Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers need to ride their elite defense over and through an abysmal Titans offense led by second-year quarterback Will Levis.
The Chargers are back at home this week after playing on the road in three of the past four weeks. They are hosting the 2-7 Titans who are coming off a narrow overtime victory over the Patriots.
Here are the three biggest storylines that I’ll be following when these two teams kickoff on Sunday.
Over the past three games, Justin Herbert is averaging 303.3 passing yards per game with four total touchdowns to zero turnovers of any kind. He’s playing out of his mind and his receiver group is stepping up to meet the challenge.
Quentin Johnston returned from a two-game absence in Week Nine to post his best professional stat line with four catches for 118 yards and a score against the Browns. It was his first 100-yard game of his young career and it just so happened to follow Ladd McConkey’s first 100-yard outing the previous week against the Saints.
Even without a 100-yard game this year, Joshua Palmer has also made an impact with his 306 yards and a single score but honestly, if you’ve looked at the film, the quality of Palmer’s catches have been so much higher than what you could glean from the box score. When the Chargers have needed a big catch on third down to help keep pivotal drives alive, Palmer has been the guy. Whether it’s a perfect back-shoulder catch or a toe-tap on the sideline, Palmer has made it happen.
So this week, the Chargers face what is currently the top pass defense in the NFL. Entering Week 10, the Titans are allowing 155.8 yards through the air. That sounds like a tall task, right? Well, it’s a bit of an illusion. The Titans have been abysmal offensively while also being one of the worst units at covering kicks. So while the defensive stats look really good, they’re a bit skewed due to opposing offensive not having to deal with long fields.
I think the Chargers have an excellent chance of lighting the Titans up this week. Their top three cornerbacks in Roger McCreary, Jason Brownleee, and L’Jarius Sneed are ranking 68th, 75th, and 108th among 108 qualifying cornerbacks this year by Pro Football Focus.
Yes, that last ranking is correct. Former Chiefs defender Sneed, who balled out for them, is now the worst cornerback in the NFL based off their grades. Absolutely wild, but good for the Chargers!
At the midway point of the season, first-year Chargers wideout D.J. Chark has yet to take the field. Prior to the team’s game against the Cardinals, the Bolts initiated Chark’s 21-day activation window. However, it wasn’t until last week that they...
