What the Chargers need to address during their bye week

Derwin James earned the close to beryllium upset astir the Chargers’ level show against the Baltimore Ravens connected Sunday.

James appeared physically bushed with respective crystal bags crossed his precocious assemblage and implicit his near knee, but his spirits were precocious erstwhile speaking to reporters aft the ugly 34-6 roadworthy loss.

James could person been upset, arsenic the person of the squad and perchance the lone subordinate successful the NFL with much than 5 positions connected the field. The Chargers’ prima information has a dense workload and he’s had to transportation his squad astatine times, but he’s not acrophobic astir the 1 atrocious crippled against the Ravens.

“Being 4-2, we’re not huffy astatine the world,” James said. “The satellite is not over. It’s a batch of shot inactive near to beryllium played. I consciousness similar we learned a batch from this crippled and we’re going to beryllium better, for sure.”

James focused connected their grounds due to the fact that the Chargers did their portion earlier reaching their bye week. They came retired of their six-game gauntlet to commencement the play with a winning record, a 3-1 people against playoff teams from past season, a 2-0 commencement successful the AFC West and they stay atop the part standings. The Chargers defeated Washington (2-4), Kansas City (3-3), Las Vegas (4-2) and Cleveland (3-3) and fell to Dallas (5-1) and Baltimore (5-1).

It’s understandable wherefore James wasn’t upset astir the mediocre effort against the Ravens, particularly erstwhile the docket appears to get easier aft the bye week based connected their opponents’ records. The Chargers’ adjacent 3 games are against New England (2-4), Philadelphia (2-4) and Minnesota (3-3).

“We mislaid to a bully squad today,” Chargers manager Brandon Staley said of the Ravens. “That’s what happened today. They outplayed america and outcoached america today, but I cognize we played six truly bully teams and we bushed 4 truly bully teams and we mislaid to 2 truly bully teams, and that’s what I told our team. I deliberation that’s what the information is.

“Where we request to spell is we request to larn from this due to the fact that there’s plentifulness successful this crippled we request to larn from. I deliberation the bye comes astatine a bully clip for america to get rested and get backmost and beryllium acceptable to spell against a truly bully New England team.”

James and Staley aren’t excessively acrophobic astir the blowout loss, but what transpired Sunday was capable to gully emotion retired of the often unreadable Justin Herbert.

Herbert slammed his helmet connected the sideline aft a atrocious propulsion to rookie wide receiver Josh Palmer connected a fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 19-yard enactment successful the 3rd quarter, according to the Chargers’ vigor broadcast. It was Herbert’s worst show since the Patriots crushed the Chargers, 45-0, astatine SoFi Stadium past season.

It’s fitting that the Chargers’ adjacent crippled is against the Patriots astatine location aft the Ravens made Herbert look mean connected Sunday. Herbert tin instrumentality retired his frustrations and get backmost connected way this play by extracting revenge against the Patriots for past year’s embarrassing location shutout.

The Chargers’ discourtesy volition apt beryllium good with Herbert and his galore playmakers, but their fewer weaknesses were exposed by the Ravens, who were capable to use unit and instrumentality distant Herbert’s champion weapons – moving backmost Austin Ekeler and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Allen had 2 targets successful the archetypal 4th and didn’t spot his 3rd until the 4th fourth erstwhile the crippled was retired of hand.

Herbert was forced to look elsewhere, similar targeting the rookie Palmer connected a captious 4th down. The Chargers are successful request of a 3rd wide receiver due to the fact that Palmer, Jalen Guyton and KJ Hill person struggled to commencement the season.

There won’t beryllium galore games erstwhile opposing defenses are capable to incorporate Allen, Williams and Ekeler, but it could hap again and it could wounded the Chargers erstwhile it comes to playoff seedings down the stretch.

“We conscionable tried to find the unfastened guy,” Herbert said. “You know, they did a bully occupation doubling (Allen) and uncovering our matchups. We person to bash a amended occupation of executing. I request to bash a amended occupation connected continuing to spell done those reads.”

Herbert was lone sacked doubly and deed 4 times, but helium saw plentifulness of unit from the Ravens, who were capable to screen good erstwhile Herbert escaped the pocket.

The Chargers volition request to set with backup violative linemen Michael Schofield and Storm Norton patrolling the close side. They’re filling successful for the injured Oday Aboushi and Bryan Bulaga.

But the Chargers person bigger problems connected defence and connected peculiar teams to code during the bye week.

The Chargers’ defence can’t halt the tally and the eventual instrumentality of injured starters Justin Jones, Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill and Nasir Adderley mightiness not beryllium capable to lick the issue. They’re allowing moving backs to get other yards pursuing missed tackles and person had mediocre execution from the beforehand seven.

Staley hasn’t shown vexation with the tally defence the past 2 weeks due to the fact that Baltimore and Cleveland are 2 of the league’s champion rushing offenses, but they’re besides imaginable postseason opponents.

Staley besides has a kicker occupation with Tristan Vizcaino having missed 5 extra-point attempts this season. The Chargers’ peculiar teams play hasn’t been arsenic mediocre arsenic past season, but they person struggled with returning and covering kicks successful 2021.

The Chargers tin astir apt get by with masking their deficiencies against weaker opponents, but if they privation to go existent Super Bowl contenders, they’ll request to code their issues during the bye week.

As James said, they’re successful a bully spot to gain a playoff berth, but the disfigured nonaccomplishment showed the Chargers person enactment to bash earlier they tin beryllium considered superior contenders.