Hogs Haven
Commanders.com
The Chargers are coming off their first loss of the season to the New York Giants, whose defensive line pressured Herbert a total of 20 times according to Next Gen Stats. So far this season, Herbert has thrown for 1,063 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. It was Herbert’s worst performance of the season so far, as he completed just 56% of his passes and threw three interceptions. The Chargers’ passing game had been dominant up to that point and currently ranks fifth in the NFL.
According to analyst Logan Paulsen, that can be attributed to Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who utilizes the run game to put Herbert in a better position — something Washington’s defense will have to prepare for.
“He’s condensing the formation, creating more space outside the numbers for receivers, and forcing the defense now to think about different personnel, different formations, are we gap sound?” Paulsen said. “As a defensive coordinator, you have to spend time in the week coaching that. So now, all of a sudden, when it’s time to throw the football, the play action shot is more effective, or the defensive line can’t tee off the same way because we’re in a certain formation.”
Washington’s defense is one of only two teams that hasn’t allowed a run of more than 20 yards this season. However, they’ve allowed 13 pass plays for over 20 yards this season. Paulsen pointed out that the goal of the defense is to make offenses one dimensional and the variation of the Chargers offense can be a challenge for opponents.
A to Z Sports
Continue to lean into the run game
The Commanders are one of the top rushing offenses in the league, and have the second-most rushing yards with 619, despite being 17th in the league in rush attempts with 105. We’ve seen Bill Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr, and Jeremy McNichols all break loose for big gains this season, but we have yet to see a full run game for four quarters.
Early deficits on the road don’t help the offense’s case to run the ball when you’re down double digits early, and forced to run a track meet with the defense giving up big plays, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury needs to realize that the big plays can come on the ground too. The Chargers are a middle-of-the-pack rush defense that allows 111 rushing yards per game, and the opportunities will be there.
Heavy.com
The Commanders elevated Martin from their practice squad Saturday ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chargers. Martin will be elevated for the second straight week, as both Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Noah Brown (groin) have been ruled out. Martin caught one pass for 14 yards in addition to seeing playing...
