The Chargers and Steelers are, in a sense, brothers in spirit, as both teams play fairly old-school football that is not necessarily characterized by explosive offensive plays. The difference between the two teams, however, is that coach Jim Harbaugh wants to and can carefully build the offense around Justin Herbert. There is still a lot of talent in Herbert. It’s not right for first place in the division, but the Chargers and the Denver Broncos have a good chance of getting wild cards.
The statistics: 7.9 Yards per Passing Attempt; 4.2 Yards per Rushing Attempt; 38.4 % Drives ending in an Offensive Score; 13 Defensive Takeaways & 9 Interceptions; 19 % Blitzes per Dropback; 25 % Opponents’ Drives ending in a Score
Strengthen: The passing defense is one of the showpieces of the Harbaugh-Chargers, which sometimes allows the opponents to receive their passes, but does not allow them to gain much space. “Bend, but not break” is the credo in this case. The pressure rate is just 1.5 percent, which is the second lowest value after the Carolina Panthers. As a result, the Chargers’ defense stays on the field for quite a long time, but only a quarter of the opponent’s possession phases end in points. The best value in the entire league. But the defense alone does not lead to the fourth-best point difference; it is also the constantly developing offense, which at the beginning of the season came almost exclusively through the running game. Herbert continually handed the ball off to JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. In the meantime, however, Herbert can let the ball fly more and more again. In this context, his skills in scrambling are also important in order to extend plays. This gives Quentin Johnston and Co. more of an opportunity to break away from opponents. And of course, Herbert also has the best arm in all of football.
Weaken: Of course, the receiver corps doesn’t scare any top team. In addition, Will Dissly, Josh Palmer and, most recently, Ladd McConkey drop the ball at inopportune moments. That could possibly cost the Chargers a win or two. Harbaugh knew from the start that he would find an offense that had to be rebuilt after the expensive 2023 season and the necessary departures. Against the Cincinnati Bengals it would almost have been an eye-catcher after halftime if Evan McPherson had scored a field goal.
Forecast: There will be tough tests against the Ravens and Chiefs in the coming weeks. A record of 12-5 would probably be the best possible result.
