Why the Chargers' sluggish offense in Week 1 isn't a concern

The LA Chargers opened the season against the Raiders with a 22-10 win at SoFi Stadium. For most of the game, it was what Chargers fans largely saw through the preseason. It was beautiful on defense and ugly on offense…. until it suddenly wasn’t.

For all the concerns and justified criticism of the lack of weapons for quarterback Justin Herbert, this offense was exactly the way that Jim Harbaugh told us that the team would play. Ground and pound, even when it is ugly, knowing that the opposing defense will wear down and then, suddenly, the ground game will explode.

For everyone bemoaning the lack of depth at wide receiver, relax. This team showed the world on Sunday that they can be dangerous in the AFC West. Here are some reasons why they can and will win with the Harbaugh way.

4 reasons not to panic about the Chargers' slow offense in Week 1

Joe Alt thrived in his NFL debut

For all of the complaints (and there were many) that the team did the “safe” and “predictable” thing in drafting tackle Joe Alt instead of a more desirable WR pick, like Malik Nabers, there were many that saw the wisdom in the strategy. This wisdom played out before our very eyes on Sunday.

Joe Alt went against one of the league’s best pass rushers in Maxx Crosby, a true bulldozer who is known to beat offensive lines up. Alt not only handled Crosby, he did so again and again and again. It seemed like Alt had an answer for Crosby every single time, even swatting him away on a few series as if Crosby was an annoying bug.

On 11 one-on-one matchups against Crosby, Joe Alt allowed 0 pressures on quarterback Justin Herbert. It was stunning to see just how well Alt handled one of the best pass-rushers in the entire league. There are few defenses ahead this year that present more threat to Alt than the Raiders’ and he handled them with ease. Barring injury, Joe Alt will quickly become an all pro.

The improved running game

The running game on Sunday was a tale of two halves. The first... brutally ugly, the second…dominating. And that is exactly how Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman want it to be. For teams that want to be a run-heavy offense, they understand that often the run defense is better early than it is late.

Those teams know that if they commit to the runs, even if they are two or three yards a run early, and stick with the attempts throughout a game, eventually the run blocking breaks down. Defensive lines tire out, it’s a fact of human nature, and the more that they have to go against big, bruising backs over and over and make tackles, something will give. And that scenario is how big, explosive runs happen.

This is the exact scenario that played out Sunday at SoFi. The Bolts ran the ball 27 times in the game. They largely mixed the snaps between smaller back, J.K. Dobbins (10 carries) and bruiser, Gus Edwards (11 carries).

As mentioned above, in the first half, this strategy appeared to be fruitless, until the second half. That is when the Raiders suddenly became exhausted and Dobbins ran all over them. In the end on 10 carries, he would have 135 yards on the ground for a touchdown that would ultimately help seal the victory.

This is what the team has told us all along that they will do and that it will work. It did. Expect more of the same going forward because this ground-and-pound style can still work in today’s NFL…the Bolts just proved it.

Justin Herbert is still Justin Herbert

The lack of explosive wide receivers on the roster was a chief concern among fans of the team heading into the game. Following it, the lack of explosive wide receivers remains a concern. Why shouldn’t it? Justin Herbert.

We must remember that Herbert has had relatively little time to work with these receivers. He missed the entire pre-season with an injury and it is going to take time for him to build chemistry with this squad.

Herbert’s stats on Sunday prove that more work and more time is required, but even on a statistically off night, he still 17/26 for 144 yards and a touchdown to rookie WR Ladd McConkey. Against a strong defense and when the team planned on running the ball most of the game.

Here is a stark reality for Bolts fans: there is no quick fix coming to the WR room. Everyone has to get used to the fact that the team prioritized solidifying a line for Herbert so that he did not have another lost season due to injury, digging out of the salary cap hole that Tom Telesco dug them and finding some pieces for the future in the previously mentioned McConkey.

Herbert is too good and too essential to not get better with this squad and like it or not, this is the squad that this team will have this year. Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert can make it work.

This Chargers defense is the real deal

If you watched the Chargers preseason games, you saw that this defense was vastly different than the Brandon Staley defense. And that’s an understatement. New DC Jesse Minter was bringing blitzes after blitzes during preseason games. The question was just how good would this defense be when starters Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Junior Colson entered the lineup.

The answer? Dominant.

This defense was everywhere and simply often overwhelmed the Raiders offense. Derwin James had 6 tackles. Assante Samuel, Jr. had 5. Junior Colson and preseason star Deane Leonard each had a tackle.

Khalil Mack had a sack and then for good measure, Joey Bosa had a sack…on the very next play. Bosa also had a forced fumble and Poona Ford had an interception giving this defense two turnovers at home.

What was equally as impressive is that this is a unit that largely has not had their starting lineup in the entire preseason. This unit is only going to get better and if they can remain healthy, they should absolutely terrify the rest of the AFC West (here’s looking at you Patrick Mahomes).

Jim Harbaugh, Joe Hortiz, Greg Roman and Jesse Minter have told us all along exactly what the plan is for the 2024 LA Chargers. On Sunday, we saw it in action. Logic says that if this team can remain healthy (and that may be the biggest question mark yet), they can only improve.

This is the Harbaugh way and the Harbaugh way can and will win in the NFL.