Hogs Haven
It’s week 5 of the NFL season, and the Washington Commanders will be facing the LA Chargers on the road at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA this Sunday at 4:25 pm EDT. The Chargers started the season hot, beating out the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos (three division rivals), before finally losing to the 0-3 Giants last week.
On offense, the Chargers are coached by OC Greg Roman, former OC of the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014, first stint with HC Jim Harbaugh), Buffalo Bills (2015-2016), and Baltimore Ravens (2019-2022). A traditional Greg Roman offense centers around a power-running game with gap-heavy schemes, play-action passing, and a mobile quarterback and has sometimes been criticized for being too run-heavy and not featuring a complementary passing game. That was true for the Chargers in 2024, as their offense had a 55.09% pass rate (23rd in the NFL). However, the 2025 Chargers have turned into a high-flying aerial attack, with a 63.64% pass rate (3rd in the NFL). This is enabled by a talented trio of WRs. Quentin Johnston was a 2023 1st-round pick who was initially labelled a “bust”, but over time has developed into a true X receiver with the size, strength, and speed to win from all levels of the field. Longtime great Keenan Allen may be entering his twilight years, but has still shown the excellent hands and route-running ability that have enabled him to excel as a slot or Z receiver. Similarly, 2nd-year WR Ladd McConkey is an excellent slot and Z receiver who exploded onto the NFL last year with over 1,000 yards in his rookie season, but has been mostly quiet this year, with less than 44 receiving yards per game. The Chargers rushing attack is led by talented rookie RB Omarion Hampton, who ran for 128 yards (10.7 YPC) and a TD last week against the Giants.
On defense, the Chargers are coached by DC Jesse Minter, former DC of the Michigan Wolverines under Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers defense under Minter has been one of the best in the league, with the 3rd-fewest total yards allowed (5th-fewest passing, 15th-fewest rushing) and 4th-fewest points allowed. This defense has been characterized as a heavily zone coverage defense (81.7% zone, 4th most in the NFL) and although Minter’s defense at Michigan was characterized by a high blitz rate, that hasn’t been as true of his defense in the NFL.
I asked Michael Peterson of Bolts From The Blue five questions to better understand the state of the Chargers and what to look for in this game.
1) The Chargers have unfortunately been a team beset by injuries. Can you walk us through the most impactful injuries that will likely affect this week’s game?
The biggest one will be the loss of left tackle Joe Alt. His impact as a protector of Justin Herbert was immense and he did all he could to make up for the loss of Rashawn Slater who is out for the year. Without him,...
