Chargers remain a top-5 offense despite red zone struggles

Through two weeks the Chargers are 1-1 with two close games against a pair of good football teams from the NFC East. Coincidentally, both final scores of the games were a point away from being the exact same score, but in reverse. The Chargers topped Washington by a score of 20-17 while the Cowboys edged the Bolts by a score of 20-17 with a last-second field goal.

When you hold opponent’s to 20 or less points, you should expect to win when your offense is as explosive as this one is. As of right now, the Chargers have the fifth-best offense in terms of yardage as they average a whopping 416 per game. Most of that number is buffed through the passing game where the team ranks fourth in the NFL at 323.5 yards through the air.

On the flip side, the team is averaging just enough rushing yards per game to keep the offense somewhat balanced. Through two weeks, the team is averaging 92.5 yards on the ground, good for 23rd in the league.

So again, with a total offensive rank as high as the Chargers’, this team must find a way to average more than 18.5 points per game. That’s good for 27th in the NFL. TWENTY-SEVENTH!

For context, there are nine teams that average at least 400 yards of offense per game. Of those nine teams, the Chargers are the only team not average at least 24.5 points per game. That’s six whole points! Just under a touchdown less than the next closest! That should be incredibly frustrating to the coaching staff, as well as the fans, because this was the same story last year. Tons of yards, not enough points to show for it.

Penalties are also once again playing a role in limiting this offense’s potential. As we all saw on Sunday, two different touchdowns were taken off the board due to penalties that should have never happened.

On the long touchdown pass to Donal Parham, the hold didn’t need to occur. Herbert would have had enough time to get the ball out. On the touchdown to Jared Cook, Mike Williams did not need to shift back in his stance. He thought he wasn’t off the ball enough as the outside receiver when he actually was on the second watch though.

Each play cost the team more than enough points to have put the Cowboys away for good.

Things. Must. Change.

A matchup with the Chiefs at Kansas City is probably the last opportunity the Chargers wanted to attempt a “get-right game” but they don’t have a choice. The easy part of their six-game gauntlet to begin the season is over and it’s time to show the league whether or not all the hype around Brandon Staley was truly deserved or if it was just a bunch of smoke.