Chargers’ keys to victory over Ravens

The Chargers take on the Ravens in primetime after two losses in a row. For the team to keep their playoff hopes alive, LA has to find a way to scrape this one out. Per Sumer Sports, the Chargers’ playoff odds would dip as low as 8.8% with a loss on Sunday.

Brandon Staley is clearly embattled and the team is looking for any possible way to right the ship. Unfortunately, they’ll have to do it against arguably the best team in the AFC. With Justin Herbert, a win is possible. But that can only happen if the Chargers take care of business in other areas.

The secondary needs to get it together

The Chargers’ pass defense is embarrassing. They’ve given up the most passing yards in the league by 20 over the next-highest team. Secondary players have routinely missed assignments and differed with the coaching staff publicly on the scheme. It’s a mess.

Coming into town to make problems worse are Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham is coming off his first 100-yard game in two years and Flowers looks to continue his dynamic rookie campaign. The Chargers have struggled with the separation creator slot receiver archetype. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jayden Reed have made them pay in previous weeks.

Point blank: the secondary needs to survive this matchup somehow if they’re going to win this game. Asante Samuel Jr. needs to find his earlier season form again. Michael Davis needs to be able to find himself more as a press man corner if the defense will allow him to do so.

If this game goes the way many think it will, it’s an explosive day through the air for the Ravens’ duo.

Abandon the run game

The Chargers’ run-blocking scheme is currently cooked. OC Kellen Moore has pointed out their issues in pass protection, but the blocking up front to create running lanes has been lacking as well. Ekeler has athletically declined in a significant way this season. On his 37-yard run against Green Bay, he registered a 13-mile-per-hour run.

Joshua Kelley lacks in the pass protection department, so maybe it’s a zero-sum game for the Chargers. Regardless, you’ll have to keep up with an explosive Ravens offense. The way to do it is by putting the ball in Justin Herbert’s hands and hoping for the best from non-Keenan Allen receivers.

The run game cannot be trusted in any way.

A quarterback on Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is a threat to run on every play with his freakish athleticism. While the Chargers will never completely quell that threat, they have to pay attention to it. A QB spy is needed on every obvious passing down.

The adjustment that Brian Johnson and the Eagles made against the Chiefs last week is reminiscent of this idea. Haason Reddick was attached to Patrick Mahomes as the QB spy later in the game after an explosive rushing first half.

Whether it’s the linebackers or someone on the defensive line, someone has to be keying into keeping Jackson in check behind the line of scrimmage. The Chargers become even more overexerted in the secondary if Jackson is successful as a runner in this game.

Keenan Allen in the slot vs. Kyle Hamilton

Keenan Allen will likely line up both outside and in the slot in this game. But on the money downs where he’s had to get his, Herbert has liked throwing to him in the slot. He’s trusted him there on some particularly big throws.

While listed at safety, Ravens’ former first-round pick Kyle Hamilton has largely played in the slot over his last two games. How Hamilton matches up with Allen could go a long way in determining the outcome of this game. In his last three games, Hamilton has allowed NFL passer ratings below 60 in each contest.

Allow Herbert to be Herbert

The frenetic pace of last week’s Packers game allowed Herbert to audible more at the line of scrimmage, take off as a runner with the football, and manage everything that he wasn’t able to initially control on a play. Herbert checked out of several plays till he found the one he wanted.

For the most part last week, it worked really well outside of his offense failing him. Herbert was the highest-graded PFF scorer of the week amongst quarterbacks at 92.7.

If Herbert feels the need to check out of a play in this game or go with a call that he thinks is right over whatever Moore’s initial look gives him, he has to have the comfort to be able to make those moves. Frankly, if the Chargers are going to go beat the Ravens, they need Herbert to take as much control over the offense as possible.