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Finally, a week where we can look at the snap counts without having to figure out some unthinkable reason as to why the Chargers lost. This week we saw a few new faces and adjustments in playing time; however, those who have remained healthy are still topping the snap counts charts. The one trend that has been debunked is when the Chargers have more defensive snaps than offensive snaps, they lose. This week the defense had more snaps, but the Chargers were able to squeak out a win.
Chargers’ Offense:
| Pos. | Name | W5 Snaps | "% of Total W5" | W6 Snaps | % of Total W6 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Orlando Franklin | 50 | 98% | 66 | 100% | 2% |
| G | D.J. Fluker | 51 | 100% | 66 | 100% | 0% |
| QB | Philip Rivers | 51 | 100% | 66 | 100% | 0% |
| T | King Dunlap | 50 | 98% | 66 | 100% | 2% |
| C | Matt Slauson | 51 | 100% | 66 | 100% | 0% |
| T | Joe Barksdale | 0 | 0% | 65 | 98% | 98% |
| WR | Dontrelle Inman | 44 | 86% | 60 | 91% | 5% |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 46 | 90% | 52 | 79% | -11% |
| WR | Tyrell Wiliams | 34 | 67% | 48 | 73% | 6% |
| TE | Hunter Henry | 42 | 82% | 45 | 68% | -14% |
| TE | Sean McGrath | 18 | 35% | 37 | 56% | 21% |
| TE | Antonio Gates | 18 | 35% | 31 | 47% | 12% |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 31 | 61% | 25 | 38% | -23% |
| FB | Derek Watt | 11 | 22% | 16 | 24% | 2% |
| RB | Dexter McCluster | 2 | 4% | 9 | 14% | 10% |
| WR | Griff Whalen | 7 | 14% | 9 | 5% | -9% |
| T | Chris Hairston | 50 | 98% | 2 | 3% | -95% |
| RB | Kenneth Farrow | 0 | 0% | 2 | 3% | 3% |
| G | Kenny Wiggins | 4 | 8% | 1 | 2% | -6% |
It was good to see Joe Barksdale back on the O-line, which definitely cut into Kenny Wiggins’ playing time. If the Chargers are going to have a chance the next few weeks, the line has to remain healthy. They already had trouble this week facing the Broncos, which is no easy task, but they’ll need to see the guys at the top of this snap count chart to remain healthy as the weeks go on.
With Travis Benjamin struggling, Tyrell Williams needed to step in and make big plays. While he made a somewhat of a difference on the field, his playing time saw a slight increase, as well as Dontrelle Inman’s. Looks like the coaching staff may have been trying keep Benjamin accountable for his continued turnover mistakes.
I do like the steady playing time of Hunter Henry, coupled with Sean McGrath’s snaps because it makes Antonio Gates that much more effective during the game. Henry is already looking like he can ball with the best of them and I see this playing time distribution continuing throughout the season (assuming they all stay healthy).
The addition of Dexter McCluster and the spared use of Kenneth Farrow have not cut into Melvin Gordon’s playing time too much. This week MGIII saw a slight decrease in snaps, but I don’t see this being a trend.
Chargers’ Defense:
| Pos. | Name | W5 Snaps | "% of Total W5" | W6 Snaps | % of Total W6 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Dwight Lowery | 72 | 100% | 73 | 100% | 0% |
| CB | Casey Hayward | 71 | 99% | 73 | 100% | 1% |
| CB | Craig Mager | 71 | 99% | 73 | 100% | 1% |
| LB | Jatavis Brown | 65 | 90% | 73 | 100% | 10% |
| CB | Steve Williams | 51 | 71% | 71 | 97% | 26% |
| SS | Adrian Phillips | 37 | 51% | 68 | 93% | 42% |
| LB | Melvin Ingram | 64 | 89% | 66 | 90% | 1% |
| DE | Joey Bosa | 27 | 38% | 54 | 74% | 36% |
| DT | Tenny Palepoi | 46 | 64% | 43 | 59% | -5% |
| DT | Corey Liuget | 53 | 74% | 43 | 59% | -15% |
| LB | Korey Toomer | 50 | 69% | 32 | 44% | -25% |
| LB | Denzel Perryman | 0 | 0% | 23 | 32% | 32% |
| DT | Caruan Reid | 19 | 26% | 22 | 30% | 4% |
| NT | Brandon Mebane | 41 | 57% | 22 | 30% | -27% |
| LB | Kyle Emanuel | 28 | 39% | 19 | 26% | -13% |
| FS | Dexter McCoil | 24 | 33% | 18 | 25% | -8% |
| NT | Damion Square | 0 | 0% | 16 | 22% | 22% |
| LB | Jerry Attaochu | 31 | 43% | 9 | 12% | -31% |
| LB | Tourek Williams | 9 | 12% | 4 | 5% | -7% |
| FS | Darrell Stuckey | 1 | 1% | 1 | 1% | 0% |
| LB | Joshua Perry | 13 | 18% | 0 | 0% | -18% |
| CB | Trevor Williams | 14 | 19% | 0 | 0% | -19% |
Finally, the higher defensive snaps to offensive snaps trend is over. I knew this wouldn’t keep up and I was just waiting for the trend to end. This week the Chargers had more defensive snaps, but they won. The defense came up big and were able to score a safety by drawing a holding call in the end zone. The Chargers’ defensive front was effective last night, probably due to the additions, and increased snaps to a few front seven players. Damion Square, Joey Bosa, and Denzel Perryman saw more snaps this week compared to last week, which is what the Chargers needed in terms of depth.
The DBs’ snaps have varied almost every week due to injuries, but the one player that has been king of the snap count hill is Dwight Lowery. With the absence of Brandon Flowers and Jason Verret, the DBs snaps will remain in constant change.
One player to keep an eye on is Korey “It’s Not A” Toomer. While Korey Toomer saw a dip in playing time, he was playing well throughout the game. Toomer, along with the rookie class, were key in handling the Broncos.
Next week we will break down the potential shootout against the Atlanta Falcons, who also knocked off the Broncos last week.