We can't count the Los Angeles Chargers' offensive approach in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals as indicative of their gameplanned attack for the entire regular season. At least, hopefully we can't.
The Chargers lost the time of possession battle by an embarrassing margin to a team with truly inferior talent. That's not to discount what Jacoby Brissett and Trey McBride were able to accomplish through the air, nor how explosive Jeremiyah Love looked at times on the ground. It's simply a fact that, if the Los Angeles defense was playing at the top of its capacity, things would've looked much different in that game.
But there's two sides to the coin here. The defense's struggles limited the team's offensive opportunities, and by the time we arrive in the second half, Los Angeles was forced primarily into passing situations rather than settling into Mike McDaniel's much beloved run-heavy scheme. We can likely take the distribution of touches in the backfield in Week 1, then, with a grain of salt.
It is notable, though, that Kimani Vidal did not receive a single touch in this matchup—with Omarion Hampton taking 12 and Keaton Mitchell seeing four. Perhaps it's a glimpse at the true hierarchy within this running back room.
But more than likely, it's simply an anomaly brought about by a limited offensive performance. The Chargers can't afford to leave Vidal out of the equation entirely, and he should see some touches as soon as they become available.
Kimani Vidal can still provide the Chargers with some explosive gains out of the backfield
The run game looked alright in stints, especially prior to the Omarion Hampton fumble that first turned the tides in Arizona's favor. For the most part, this seems to be the real hierarchy within the Los Angeles offense. Hampton is RB1, and he'll take on the bulk of the snaps, while Mitchell and Vidal will take on complementary duties depending on the situation.
But Week 1 should be considered an anomaly, at least for McDaniel. Hampton and Mitchell's 16 combined touches would've been tied for the fourth-smallest single game total for the Miami Dolphins last year. As much as that offense struggled with inconsistencies, McDaniel went to the run as often as possible. He'll do the same, and likely even more so, with the Chargers when the opportunity presents itself.
McDaniel said during training camp that he envisions using all three running backs in every game, but that the distribution will change depending on the situation.
Vidal, moreover, has earned the right to see some time on the field. He helped keep the Chargers run game afloat last season when both Hampton and Najee Harris went down, amassing 525 yards and three touchdowns on 117 attempts between Weeks 6 and 13.
He struggled during the preseason to truly acclimate to the demands of McDaniel's outside zone run scheme, and he doesn't have the same burst or quickness that Hampton or Mitchell do around the edge. But he does have a certain level of intensity and physicality when operating between the tackles that should make him a viable redzone threat for this offense.
At the end of the day, if the best thing for this offense is to keep Vidal sidelined, then so be it. But as this offense starts to gain its footing, there will be touches for Vidal—and the Chargers need to see what they potentially have in their three-headed monster in the backfield.
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