How do the Los Angeles Chargers split up the carries in the backfield between Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler?
The Los Angeles Chargers have a problem in the backfield. We just don’t have enough reps to get all our running backs in the game.
We have Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler in the backfield and only one football. How do we feed both of them? How do we get the ball out to both of them!? Both have been killing the game, but we only have one football!
For a while, fans wanted to see more of Ekeler on the field. Every time Ekeler touches the football it seems like the Chargers have a big play. As this season has been going, Melvin Gordon has been cooking in the backfield. He has been churning up yards and running over tacklers. Now Ekeler can barely get a sniff back there.
For a while, Gordon would get caught up at the line of scrimmage and gain 1 to 2 yards a carry. There were opportunities for bigger gains, but he didn’t have the vision to make the cut. Something has clicked with him this season and he has been finding huge holes down the line. Part of it is the work from the big men up front, but he has been running hard and shedding tacklers.
His threat as a receiver out of the backfield has helped carve defenses up. Linebackers have not been able to keep up with him and he has been getting big chunks on short passes.
I love that the Chargers have been finding ways to get them both on the field at the same time. Ekeler has been lining up in the slot and forcing other teams to match a linebacker up with him. Linebackers can’t really keep up.
The offense is using a lot of misdirection and keeping the threat of a reverse on defenses minds and it is opening a lot of plays underneath in the passing game. Right now, Ekeler and Gordon are some of the biggest threats in the passing game.
How do we get Ekeler the ball more? We can’t. I hope it is an issue as we keep rolling through the year because it just means that everyone else is killing it. I am waiting for Ekeler to get a carry on a fake punt though. It would make a lot of sense to fake one this week too. I will call that right now.