LA Chargers: 3 matchups that will determine the Week 5 outcome vs. Cleveland Browns
By Jason Reed
The 3-1 LA Chargers host the 3-1 Cleveland Browns after two huge AFC West wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. A third win in a row would be huge for the Chargers as the Browns are no pushover and would continue the Bolts' run during the tough part of the schedule.
The schedule really starts to ease up after the bye week and if they can split, let alone take the next two games, they will be in a great spot to make the playoffs.
As we have seen thus far, head coach Brandon Staley really emphasizes matchups and winning the most important matchups the game has to offer.
The three matchups that will decide the outcome between the LA Chargers and Cleveland Browns:
1. LA Chargers' interior defensive line vs. Cleveland Browns interior offensive line
The LA Chargers really struggled against the run against the Cowboys and Chiefs and got a bit of a break against the Raiders. The Chargers were able to swallow the run, forcing the Raiders to try and convert many early third and long attempts.
The Raiders, though, average the second-fewest yards per rushing attempt in the NFL. If there was any team to have a good game against it was the Raiders. Now, the Chargers have a tough assignment against one of the best running teams in the league.
The duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is the best running back duo in the league and in front of them is a really solid interior offensive line that creates massive holes for the running backs to run through. It is a serious advantage for the Browns and a potential nightmare for the Chargers.
Baker Mayfield has not been throwing the ball very well thus far this season so winning against the run is even more important in this one. The last thing the team needs is what happened against Dallas where the two running backs combined for well over 200 yards from scrimmage.