As the Los Angeles Chargers fell to the New York Giants, 21-18, in their Week 4 matchup, there were a number of problems that sprung up across the roster, most notably the team's rapidly weakening offensive line.
Yet, a problem hidden behind rookie running back Omarion Hampton's 128-yard breakout game was their continued refusal to utilize the run game to its full potential: a confusing standpoint that directly led to a stagnated offense against New York.
Although Justin Herbert played relatively well, the rest of the team's offense and a variety of penalties held them back, and, despite the struggling offensive line, the team could have leaned on Hampton more to keep their offensive momentum alive.
The Chargers should have learned on Omarion Hampton more vs. Giants
Coming into the season, it was widely expected that head coach Jim Harbaugh, who typically operates under a run-heavy offensive scheme, would make extensive use of Hampton alongside perenially reliable running back Najee Harris.
Yet, in his first three NFL games, Hampton was rather limited, taking on 42 carries for just 142 yards in matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Raiders and Denver Broncos.
However, with the Achilles injury that Harris suffered against Denver, Hampton was expected now to take on a much larger role in the offense going forward. Nevertheless, he received just 12 carries against the Giants, averaging 10.7 yards per carry for a total of 128 yards and an explosive touchdown rush that kept Los Angeles in the game temporarily.
Harbaugh, in reflecting upon this choice within the gameplan, indicated that this might have been somewhat of a mistake on the Chargers' end:
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on Omarion Hampton having 12 rush attempts: "In hindsight, lose a game, you always think what you could've done different."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 28, 2025
In fairness, the team has suffered extensive injuries to its offensive line, and much of its offense today was limited to quick passes in order to account for those losses. With Joe Alt exiting the game with an ankle injury and Mekhi Becton missing the game due to a concussion he suffered last week, the team was in dire straits to begin with.
Yet, when Hampton got the ball, the offense's outlook improved dramatically, and, if they were able to use him more, it is quite possible that the result of this game would have been different given the potential he had to galvanize the team's offense.
New York was 31st in rushing yards allowed per game heading into today, and it was clear that their run defense could not hold up against the explosive ability of Hampton.
With matchups coming up against the Washington Commanders, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, it would be wise for the Chargers to make this shift in their gameplan sooner rather than later, as it looks like Hampton is developing into one of the early impact players of this draft class.