form. Then there\u2019s been the struggles of Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong>, 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the Chargers offense as an entire unit has struggled at times this season. They fired offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt<\/a> <\/strong>and promoted Shane Steichen<\/strong> \u2013 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\u2019re going to have to do better in that regard.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers Offense Needs to Start Scoring in Red Zone<\/h2>\n

The Struggles<\/h3>\n

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<\/a>. 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\u2019t hurt them; it probably helped that they weren\u2019t turning the ball over in that game either.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. But there\u2019s also the infamous Melvin Gordon fumble from the Tennessee Titans<\/a> game. Not to mention a couple of other goal-line fumbles this year.<\/p>\n

Looking Further<\/h3>\n

Through 11 games, the Los Angeles Chargers offense currently has a red zone touchdown scoring percentage<\/a> of 47.50%, which is 26th<\/sup> in the league. In contrast, last year they had a percentage of 64.41%, which was 8th<\/sup> best in the league. The difference is telling, and among other things, it\u2019s another reason why they\u2019ve gone from 12-4 to 4-7 and likely missing the playoffs this year. They just can\u2019t punch the ball in the end zone the majority of the time.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Wrong Looks?<\/h3>\n

Part of the issue may be that they\u2019re not always looking to the right players. Lately, Keenan Allen<\/strong><\/a> has been getting most of the red zone targets. That\u2019s not a bad thing by any means as he\u2019s the best overall receiver on the team, but he\u2019s probably only the third best guy to target in the red zone. Hunter Henry<\/a><\/strong> would obviously be a target, and he\u2019s gotten his share of red zone looks.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s odd is that the taller Mike Williams<\/a> <\/strong>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\u2019t to say they shouldn\u2019t throw the ball to Allen in the red zone at all, because if he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Last Word<\/h3>\n

In general, you aren\u2019t going to win a lot of games if you can\u2019t 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<\/a> <\/strong>ought to help with that defense. But normally you\u2019re going to need more touchdowns. And you absolutely cannot have a bunch of red zone turnovers.<\/p>\n

The Chargers do have a couple of lighter games on the schedule next versus the Denver Broncos<\/a> (3-8) and Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> (4-7). Then again, the Broncos beat the Chargers earlier this season, so that doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>