Chargers’ running game gets rolling at right time

As the playoffs inch closer, the Chargers need to be sharp in all three phases of the game, and one area, in particular, is the offense which requires a balanced approach.

It had been the running game that was lackluster for most of the season. However, last Sunday, in the victory over the Rams, the Bolts broke through by running wild.

Los Angeles produced 192 yards on 31 attempts with two scores on Sunday, which was the second-highest rushing total of the season. 

“We knew we were capable. We were just trying to get back to it, which is not easy. Simple, but not easy,” running back Austin Ekeler said. 

“And then, guess what? We’re going to have to do it again. That’s going to start to, I guess, gives us that confidence, ‘OK, we’re starting to run the ball a little bit more.’ Give [Offensive Coordinator] Joe [Lombardi] that confidence in the run game to call more runs if we are able to continue to establish ourselves.”

Ekeler rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Not only was his 72-yard touchdown run the longest of his career, but it was also the boost the ground game needed, as the offense had struggled to get blocking efficiency on the edge from tight ends and receivers.

“I think we have one more game with the Broncos coming up where it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s dominate the run game again.’ Then I think that opens up the playbook for us a lot more and makes us a little bit more of a dynamic offense when we are going into the first round of the playoffs,” Ekeler added. 

“Definitely trying to get that going because we know that Justin [Herbert] is going to come out there and do his thing. It’s like, ‘Okay, is the run game going to show up today or not?’ So, we have to make sure we are out there doing that.”

Even without Ekeler’s big touchdown, the Chargers would have averaged four yards per carry on Sunday. A balanced offense is a winning offense, and the Bolts are looking sharp enough through the air and on the ground to make a legitimate run in the playoffs. 

“I do think that it was the hardest we have played, [Sunday] on offense. I thought we finished our plays, run and pass, but particularly in the run game,” head coach Brandon Staley said.