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In a crushing loss to the Dolphins, there were a few changes in playing time from Week 9 to Week 10. While that is an obvious statement there are a few players who saw a spike, or decline, in playing time that should be pointed out. We saw more snaps by Melvin Gordon, less Joe Barksdale, and almost a double dose of Hunter Henry compared to last week. It also seems like every week, the Chargers have a player go to IR (with the exception of Week 8). This week the Chargers lost Brandon Mebane for the season after he tore his bicep during the game. With a roster sized IR list and the number of 4th quarter meltdowns, it seems as if the Chargers’ playoff chances are slim to none.
Chargers’ Offense:
| Pos. | Name | W9 Snaps | "% of Total W9" | W10 Snaps | % of Total W10 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | D.J. Fluker | 80 | 100% | 77 | 100% | 0% |
| QB | Philip Rivers | 80 | 100% | 77 | 100% | 0% |
| C | Matt Slauson | 80 | 100% | 77 | 100% | 0% |
| T | King Dunlap | 80 | 100% | 77 | 100% | 0% |
| WR | Tyrell Wiliams | 66 | 82% | 73 | 95% | 13% |
| G | Orlando Franklin | 61 | 76% | 72 | 94% | 18% |
| WR | Dontrelle Inman | 76 | 95% | 71 | 92% | -3% |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 65 | 80% | 70 | 91% | 11% |
| T | Joe Barksdale | 80 | 100% | 58 | 75% | -25% |
| TE | Antonio Gates | 66 | 82% | 58 | 75% | -7% |
| WR | Griff Whalen | 49 | 61% | 55 | 71% | 10% |
| TE | Hunter Henry | 0 | 0% | 26 | 34% | 34% |
| T | Chris Hairston | 0 | 0% | 19 | 25% | 25% |
| TE | Sean McGrath | 17 | 21% | 10 | 13% | -8% |
| G | Kenny Wiggins | 11 | 14% | 7 | 9% | -5% |
| FB | Derek Watt | 9 | 11% | 6 | 8% | -3% |
| C | Spencer Pulley | 19 | 24% | 5 | 6% | -18% |
| RB | Kenneth Farrow | 15 | 19% | 5 | 6% | -13% |
| WR | Isaiah Burse | 1 | 1% | 4 | 5% | 4% |
| WR | Jeremy Butler | 10 | 12% | 0 | 0% | -12% |
| TE | Asante Cleveland | 8 | 10% | 0 | 0% | -10% |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 7 | 9% | 0 | 0% | -9% |
No Travis Benjamin. Philip Rivers had none of this season’s original starting receivers, but at least he still had Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry. The receiving core this year has slowly turned into nothing but unsigned free agents. Tyrell Williams and Dontrelle Inman ate up the majority of snaps at WR, but players such as Isaiah Burse and Griff Whalen were able to make their way onto the field. Given the rash of injuries, it should be no surprise that recently signed Jeremy Butler was inactive this week. Melvin Gordon saw a slight increase in snaps compared to last week, but the Chargers could not get the run game going. Rivers went to the air and forcing it cost them. The high amount of snaps for the offense didn’t lead to points and the offense sputtered again in the 4th quarter.
Chargers’ Defense:
| Pos. | Name | W9 Snaps | "% of Total W9" | W10 Snaps | % of Total W10 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Dwight Lowery | 63 | 97% | 51 | 100% | 3% |
| CB | Casey Hayward | 64 | 98% | 50 | 98% | 0% |
| LB | Korey Toomer | 64 | 98% | 50 | 98% | 0% |
| LB | Melvin Ingram | 55 | 85% | 48 | 94% | 9% |
| LB | Kyle Emanuel | 24 | 37% | 48 | 94% | 57% |
| SS | Adrian Phillips | 50 | 77% | 47 | 92% | 15% |
| DT | Corey Liuget | 47 | 72% | 36 | 71% | -1% |
| CB | Brandon Flowers | 64 | 98% | 35 | 69% | -29% |
| DE | Joey Bosa | 51 | 78% | 35 | 69% | -9% |
| CB | Craig Mager | 0 | 0% | 35 | 69% | 69% |
| NT | Brandon Mebane | 30 | 46% | 31 | 61% | 15% |
| DT | Tenny Palepoi | 31 | 48% | 24 | 47% | -1% |
| LB | Tourek Williams | 12 | 18% | 15 | 29% | 11% |
| NT | Damion Square | 27 | 42% | 11 | 22% | -20% |
| LB | Chris Landrum | 9 | 14% | 11 | 22% | 8% |
| DE | Darius Philon | 15 | 23% | 10 | 20% | -3% |
| FS | Darrell Stuckey | 5 | 8% | 7 | 14% | 6% |
| CB | Trevor Williams | 25 | 38% | 7 | 14% | -24% |
| FS | Dexter McCoil | 33 | 51% | 6 | 12% | -39% |
| LB | Jerry Attaochu | 0 | 0% | 3 | 6% | 6% |
| LB | Joshua Perry | 13 | 20% | 1 | 2% | -18% |
| CB | Steve Williams | 23 | 35% | 0 | 0% | -35% |
| LB | Deon King | 10 | 15% | 0 | 0% | -15% |
Bye bye, Steve Williams and welcome back Craig Mager. We saw more of Mager and way less Dexter McCoil. The Chargers’ defense has a handful of inactives and injuries which has delayed the true cohesion of the defense. There are times when we see flashes of what could be if they all remained healthy. The defense is going to have to step up, especially with the loss of Brandon Mebane. Mebane has been a leader and a stout defender, an anchor for the defense. We’ll be seeing more Damion Square in the following weeks, so keeping an eye on the defensive front will be interesting.
The Chargers are on a much-needed bye week, but we will continue our snap counts breakdown after the bye. The Chargers face the Houston Texans, at NRG Stadium, next Sunday at 10 am.