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Week to week we have looked at the snap count, playing time distribution, and have tried to see if the snap count can shed some light on what contributed to the Chargers’ outcome. The game against Jacksonville Jaguars was a breath of fresh air in a season where we have had to determine how and why the Chargers lost. At this point, the Chargers find new ways to lose; however, the one thing that remains true is when the Chargers have more defensive snaps than offensive snaps, the Chargers lose. While we know there are more substantial reasons for this loss, the snap count still holds true. This week the Chargers had 20 more snaps on defense than they did on offense. Look below for snap counts.
Offensive snap count:
| Pos. | Name | W4 Snaps | "% of Total W4" | W5 Snaps | % of Total W5 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Matt Slauson | 70 | 100% | 51 | 100% | 0% |
| G | D.J. Fluker | 66 | 94% | 51 | 100% | 6% |
| QB | Philip Rivers | 70 | 100% | 51 | 100% | 0% |
| T | Chris Hairston | 20 | 29% | 50 | 98% | 69% |
| G | Orlando Franklin | 36 | 98% | 50 | 98% | 0% |
| T | King Dunlap | 0 | 0% | 50 | 98% | 98% |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 62 | 98% | 46 | 90% | -8% |
| WR | Dontrelle Inman | 68 | 97% | 44 | 86% | -11% |
| TE | Hunter Henry | 68 | 97% | 42 | 82% | -15% |
| WR | Tyrell Wiliams | 67 | 96% | 34 | 67% | -29% |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 54 | 77% | 31 | 61% | -16% |
| TE | Sean McGrath | 13 | 19% | 18 | 35% | 16% |
| TE | Antonio Gates | 0 | 0% | 18 | 35% | 35% |
| FB | Derek Watt | 5 | 7% | 11 | 22% | 15% |
| WR | Griff Whalen | 3 | 4% | 7 | 14% | 10% |
| G | Kenny Wiggins | 34 | 49% | 4 | 8% | -41% |
| RB | Dexter McCluster | 9 | 13% | 2 | 4% | -9% |
| C | Spencer Pulley | 55 | 79% | 1 | 2% | -77% |
| T | Joe Barksdale | 66 | 94% | 0 | 0% | -94% |
| T | Tyreek Burwell | 4 | 6% | 0 | 0% | -6% |
Here, the offense only had 51 snaps, 21 less than the Chargers’ defense. The turnovers were abundant and costly in this game and somehow the Chargers only lost by three after being in position to tie the game. The Chargers offense is statistically prolific, but the turnovers are costing the Chargers the game every single week. It doesn’t boil down to one play by one player, rather the piling up of turnovers. One player who has been turning the ball over at key moments is Melvin Gordon. To this point, I have been writing and hoping to see MGIII get more touches to set the tone of the game and get him going this season. The Chargers did just that, but with the constant amount of turnovers I can see why they would pull him from some snaps out of lack of confidence. MGIII saw slightly fewer snaps, but not vastly. Keep an eye out next week to see whether his snaps continue to decline.
It was nice to have Antonio Gates finally show up on the snap count sheet and making a contribution. While he did have a fumble, adding to the number of turnovers, he saw a 35% spike in snaps. If Gates remains healthy, it will be interesting to see where he lies on the snap count sheet, how it effects play time distribution, and ultimately the outcome of the game.
Defensive snap count:
| Pos. | Name | W4 Snaps | "% of Total W4" | W5 Snaps | % of Total W5 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Dwight Lowery | 73 | 100% | 72 | 100% | 0% |
| CB | Casey Hayward | 71 | 97% | 71 | 99% | 2% |
| CB | Craig Mager | 39 | 53% | 71 | 99% | 46% |
| LB | Jatavis Brown | 68 | 93% | 65 | 90% | -3% |
| LB | Melvin Ingram | 66 | 90% | 64 | 89% | -1% |
| DT | Corey Liuget | 56 | 77% | 53 | 74% | -3% |
| CB | Steve Williams | 0 | 0% | 51 | 71% | 71% |
| LB | Korey Toomer | 0 | 0% | 50 | 69% | 69% |
| DT | Tenny Palepoi | 35 | 48% | 46 | 64% | 16% |
| NT | Brandon Mebane | 47 | 64% | 41 | 57% | -7% |
| SS | Adrian Phillips | 44 | 60% | 37 | 51% | -9% |
| LB | Jerry Attaochu | 31 | 42% | 31 | 43% | 1% |
| LB | Kyle Emanuel | 40 | 55% | 28 | 39% | -16% |
| DE | Joey Bosa | 0 | 0% | 27 | 38% | 38% |
| FS | Dexter McCoil | 39 | 53% | 24 | 33% | -20% |
| DT | Caruan Reid | 10 | 14% | 19 | 26% | 12% |
| DE | Darius Philon | 22 | 30% | 19 | 26% | -4% |
| LB | Joshua Perry | 26 | 36% | 13 | 18% | -18% |
| LB | Tourek Williams | 10 | 14% | 9 | 12% | -2% |
| FS | Darrell Stuckey | 4 | 5% | 1 | 1% | -4% |
| CB | Jason Verrett | 71 | 97% | 0 | 0% | -97% |
| LB | Denzel Perryman | 26 | 36% | 0 | 0% | -36% |
| LB | Nick Dzubnar | 14 | 19% | 0 | 0% | -19% |
| CB | Pierre Desir | 10 | 14% | 0 | 0% | -14% |
The defense could have and should have been gassed by the number of snaps they saw compared to the offense. The defense was on the field for 72 snaps and when the Chargers’ defense is on the field more than the offense, the Chargers lose. Meaningless maybe, but it has been holding true throughout each disastrous loss. It was great to see Joey Bosa on the field. He made a solid contribution on the field and saw a solid amount of snaps (27 snaps; 38% of the total defensive snap count), but it wasn’t enough to edge out a win. With only one game under his belt, it will be interesting to see how Bosa adds to the defense as his snaps continue to increase.
Let’s hope to see the defense on the field less than the offense in this week’s matchup against the Denver Broncos. It may not ensure a victory, but may be worth noting in Thursday’s outcome.