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By The Numbers: LA Chargers


A little deeper dive into the upcoming opponent.

LAC on Offense (NFL ranks in parenthesis)

  • Average 2.58 points per drive (7th)
  • They average 8 plays and 41 yards per drive (Both are 1st)
  • Score on 50% of their drives (3rd)
  • They have turned the ball over on 15.4% of their drives (25th)
  • 3.7 yds per rush att (24th) & 1 rushing TD (25th)
  • Justin Herberts 6.8 IAY/PA (Intended Air Yards Per Attempt) ranks 24th in the NFL among QB's with at least 30 atts this season.
  • 30% of Herberts pass atts have come off RPO or play action
  • Herbert has only rushed ball 1 time in an RPO look
  • Ekeler leads the team in touches (50) and avgs 5.6 yards per touch
  • Mike Williams & Keenan Allen have combined for 53% of the teams targets
  • Mike Williams has 4 of the teams 7 total TDs

LAC on Defense

  • Allow 2.22 points per drive (16th)
  • Allow a score on 44.4% of drives (11th)
  • Per drive averages 7.1 plays (29th) and 41.3yds (31st)
  • Force turnovers on 22.2% of drives (2nd)
  • Allowing 5.8 yds per rush attempt (32nd)
  • Blitz on 21% of pass attempts (28th)
  • Have pressured on 32% of pass attempts (9th)
  • Have faced 92 total pass attempts through 3 games (9th fewest)
  • 3rd down conversion rate of 50% (28th)

I've only watched 1 LAC game so the following thoughts are purely based on the numbers above. I could be way off.


Herbert appears to be very safe with his throws. I'm sure if he faced a bunch of 0 coverage he would take downfield shots, but the numbers say he is perfectly fine taking the underneath route and letting his playmakers do what they do best. He bascially has 2 guys he throws to. Limit those 2, keep Herbert in the pocket, and keep him uncomfortable. The Raiders will need to rally to the ball and be sure tacklers this week. Get them to 3rd down and get off the field, which the Raiders are doing very well so far this season (6th best in NFL).

They appear weak against the run, but I'm not sure they really care. Their numbers make their defense sound very similar to the Raiders philosophy. Don't blitz much, rely on Dline for pressure, don't give up the big pass play. Turnovers will be a big story this week. In 2 games that LAC forced only 1 turnover they scored 20 & 17 points. In the 1 game they forced multiple turnovers they scored 30. If we can keep LAC to 20pts or less I feel really good about our chances.

Possible X-Factor this week... The LAC kicker has missed 2 extra points and 1 FG this season.