Chargers vs Steelers prediction: 3 Bolts who will have a massive game on primetime

Minnesota Vikings v LA Chargers
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Mike Williams, J.C. Jackson
New England Patriots v Los Angeles Chargers / Kevork Djansezian/GettyImages

2. Mike Williams

Keenan Allen said earlier this week that the key to unlocking the LA Chargers offense moving forward is to get Mike Williams going. Allen couldn't be any more correct as the results speak for themselves with Williams' production this season.

Williams was a top-five receiver in the NFL by all accounts after five weeks of the season. He was producing at a very high level and it looked like he was finally making that leap that we expected from the seventh-overall pick. In those five games, the Chargers were 4-1.

Then Williams banged up his knee against the Browns, was not 100% against Baltimore and while Brandon Staley said his knee is not a lingering issue, he has not looked the same. The Chargers are 1-3 in their last four after starting 4-1 and Williams hasn't had more than four catches or 58 receiving yards in a game. He has zero touchdowns in that span.

Heck, even though he has not been great he made arguably the biggest catch of the game against the Eagles in the one game that the Chargers won in that span. That shows how important he is to this team.

Over the last four games, Williams has 10 catches for 137 yards and no TDs. Against Cleveland, he had eight catches for 165 yards and two TDs. Something has obviously changed as Justin Herbert is not targeting Williams as much. Williams has been targeted just 21 times in the last four weeks.

That is probably because teams saw how the Chargers were scheming things for Williams and started taking it away from the Bolts. Now Joe Lombardi has to make the adjustment to the adjustment and get Williams the ball again. He does not have to have another 165-yard game, but you have to get him going in the offense so you can go to him in big spots.

With Fitzpatrick not playing, I would bet that the Chargers take the top off of the defense more than once to Williams, who finishes with at least 80 yards and a touchdown.