LA Chargers: Stifling James Robinson and 5 keys to defeating the Jaguars

4. Improved performance from the secondary

I wouldn’t necessarily say the secondary has been bad in general. Other than the Tampa Bay game, there hasn’t been a performance that has lacked their normal quality in my opinion. When watching the games though, it’s evident that they miss Chris Harris quite a bit.

It starts with Michael Davis having to play a much larger role than originally intended. While Davis hasn’t been bad per se, he has been giving up really high reception percentages in recent weeks. In the last three games, Davis has allowed 14 receptions on 16 targets. That clocks in at about 87.5% which is certainly higher than Chris Harris’s 69.2%.

Harris also doesn’t get picked on to the degree that Davis does in coverage. Going forward, the team needs some better performances from #43. Casey Hayward could also improve his play. Against Cincinnati, Joe Burrow started to pick on him in the second half as Hayward allowed eight receptions. Man coverage and tracking the ball were struggles for Hayward against Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

Why is this important against the Jags? Well, their receivers are honestly pretty underrated. D.J. Chark was terrific last season and has had some moments this year. The Chargers also sometimes struggle with burner receivers and Chark has 4.3 speed.

Laviska Shenault has the most contested catches among rookie receivers and is third in yards amongst rookie wideouts. He’s a physical presence in the receiving game and is hard to bring down. Shenault has forced eight missed tackles this season. As we know all too well, the Chargers struggle with finishing tackles at times.

Robinson also is a factor in receiving. Like Shenault, he has also forced eight missed tackles after the catch. Keelan Cole is also very talented, even if he’s not talked about often. Last week he erupted for 143 yards against Detroit.