Throughout the week, doubts lingered surrounding the availability of Los Angeles Chargers RB Omarion Hampton. Hampton missed Wednesday and Thursday's practices as he dealt with an ankle injury he suffered against Houston. On Friday, he suited up for a limited practice. Hampton was seen in a rather bulky ankle brace on the practice field.
The Chargers officially list Hampton as questionable for Sunday's game. But the rookie running back told the media that he is planning on playing against the Patriots.
Chargers RBs Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal could take advantage of a statistically shaky Patriots' run defense.
Hampton playing is one thing, but it remains to be seen just how much the Chargers will trust him to shoulder the load. In his final three regular season games combined, Hampton had 45 carries. Even before the neck injury to Kimani Vidal, he had reclaimed RB1 status in terms of usage. But based on how limited his practice was this week, it's probably a more split backfield vs. New England.
The Chargers' ground game has consistently failed them in the playoffs. They were only able to put up 50 yards on 18 carries vs. Houston. The run game of course went quiet against the Jaguars back in the 2022-23 playoffs. The Chargers have not had a 100+ yard rusher in a playoff game since Darren Sproles vs. the Colts in 2009.
The run game has to be an emphasis for Greg Roman's gameplan, specifically against this opponent. The Chargers can at least hang in the trenches with this Patriots team that doesn't have a great pass rush. But on top of that, New England's run defense has been suspect over the back half of the season. Since Week 10, the Patriots are 32nd in success rate against the run. NT Khyiris Tonga was also ruled out for the game with a foot injury.
There's some give and take with that stat. New England is getting DT Milton Williams and LB Robert Spillane back for Wild Card Weekend. But even across the whole season, New England is just 29th in success rate vs. the run.
Runs to the outside have been statistically more fruitful for both Hampton and Vidal over the last number of weeks. Without the Patriots have tried and true edge setters against the run, it's something the Chargers will want to test early.
Playoff offenses tend to be uglier than in the regular season. As we've seen for several years, teams need to rely on their run games as the field shrinks in the postseason. If Hampton can have a true breakout game vs. New England, the Chargers can clean up on time of possession and better their margins for a win.