Chargers’ improving offense faces Cleveland Browns’ stifling defense

3 years ago 295

INGLEWOOD — Chargers manager Brandon Staley and Browns antiaircraft backs John Johnson and Troy Hill volition apt stock a peculiar pregame infinitesimal Sunday astatine SoFi Stadium.

The erstwhile Rams volition drawback up and perchance convey 1 different for the caller jobs they received successful the offseason.

Staley helped Johnson and Hill person vocation years arsenic the Rams’ antiaircraft coordinator past season. That led to the Browns handing some players lucrative contracts successful escaped agency. But Staley besides benefited from Johnson and Hill.

What the Rams’ defence did past play arsenic the top-ranked portion successful the NFL made Staley a fashionable campaigner for head-coaching openings.

“I surely wouldn’t beryllium present if it weren’t for (Johnson),” said Staley, who was hired by the Chargers successful January. “I person truthful overmuch respect for him. We’ll person a infinitesimal pregame, but he’s the eventual competitor. You tin spot the worth that he’s brought to that team. That’s what I’m arrogant of.

“He earned each penny that helium signed successful escaped agency. You tin spot what he’s done for that squad successful a abbreviated clip due to the fact that I cognize that they needed assistance successful the secondary and he’s fixed them a clump of it.”

Staley’s erstwhile players helped implicit the Browns’ defence successful the secondary and it has shown successful the archetypal period of the season. The Browns’ ferocious defence volition look Staley’s emerging Chargers discourtesy successful a matchup of 3-1 teams.

After a fewer bumpy weeks, the Chargers’ discourtesy is besides starting to look complete. Quarterback Justin Herbert has an abundance of weapons with dynamic wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and productive choky ends Jared Cook, Donald Parham Jr. and Stephen Anderson.

The Chargers got the moving crippled going past week with Austin Ekeler’s career-high 117 rushing yards against the Las Vegas Raiders. They besides fixed their red-zone issues by scoring touchdowns successful 9 of their past 10 trips wrong the 20-yard line.

“We’ve played immoderate beauteous bully football,” Herbert said astir however the discourtesy performed successful the archetypal 4th of the season. “There are a batch of things to cleanable up, but I’ve been truly pleased with however the guys person performed and battled done a batch of adversity.”

The Chargers’ discourtesy has recovered its rhythm, but it hasn’t faced a defence arsenic bully arsenic Cleveland’s. Staley called the Browns’ beforehand 7 the champion successful the NFL and praised their antiaircraft line, which features Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell.

“They’re truly heavy up front,” Staley said. “They benignant of punctual maine of San Francisco’s beforehand wherever they conscionable person a batch of rushers that you know, wrong and outside.”

In their past 2 games, the Browns held the Chicago Bears to six points and the Minnesota Vikings to 7 points. They sacked Bears rookie backmost Justin Fields 9 times and deed him 15 times.

Garrett and Clowney contributed 6.5 sacks and 11 hits versus the Bears. Garrett added 4 hits connected Vikings backmost Kirk Cousins the pursuing week.

“The operation of size, athleticism, explosiveness – he’s capable to bash anything,” Herbert said astir Garrett. “And helium tin support immoderate passes, too. He’s capable to bash everything. … You person to cognize wherever helium is astatine each times, truthful that you’re acceptable for what helium does.”

Garrett is listed arsenic questionable connected the last wounded study with genu and ankle injuries, but helium told reporters helium afloat intends connected playing Sunday.

The Chargers’ violative enactment has improved with the additions of rookie near tackle Rashawn Slater, halfway Corey Linsley and guards Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi. But they’ve allowed Herbert to get deed 27 times this season, according to GSIS Stats. Herbert has taken lone 7 sacks due to the fact that of his speedy passes and quality to widen plays.

Slater and close tackle Storm Norton volition request to springiness Herbert clip successful the pouch if they privation to bounds the hits against the Browns’ pass-rushing tandem of Garrett and Clowney.

“I consciousness similar (Herbert is) progressing a agelong mode conscionable similar (Rashawn) Slater,” Garrett said. “They are wiser than the years that they’ve been successful the league, and they’ve studied the crippled a lot. He’s capable to marque throws connected clip and we got to support disconnected his rhythm.”

Slater is making a beardown lawsuit for Offensive Rookie of the Year, though that grant tends to spell to accomplishment players – Herbert won it past season. Slater hasn’t allowed a sack this season, but he’ll person his toughest Sunday versus the Browns’ antiaircraft line.

“Wow, speech astir a pick, that feline is locked down implicit there,” Ekeler said astir Slater, the No. 13 wide prime successful April’s draft. “You’re conscionable thinking, ‘Keep doing this, (Herbert). Stay upright, support pushing the shot down the field.’”

Ekeler tin instrumentality unit disconnected Herbert and Slater by having different productive rushing performance. He’s been moving down the Chargers’ left-side partition of Slater and Feiler.

“Any defence we spell against wherever there’s a batch of borderline rushers, we person to person a plan,” Ekeler said. “You person to person a tally program for however they acceptable successful the run, and a walk program too, conscionable mixing it up. Putting a choky extremity connected apical of them, putting motions successful beforehand of them, making them play football. They can’t conscionable unreserved the passer each day.”

If the Chargers get past the Browns’ stout antiaircraft line, past Herbert volition person to woody with Staley’s erstwhile players successful Johnson and Hill. But Herbert is successful his constituent erstwhile he’s looking downfield.

The Browns volition request to support Herbert from uncovering his comfortableness portion Sunday.