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The Chargers returned after their Week 11 bye week to face the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Chargers were in need of a bye after the wear and tear from the first ten weeks. While the Chargers took advantage of the long bye to rest up, their injury woes did not take a rest this week. Every week the Chargers have had one player head to the IR list and this week was no different with Jerry Attaochu’s season ending foot injury. This has to hurt the Chargers with the somewhat limited production that Attaochu contributed this season. With so many injuries, the playing time production has never really been consistent, on both sides of the ball, and nothing has changed this week. In Week 12 we saw the return of Jahleel Addae and Travis Benjamin, the (noticeable) absence of Brandon Mebane, and the exit of Attaochu. We will break down this week’s playing time on offense and defense, it should be noted some players did not see offensive or defensive snaps, but saw snaps on special teams.
Chargers’ Offense:
| Pos. | Name | W10 Snaps | "% of Total W10" | W12 Snaps | % of Total W12 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | D.J. Fluker | 77 | 100% | 59 | 100% | 0% |
| QB | Philip Rivers | 77 | 100% | 59 | 100% | 0% |
| C | Matt Slauson | 77 | 100% | 59 | 100% | 0% |
| T | King Dunlap | 77 | 100% | 59 | 100% | 0% |
| G | Orlando Franklin | 72 | 94% | 59 | 100% | 6% |
| T | Joe Barksdale | 58 | 75% | 59 | 100% | 25% |
| WR | Dontrelle Inman | 71 | 92% | 55 | 93% | 1% |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 70 | 91% | 53 | 90% | -1% |
| WR | Tyrell Wiliams | 73 | 95% | 51 | 86% | -9% |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 0 | 0% | 38 | 64% | 64% |
| TE | Antonio Gates | 58 | 75% | 36 | 61% | -14% |
| TE | Hunter Henry | 26 | 34% | 30 | 51% | 17% |
| TE | Sean McGrath | 10 | 13% | 13 | 22% | 9% |
| FB | Derek Watt | 6 | 8% | 7 | 12% | 4% |
| RB | Kenneth Farrow | 5 | 6% | 6 | 10% | 4% |
| G | Kenny Wiggins | 7 | 9% | 3 | 5% | -4% |
| WR | Jeremy Butler | 0 | 0% | 3 | 5% | 5% |
| WR | Griff Whalen | 55 | 71% | 0 | 0% | -71% |
| T | Chris Hairston | 19 | 25% | 0 | 0% | -25% |
| C | Spencer Pulley | 5 | 6% | 0 | 0% | -6% |
| WR | Isaiah Burse | 4 | 5% | 0 | 0% | -5% |
| TE | Asante Cleveland | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0% |
The Chargers’ offense did not see huge changes this week, with the exception of the return of Travis Benjamin and a farewell to Griff Whalen (gone too soon?). The players at the top of the snap count list have remained consistent, for the most part. While the offensive line’s consistency has been questioned, their health has actually been reliable (shocker). It’s good to see that the O-line has been injury free and Philip Rivers doesn’t have to work with new guys up front week in and week out like he did last year.
The receiver group is taking the reins in the “Who’s it going to be this week” department, with the running backs closing in on their title. The receiving personnel this year has been all over the place year and this week was just another example of that. Travis Benjamin returned, receiving a healthy amount of snaps, and Griff Whalen was sent packing. However, Tyrell Williams and Dontrelle Inman have remained consistent and both saw the end zone this week.
While the running back duties have mostly been taken over by Melvin Gordon, Farrow saw some love. We will see if Ronnie Hillman makes the snap count chart and how many reps he will actually contribute to this offense.
Chargers’ Defense:
| Pos. | Name | W10 Snaps | "% of Total W10" | W12 Snaps | % of Total W12 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Dwight Lowery | 51 | 100% | 70 | 100% | 0% |
| CB | Casey Hayward | 50 | 98% | 68 | 97% | -1% |
| LB | Korey Toomer | 50 | 98% | 68 | 97% | -1% |
| CB | Craig Mager | 35 | 69% | 68 | 97% | 28% |
| SS | Jahleel Addae | 0 | 0% | 66 | 94% | 94% |
| LB | Melvin Ingram | 48 | 94% | 64 | 91% | -3% |
| DE | Joey Bosa | 35 | 69% | 57 | 81% | 12% |
| CB | Trevor Williams | 7 | 14% | 54 | 77% | 63% |
| LB | Denzel Perryman | 0 | 0% | 43 | 61% | 61% |
| DT | Corey Liuget | 36 | 71% | 42 | 60% | -11% |
| NT | Damion Square | 11 | 22% | 39 | 56% | 34% |
| LB | Kyle Emanuel | 48 | 94% | 36 | 51% | -43% |
| SS | Adrian Phillips | 47 | 92% | 28 | 40% | -52% |
| DT | Tenny Palepoi | 24 | 47% | 19 | 27% | -20% |
| LB | Jerry Attaochu | 3 | 6% | 18 | 26% | 20% |
| LB | Chris Landrum | 11 | 22% | 15 | 21% | -1% |
| DE | Darius Philon | 10 | 20% | 12 | 17% | -3% |
| LB | Tourek Williams | 15 | 29% | 2 | 3% | -26% |
| FS | Dexter McCoil | 6 | 12% | 1 | 1% | -11% |
| CB | Brandon Flowers | 35 | 69% | 0 | 0% | -69% |
| NT | Brandon Mebane | 31 | 61% | 0 | 0% | -61% |
| FS | Darrell Stuckey | 7 | 14% | 0 | 0% | -14% |
| LB | Joshua Perry | 1 | 2% | 0 | 0% | -2% |
The Chargers’ defense has been adapting to personnel change since the season started. Week in and week out the Chargers saw players such as Manti Te’o, Jason Verrett, and Brandon Mebane, head to the IR. This week we say goodbye to Jerry Attaochu after he sustained a season ending foot injury. The Charger’s front seven has been stronger with Joey Bosa’s stellar play, but how long can they keep up the pressure and play with the plague of injuries?
The defense welcomed back Jahleel Addae this week, but had no Brandon Flowers in the backfield. The defensive backs have also seen new personnel each week, but they have responded in ways. Casey Hayward as really stepped up and produced despite the lack of consistency in the backfield. A player that finally had some production for the number of snaps he contributes was Dwight Lowery, coming up big with the interception this game.
Next week we will break down the Chargers snap count when they face “Famous” Jameis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Q.