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Yesterday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was exactly what Chargers’ fans were hoping for. After last week’s disappointment, the Chargers needed to bounce back and never look back. Looking back at last week’s snap count, we saw the contrast between Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead’s playing time distribution. I believe that, among other things, contributed to the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs, because the Chargers failed to kill the clock to put the Chiefs away. Sunday’s game against the Jags was just the opposite of Week One. Looking at this week’s snap count compared to last week’s shows how the Chargers actually made adjustments, especially with life after Keenan Allen (and now Danny Woodhead). At around the 3-minute mark, Danny Woodhead was injured on a routine pass play; however, he sustained an ACL tear and would not return to the game. Due to Woodhead’s absence, Gordon took on the bulk of snaps at running back.
Offense’s snap count:
| Pos. | Name | W1 Snaps | "% of Total W1" | W2 Snaps | % of Total W2 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | Joe Barksdale | 73 | 100% | 68 | 100% | 0% |
| C | Matt Slauson | 73 | 100% | 68 | 100% | 0% |
| T | King Dunlap | 73 | 100% | 63 | 93% | -7% |
| QB | Philip Rivers | 73 | 100% | 63 | 93% | -7% |
| G | Orlando Franklin | 72 | 99% | 62 | 91% | -7% |
| WR | Dontrelle Inman | 58 | 79% | 59 | 87% | 7% |
| G | D.J. Fluker | 57 | 78% | 58 | 85% | 7% |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 23 | 32% | 51 | 75% | 43% |
| WR | Tyrell Williams | 44 | 60% | 50 | 74% | 13% |
| WR | Travis Benjamin | 55 | 75% | 44 | 65% | -11% |
| TE | Hunter Henry | 30 | 41% | 39 | 57% | 16% |
| TE | Antonio Gates | 48 | 66% | 36 | 53% | -13% |
| TE | Sean McGrath | 16 | 22% | 22 | 32% | 10% |
| C | Spencer Pulley | 17 | 23% | 16 | 24% | 0% |
| RB | Derek Watt | 11 | 15% | 14 | 21% | 6% |
| RB | Kenneth Farrow | 0 | 0% | 13 | 19% | 19% |
| T | Chris Hairston | 3 | 4% | 7 | 10% | 6% |
| RB | Danny Woodhead | 50 | 68% | 5 | 7% | -61% |
| WR | Isaiah Burse | 0 | 0% | 5 | 7% | 7% |
| QB | Kellen Clemens | 0 | 0% | 5 | 7% | 7% |
| WR | Keenan Allen | 27 | 37% | 0 | 0% | -37% |
While the Chargers had five fewer snaps than last week, they controlled the ball for almost ten more minutes than the Jags. The Chargers’ play calling contributed to their success and to controlling the game. The Chargers went run heavy which is reflected by MGIII’s spike in snaps this week, from 23 to 51. The Chargers were able to eat up the clock, establish a strong run game throughout the game, and create effective passing situations for Philip Rivers.
The receiving core was another area of concern going into this week. KA13’s injury had the Chargers go into the game with four active receivers: Dontrelle Inman, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, and Isaiah Burse. Dontrelle Inman took on the majority of the snaps, but was targeted the third least and only had one reception for seven yards. The standout receiver for the week is Travis Benjamin who posted 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Finally, the Chargers’ O-line and tight ends had a quiet game on the stats sheet but saw a consistent amount of snaps. The one highlight came from Antonio Gates who saw a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter. However, Hunter Henry saw a slight increase in snaps and is Pro Football Focus’ #1 blocking tight end. Overall, the offense did what they needed to do to seal the deal against the Jaguars.
Defense’s snap count:
| Pos. | Name | W1 Snaps | "% of Total W1" | W2 Snaps | % of Total W2 Snaps | WoW % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS | Dwight Lowery | 71 | 100% | 57 | 86% | -14% |
| LB | Manti Te'o | 70 | 99% | 57 | 86% | -12% |
| CB | Brandon Flowers | 71 | 100% | 55 | 83% | -17% |
| SS | Jahleel Addae | 67 | 94% | 55 | 83% | -11% |
| CB | Jason Verrett | 71 | 100% | 54 | 82% | -18% |
| CB | Casey Hayward | 56 | 79% | 44 | 67% | -12% |
| LB | Melvin Ingram | 61 | 86% | 41 | 62% | -24% |
| DT | Corey Liuget | 58 | 82% | 40 | 61% | -21% |
| LB | Kyle Emanuel | 34 | 48% | 39 | 59% | 11% |
| DE | Darius Philon | 35 | 49% | 38 | 58% | 8% |
| LB | Denzel Perryman | 32 | 45% | 32 | 48% | 3% |
| LB | Jatavis Brown | 19 | 27% | 31 | 47% | 20% |
| LB | Jerry Attaochu | 32 | 45% | 30 | 45% | 0% |
| DT | Tenny Palepoi | 19 | 27% | 25 | 38% | 11% |
| DT | Caraun Reid | 18 | 25% | 24 | 36% | 11% |
| LB | Tourek Williams | 15 | 21% | 23 | 35% | 14% |
| NT | Brandon Mebane | 31 | 44% | 21 | 32% | -12% |
| CB | Craig Mager | 0 | 0% | 16 | 24% | 24% |
| DB | Dexter McCoil | 21 | 30% | 14 | 21% | -8% |
| CB | Pierre Desir | 0 | 0% | 12 | 18% | 18% |
| FS | Darrell Stuckey | 0 | 0% | 9 | 14% | 14% |
| LB | Nick Dzubnar | 0 | 0% | 9 | 14% | 14% |
The defense was noticeably gassed during last week’s loss but were making plays and flying around this week against the Jags, who netted nearly 350 yards against the Packers in Week One. Dwight Lowery again saw the most amount of snaps on defense and led the team with 8 combined tackles (7 solo; 1 assisted). However, the highlight this week came from the turnover the Chargers created. Casey Heyward (44 snaps) had two interceptions and Melvin Ingram (41 snaps) forced one fumble. Keeping the defense fresh was essential in rattling Blake Bortles and creating turnover opportunities.
We will breakdown next week’s game and snap count against the Colts (0-2).