Chargers vs Bengals: 3 player matchups that will decide Week 13 outcome

Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals | Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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James Pierre, Mike Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers v Los Angeles Chargers | Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

3. Mike Williams vs. whichever corner is guarding him

It has become pretty obvious at this point that the LA Chargers offense goes as Mike Williams goes and the causation is not all that complicated. The team cannot throw the ball to Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler every single time and if Williams is involved then the Chargers' designed plays are working. The offensive line is doing well and Williams is beating his man.

That is something that Williams has struggled with this season. He has not been able to consistently get open against man coverage and the Chargers are coming up against a defense that has actually done pretty well this season, in large part because of the success of the secondary in man coverage.

Whether it is Eli Apple or Chidobe Awuzie, Williams has to win his matchup more times than not and get open for Justin Herbert to throw him the ball. Herbert struggled a bit against Denver and with the Bengals offense being a scary matchup, Herbert is going to have to be on and having Williams win his matchups helps that.

Just look at the difference when Williams plays well and when he does nothing. The only win in which he didn't really make that big of an impact was against the Las Vegas Raiders. Outside of that, he has made a huge impact in every win that the Chargers have this season. Even against Philly, which was not a huge statistical game, he had the biggest catch of the game for the Bolts.

MUST-READ: Why the Chargers should let Mike Williams walk after 2021

He had stellar games against both Kansas City and Cleveland and caught the game-winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense goes as Mike Williams goes and you can look at his stats after the game and probably predict which team one based on how he played.

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