As the Los Angeles Chargers continue to fight through their catastrophic injury luck, their Week 11 matchup on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars will have major implications for their chances at a spot in the playoffs.
Yet, despite the well-noted struggles of their offensive line, the Chargers will have a serious chance to overcome this weakness yet again against an ineffective Jaguars' pass rush.
Through Week 10, the Jaguars are tied for the fewest sacks in the NFL, having only amassed 12 on the whole season, and, if their move to Trevor Penning at left tackle pays off, the team could see its best pass protection performance in weeks: a major development as they attempt to cobble together a dynamic offense throughout the rest of the season.
The Jaguars pass rush presents the perfect matchup for the struggling Charger's O-line
In many ways, the Chargers' season has been defined by the players they have missed due to injury. Not only have their two star tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, been ruled out for the season, but many of their other linemen, including Trey Pipkins III, Mekhi Becton, Jamaree Salyer and even Bobby Hart, have now missed time due to injury.
Although they came away with a massive victory in Week 10 over the Steelers, these injuries still made their impact on the game as Justin Herbert was pressured 12 times and sacked five.
Nevertheless, the Jaguars could be the perfect opponent for Los Angeles to begin to find their footing again.
In last week's brutal loss to the Houston Texans, who have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, Jacksonville only collected two sacks for ten yards on backup quarterback Davis Mills. Even with a difference-making player in Travon Walker back in full force, their pass rush still struggled to make an impact.
If Penning's move to left tackle can provide even a semblance of stability for the Charger's O-line, they may be able to erase their biggest disadvantage in surprising fashion.
Looking ahead, Los Angeles has matchups against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs over the next four weeks. While each of these teams present more formidable threats than Jacksonville, they have also underperformed their defensive expectations in one way or another.
Ultimately, it will likely be the struggles of their offensive line that prevents Los Angeles from being a true Super Bowl contender. Nevertheless, a favorable matchup in Week 11 could bring them one step closer to another playoff berth.