Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) will check the Chargers’ protection.
(Brett Carlsen / Related Press)
The Chargers’ six wins all have come in opposition to groups with information of .500 or much less. They’d no hassle shutting down offenses led by rookie quarterbacks nonetheless adjusting to the NFL or journeyman veterans. Many nonetheless have a look at the NFL’s top-ranked scoring protection with a skeptical eye.
What’s going to they do in opposition to good offenses?
The Chargers quickly get an opportunity to reply the naysayers. A crucial five-game stretch in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemingly might resolve their playoff destiny. Three of the following 4 video games are in prime-time slots, beginning with subsequent Sunday’s matchup that was so attractive that the NFL flexed it into the “Sunday Night Football” window.
Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are subsequent.
Khalil Mack can’t wait.
“November is the football you remember,” the surface linebacker mentioned, emphasizing the kind of quarterbacks the Chargers will likely be going through quickly. “Those games just show you who you are, competitively, especially from a mental standpoint. … Just making sure we’re clicking on all cylinders is gonna be a challenge.
“And,” Mack added, “I love challenges.”
The Chargers are permitting 13.1 factors per recreation, nonetheless the most effective within the league. With a cornerback rotation that’s stripped to a pair of rookies within the beginning rotation, nonetheless, they gave up a 41-yard landing move from Will Levis to Calvin Ridley on the Titans’ opening drive Sunday. It was the primary time an opponent has scored on the primary possession in opposition to the Chargers.
The Titans (2-7) might have matched a season-high in factors by a Chargers opponent if not for a missed area objective that was pushed again out of the purple zone due to an offensive face masks penalty. They averaged 6.3 yards per carry, a season-best for the Titans and the best common allowed by the Chargers this season.
Though the wins are piling up, the Chargers aren’t content material with their performances.
“There are going to be some things that we got to work on and see why we made our mistakes, and continue to progress each and every day,” exterior linebacker Bud Dupree mentioned. “We look towards the mirror and know what we want to be capable of.”
