If you've seen the Los Angeles Chargers play at all through their first three weeks, you know the last thing they need is more challenges on the offensive side of the ball.
They have the third-worst EPA/play in the entire NFL to this point in the season, leading only the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They could very easily be surpassed by Pittsburgh by the end of the Steelers' Thursday Night Football matchup against the struggling Cleveland Browns defense.
Their passing game has been unable to gain any momentum on a drive-to-drive basis, and to make matters worse, the run game simply isn't operating at the efficiency it should be in a Mike McDaniel scheme.
Now, after entering practice this week with a seemingly clean bill of health, RB2 Keaton Mitchell was seen in a walking boot after the Chargers adjourned their drills on Wednesday, per ESPN's Kris Rhim. Although he wasn't initially on the injury report, he was tacked on later in the day as a limited participant.
This is always the concern with Mitchell, and it's currently unclear whether he's in danger of missing any time. But even if Mitchell is just slightly limited on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, McDaniel will need to figure out how to adjust the run game. Perhaps it's time for some more under-center, Jim Harbaugh-style action if this team is going to find its rhythm.
The Chargers need to find a way to get the run game working, and Mitchell's potential absence makes that a difficult task
Again, the Los Angeles run game, quite simply, hasn't been good enough this season. Omarion Hampton has shown flashes of the athleticism we know him to possess, but he's averaging just 3.9 yards per carry through three games. The offense as a whole has the third-lowest EPA/rush play in the entire NFL.
Yet it seemed, at least temporarily, that Mitchell was finally healthy enough for McDaniel to strike the balance he wanted within the Chargers' backfield in Week 3. Mitchell's touches were likely limited as he entered the season nursing a minor hamstring ailment, but McDaniel was able to grant him eight touches to Hampton's 12 in Week 3. Kimani Vidal also saw the field early in the game, seeing 17 offensive snaps but only receiving one rushing opportunity against Buffalo.
Did this mean much in terms of the Chargers' production against a staunch Bills run defense? Absolutely not. But it was a sign that we might be arriving at the original vision for what this offense was supposed to look like.
Perhaps the original vision isn't enough, though. McDaniel's scheme is dependent upon outside-zone rushing opportunities, leveraging athletic and powerful linemen and tight ends to create space around the edges for explosive backs like Hampton and Mitchell to work their way into the second level. The Chargers have found very little success on those types of runs this year—at least relative to expectations.
Needless to say, this offense as a whole doesn't work if the run game isn't clicking.
Even if Mitchell isn't forced to miss any time or take a step back in his share of touches, then, it's likely time for McDaniel to think about tailoring the run game to the personnel that's actually on this roster. Hampton was relatively effective last season, when he was healthy, rushing between the tackles in Greg Roman's scheme—and that was with a (theoretically) much worse offensive line than Los Angeles currently has at its disposal. Vidal was also effective in that setting, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt over the course of last season.
If Mitchell is ultimately forced to take a step back, perhaps it's time to lean on Vidal more in those sort of situations. Maybe a more equalized mixture of rushing approaches can help the Chargers carve out some much-needed gains on the ground.
It may sound sacrilegious at this point to suggest Los Angeles incorporates anything from Harbaugh's usual offensive style. He certainly hasn't done the team many favors over the past couple of seasons, at least in terms of offensive potency.
But it's clear, right now, that McDaniel's usual style isn't working with this roster. Adjustments need to be made somewhere, and while Mitchell's fresh injury certainly doesn't help with that, perhaps it gives the Chargers a chance to re-evaluate how they want to attack Seattle on the ground in Week 4.
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