Rams @ Chargers Pregame Thread (Wk 17)

[jamrock]

Keenan Allen joked that he wants to play defense cuz it looks like they’re having so much fun. Good indicator of what’s going on for the Chargers defensive unit.

[richpjr]

Nick Foles is a backup and he showed why he’s no longer a starter. He couldn’t hit the side of a barn in that game.

Colts committed 3 turnovers and Chargers only scored 20 points.

A win is great for moral but that team should have been punished with 40+. Offense is not cutting it and needs to work on improving over the next two games.

The Chiefs scored 17 points in their loss to the Colts earlier this year. I guess their offense isn’t cutting it either.

[jaguarmanftype]

Keenan Allen joked that he wants to play defense cuz it looks like they’re having so much fun. Good indicator of what’s going on for the Chargers defensive unit.

Maybe time for weekly players-only meetings for the offensive unit. Keenan's paying.

[jamrock]

Maybe time for weekly players-only meetings for the offensive unit. Keenan's paying.

Who is the veteran leader on that side of the ball that’s gonna step up the way Mack and Van Noy have for the defense?

[richpjr]

can only beat the opponent you play, imo, and don’t forget Miami. yes - Bosa will be yuuuuuge. Miami scheme and execution was brilliant. Titans seemed good but not extraordinary. Shutting Indy down so completely was very impressive imo. 0-10 on 3rd down, only 3 pts. Thats very tough against ANY NFL team.

I 100% agree. Winning is hard and shutting down a team so completely is even harder. The misguided notion that a team can show up and blow out any team just because of their record is off base.

[Fouts2herbert]

This is giving me pause.

Stopping a 3rd string QB who hasn't played in a year is not a good indicator.

The Tenn and Miami games more so, but still..

Cautionly optimistic

I thought the defense played well against SF and KC too…the defense is much improved, they have become more consistent, the tackling is better, the indecision we saw before is gone, you can be optimistic, we permanently lost two important pieces in jc jackson and austin johnson and some valuable depth in otito, gaziano, and covington…but we are getting joey back and derwin will be back for the playoffs…the ability for fehoko and SJD to hold up and endure thru the playoffs is a concern to me, davidson is < otito and covington, hinton is street PS player as is moa, my concern is that interior in playoffs where teams will run it at us all game long…the team is still not restored to 6 interior guys since the tillery cut and austin johnson injury, but overall the rest of the defense is about as healthy as can be expected at this point in an NFL season…

I’m interested to see if crawford gets activated these last two weeks, he played for the ravens as a NT(?) so he might be the type of run stuffer specialist that could help in the postseason, honestly I need to do research I don’t really know much about it…

[jaguarmanftype]

Who is the veteran leader on that side of the ball that’s gonna step up the way Mack and Van Noy have for the defense?

Not sure, could in part include Linsley, but he doesn't seem the outspoken type. I would say Keenan and Herbert would have to drive that effort.

[jamrock]

Not sure, could in part include Linsley, but he doesn't seem the outspoken type. I would say Keenan and Herbert would have to drive that effort.

I’d throw Ekeler in there too

[QSmokey]

I 100% agree. Winning is hard and shutting down a team so completely is even harder. The misguided notion that a team can show up and blow out any team just because of their record is off base.

This one just won't go away, I guess. Indy, playing a QB who is about 2 years past retirement, and without their star running back, doesn't exactly qualify as juggernaut team. It was a nice victory, a playoff-clinching victory, but let's not get carried away with accolades. This wasn't the Chiefs, Bills, or Bengals. We took care of business against a shitty team. I expect that and it was nice to see, for a change. Winning has now become something that is "so hard to do". I'm not buying it.

[Xenos]

Not sure, could in part include Linsley, but he doesn't seem the outspoken type. I would say Keenan and Herbert would have to drive that effort.

MW should foot the bill given his current contract lol.

[jaguarmanftype]

I’d throw Ekeler in there too

Certainly an important component. As an aside, I'm somewhat comfortable stating that if we had another back like a Pierre Thomas that can compliment Ekeler, we may be able to run this offense like the 2011 Saints did assuming we can rely on Lombardi play calling without blunders (personally not at all convinced we can). It's somewhat funny because that offense is remembered as a vertical threat stretching defenses deep, but much of the real work was done behind the LOS or in the intermediate zones with either Sproles and Thomas catching screens and running them for huge YAC, or them running full receiver route trees in the middle parts of the field. We still need better offensive line play overall for that to work though.

[BayAreaBoltz]

Winning has now become something that is "so hard to do". I'm not buying it.

Yup. Folks also like to point out KCs loss to Indy (who had Taylor AND Kenny Moore at the time) to show how difficult winning in the NFL is. Seemingly forgetting the Chiefs only have three losses this season. In fact, they are 62 and 18 since 2018. Doesn't seem as hard to do for the Chiefs as we make it out to be.

Why does getting wins have to be so difficult for Charger teams every year?