Los Angeles Chargers rise from the bye in search of consistency, connection – Los Angeles Chargers blog

COSTA MESA, Calif. – A few ugly wins. A few ugly losses. All of this in the midst of many ugly injuries.

Yet, as the Los Angeles Chargers emerge from a bye week and prepare for the second half of their season, they’re in second place in the AFC West, one game behind the Kansas City ChiefsThe goal is to reach the playoffs, for the first time since 2018.

“We’ve had to fight really hard to be 4-3,” second-year coach Brandon Staley said. “I’m proud of the way that our guys have competed. It hasn’t been pretty at all, but I think that we’re in a position now where we know where we need to go and more importantly how we need to get there.”

Sunday, the Chargers take on the NFC South-leading team. Atlanta Falcons (4-4) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium FOX, 1.00 p.m. ET)

Despite a 38-10 loss to the early rock bottom, Jacksonville Jaguars Week 3: A similar, embarrassing 37-23 loss to The Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, there remains a 58.1 percent chance that the Chargers will earn a playoff berth, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

“No one is down on the season,” safety Derwin James Jr. After falling against the Seahawks, she said: “No one is pointing any fingers. We still believe everything we want is still in front of us.”

According to players and coaches, consistency and connection are common threads which could help them get through the rest of the season.

“We’re a work in progress,” Staley said of their midseason identity. “We haven’t played our best football, for sure. I think you have seen glimpses of it, but we have to bring this group together in the second half of the season.”

It could be difficult to do this with the constantly-changing roster of players that the Chargers are currently dealing with.

The defense was once expected to be among the Chargers’ strengths, featuring several star players including edge rushers Khalil Mack And Joey BosaCornerback J.C. Jackson Safety Derwin James Jr.

Bosa Jackson and Jackson were placed on injured reserve. This unit ranks 31st among the worst in league, allowing an average score of 27 points per games.

“We have all the talent, we have all the people we need, now it’s just us taking responsibility as a team, having pride in our performance and just doing our job,” defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day “before the bye.” “That’s what it is now. Just doing your job, it’s as simple as that, that’s all I can say.”

How could players go about their jobs? Joseph-Day spoke out.

“Just got to get [teammates] connected,” he said. “And you got to keep building together and keep grinding together and keep focusing on the details.”

Among the details that must be solved: How to stop the run game – the Chargers have allowed a league-worst 5.7 yards per carry. They rank in the bottom half of league for forced turnovers (nine), yards allowed (357.6) and sacks (17).

“I don’t believe it’s always about who is the most talented,” said Joseph-Day, a member of the Los Angeles Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl champion team. “Sometimes it’s just about the details and the grit and the fight.”

Behind Herbert, now in his third season, the offense has yet to match the success it found in 2021 and it’s unclear – with left tackle Rashawn Slater Being placed on the season-ending I.R. wide receiver Keenan Allen A nagging problem with the hamstring. Mike Williams recovering from a high ankle sprain – if or when the unit could hit its stride.

With an average score of 23.14 points per match, the offense is ranked 11th in NFL. And while they boast an average of 279.4 passing yards per game (ranks fourth), they’re among the league’s worst at running the football, averaging 88.9 rushing yards per game (ranks 27th).

“We’ve always been connected through the journey, even though it’s been up and down,” said running back Austin EkelerThe season began with a stalemate for, who was held without scoring a touchdown in three of the first three games. However, he scored eight goals over the four remaining games. “We’re going hard, we’re encouraging each other.”

But that doesn’t mean the offense won’t be making changes, beyond X’s and O’s, in an attempt to become more consistent.

Ekeler said that the Chargers would change their meeting times to allow time for different coaches and players to offer alternative perspectives after a bye-week evaluation.

“We’re going to find out,” Ekeler said, when asked if he expected the changes to help achieve the consistency they’re seeking. “We’ll see.”

Despite some disappointing performances in the first-half, combined with an injury-depleted roster of players, there is still hope inside Costa Mesa’s practice facility.

“Looking back on what I told the guys is, ‘You don’t know it or not, but we have a really good thing here, fellas,’” Staley said. “Because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be 4-3. We wouldn’t. We would be a lot worse if we didn’t have a good culture.”

And now, for a team that’s reached the playoffs only once in the last eight years, it’s about making a late push that will deliver them to the postseason.

“It’s a sense of urgency for everyone, not just the players but also the urgency the coaches put on the players,” Joseph-Day said. “Once we do all that, then it’s all going to get figured out.”