Browns vs. Chargers: What's the Game Plan for San Diego?
The San Diego Chargers return home to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, hoping to right the ship after two straight losses on the road.
San Diego (1-2) fell to the Minnesota Vikings 31-14 in Week 3. Cleveland (1-2), meanwhile, lost a close game against the Oakland Raiders, 27-20.
The Browns and Chargers last played each other during the 2012 season in a game that left little to be desired offensively. Cleveland won the game 7-6, but the efficiency by both teams was horrendous. Together, they combined to go 10-of-31 on third downs, and neither unit made it to the red zone. Sunday's game should promise more scoring than the last meeting, that's for sure.
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Let's take a look at this week's game plan and highlight a couple key matchups and players.
Offensive Game Plan
Left tackle King Dunlap (concussion) and left guard Orlando Franklin (ankle) have officially been ruled out for Sunday's contest, per the team injury report. Center Chris Watt (groin) is doubtful, and right guard D.J. Fluker (ankle, chest) is questionable. That said, offensive coordinator Frank Reich will have to make some adjustments with regard to personnel. The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee compares the Chargers' current situation to a similar one in 2012, when injuries on the offensive line forced then-head coach Norv Turner to simplify the offense in a Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game the Chargers won 34-24.
"The Chargers’ success that day was in doing only what the offense could do, building a first-half lead on screens, short passes with yards gained after the catch, a healthy dose of run, mixing in the deep strikes only when they’d softened up a Steelers defense, clearly shocked.
It was a team we didn’t recognize. It was the team it needed to be for that day.
The shift wouldn’t be that dramatic here. This Chargers offense, under Ken Whisenhunt in 2013 and Reich the past two years, is always at its best when it is, in essence, dinking and dunking.
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Furthermore, Acee goes on to explain how the Chargers are actually better when they throw short.
"In the 35-game Mike McCoy era, the Chargers are 14-7 when their average reception is made within 6.2 yards of the line of scrimmage. Further down the field, their record is 5-9.
Their average reception came 3.1 yards from the line of scrimmage in a 33-28 victory over Detroit in the season opener. Last week at Minnesota, that number was 7.8 yards.
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So there you have it, Chargers fans. Proof that a quick-strike attack benefits the Bolts. And with how poor the pass-blocking has been for Philip Rivers, it might actually be better for his sake to get rid of the ball quicker. Rivers has been sacked 10 times this season, four of which came last week against the Vikings.
And finally, establishing the running game should be a top priority against the league's worst run defense. The Browns are giving up close to five yards per carry and 158.3 yards per game.
Melvin Gordon, who has yet to score the first touchdown of his young career, told reporters after practice on Wednesday (courtesy of Chargers.com) that he's hungry to score but knows his time is coming. With any luck, this will be the week Gordon reaches paydirt and in front of the home crowd no less.
Defensive Game Plan
Through three games, the Chargers defense has struggled to contain the run, and defensive coordinator John Pagano addressed this with the media on Thursday (courtesy of Chargers.com and manging editor Ricky Henne).
"I think the biggest thing it comes down to is technique and fundamentals. I thought we did an excellent job last week of first half run defense of limiting to 3.8 or 3.9 a carry, and just doing those things, we’ve got to carry it over to the second half. That was probably the most disappointing thing.
The cup is always half full with me. There is good there, but we’ve got to correct the bad. And the bad at times is proper leverage, proper techniques and tackling fundamentals. Getting the guy down on the ground.…Everything on run defense is based on containment, technique and the placement of each guy.
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Minnesota's Adrian Peterson had 126 rushing yards against the Chargers last week, and Cincinnati's Giovani Bernard racked up 123 yards against them the week before. The Browns don't have any world-beaters at running back, but the combination of Isaiah Crowell and third-round rookie Duke Johnson could pose a problem if technique and fundamentals are poorly executed.
Getting after the quarterback was also touched on by Pagano (courtesy of Chargers.com), as his unit has been held to just one sack through three games.
"I see a lot of opportunities where guys are running around. I'm looking at the opportunities that we had in our first three games of hitting guys. In the Detroit game, it went from a sack to an interception. In the Cincinnati game, there was three or four opportunities where he [Andy Dalton] ran, threw it out of bounds. We had him, we didn't get him down. And then the reverse of the incomplete pass.
And then I go to this game with the opportunities of chasing him [Teddy Bridgewater] three or four times. The quarterbacks have done a great job of buying time, but we're close. So as a unit, you build off of those things.
We gotta get the quarterback down. Go after the guy with the football and get him down, and that's the most important thing. There's opportunities there, we just have to make those plays.
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Rookie linebacker Kyle Emanuel owns San Diego's only sack of the season, but as Pagano said, there have been plenty of opportunities for his guys, it's simply a matter of making those plays and not wasting those precious opportunities when they happen.
With Josh McCown getting the start at quarterback for Cleveland, and not Johnny Manziel, the Chargers' pass-rushers don't have as much to worry about with mobility. A 36-year-old McCown is less of a threat to run than Manziel would be, and that will help the pass rush, provided it can get around the 12th-best offensive line in pass-blocking efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus.
And in terms of who to watch out for in Cleveland's passing game, fourth-year receiver Travis Benjamin is the most obvious choice. He currently leads the league in yards per catch with 24.9, and his four touchdown receptions are a team best. Benjamin's speed will be a challenge in the secondary and on punt returns, as well.
Key Matchups and Players
Keenan Allen vs. Joe Haden: Allen has been on a tear lately with 29 receptions and 315 yards through the first three games, but Haden is considered among the elite cornerbacks in the NFL. Last week, however, the two-time Pro Bowler struggled matching up with Raiders rookie Amari Cooper, who totaled 134 yards on eight catches. According to PFF, Haden was responsible for six of those catches and 87 yards.
Melvin Ingram vs. Joe Thomas: Ingram has done a pretty even amount of his pass-rushing from the left and right side, per PFF, so at some point he'll be matched up with the Browns' All-Pro left tackle. Thomas has not allowed a sack so far this season, and he surrendered just two all of last season, so if Ingram does manage to get one on the veteran, he should consider himself lucky.
Ladarius Green: Although listed as questionable on the injury report, Green was a full participant in Friday's practice, possibly indicating he'll be back in the lineup after missing last week's game. The Chargers were limited in the passing game without him, and Sunday may be Green's last start with Antonio Gates set to return from suspension in Week 5.
Brandon Flowers: Flowers was a surprise inactive last week but should be back for Sunday, having been listed as probable. The team's No. 1 corner was burned for three touchdowns against Cincinnati but has a shot at redemption if he's able to keep Benjamin and any other receiver he faces in check.
Prediction
Sunday is a must-win game for the Chargers. It may not seem like it so early in the season, but dropping to 1-3 with more challenging opponents still to go on the schedule would put a damper on the team's playoff chances. Additionally, it could possibly stir up hot-seat talk regarding head coach Mike McCoy, as some have predicted should he produce another mediocre season.
San Diego will win pretty decisively on Sunday and take a step toward getting back on track.
Predicted Score: Chargers 27, Browns 13
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