The Chargers are getting a built-in test of a different kind up front this week, and it starts with Trey Pipkins being out.
Pipkins will miss the game with a knee injury, and Jim Harbaugh said Friday that Kayode Awosika will handle the entire game at left guard. There won’t be any rotation this time, not because of a strategic tweak, but because Pipkins simply won’t be available.
That might end up being a blessing for an offensive line that never really found its footing in Week 1.
Against the Cardinals, the Chargers made the odd choice to rotate Awosika and Pipkins even after naming Awosika the starter. The two split the afternoon anyway, with Awosika playing 35 snaps and Pipkins getting 20. It was an uneven setup from the start, and the results reflected that.
Awosika looked like the steadier option. Based on initial Pro Football Focus tracking, he didn’t allow a pressure across 25 pass-blocking snaps. Pipkins, meanwhile, gave up a pressure and a sack on 14 pass-blocking snaps.
But the issue went beyond who played better on a snap-to-snap basis. The bigger problem was the lack of continuity.
Offensive line play depends on timing, communication and trust, and Jake Slaughter was making his first NFL start at center with two different players rotating next to him. That is a tough ask for any line, especially one still trying to settle into a new offense.
The Chargers didn’t look comfortable as a unit against Arizona, and the line was a big part of that. Now they’re being pushed into the kind of decision they probably should have made from the start: choose a left guard and stick with him.
That player appears to be Awosika.
Pipkins still has a role on this roster. He brings experience and the ability to move around the offensive line, and that kind of flexibility matters over the course of a season. But there’s no need to force snaps just to keep multiple options in the mix.
Sometimes the cleanest answer is the best one.
If Awosika plays well against Las Vegas, the Chargers may come away with a useful lesson from all this. The left guard spot might have been there in plain sight all along.
Now they can give Awosika the job, let him build chemistry with Slaughter and the rest of the line, and see what happens when the group finally gets a chance to stay together.
In Other News...
Chargers Already Have A Worrying Akheem Mesidor Problem
The Chargers went into the season needing answers on both sides of the trenches, and the early returns have not made life easier. Their offensive line is still being tested, and the pass rush has not consistently provided the kind of pressure that can cover for other issues on defense. That backdrop has made rookie Akheem Mesidor a particularly important player to watch, since he was brought in to help fill the role vacated by Odafe Oweh in the rotation.
Through Week 1, Mesidor has not yet delivered the kind of impact the Chargers were hoping for, which only adds to the concern around a defense trying to find its footing. The coaching staff still has time to get more out of him, and the need is obvious if the team wants to avoid digging an early hole. For now, the question is whether Mesidor can settle in quickly enough to become part of the solution rather than another reason for worry. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers O-Line Shuffle Is Exposing A Bigger Problem Than Harbaugh Wanted
The Chargers are still trying to sort out the interior of their offensive line, and the picture at left guard has already changed again by Week 2. Jim Harbaugh has moved away from a rotation there, but the answers have not come easily, with Trey Pipkins among the players asked to step in while the group deals with injuries and a lack of settled roles.
The bigger issue is what all of this says about the line as a whole. With center Tyler Biadasz sidelined and rookie Jake Slaughter starting at left guard, the Chargers are leaning on combinations that raise real questions about fit, experience and continuity. It is the sort of early-season instability that can linger long after the lineup card changes. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Already Face Mounting Doubt Before Raiders Showdown
The Chargers walked out of Week 1 with far more questions than they expected after a loss to the Cardinals as heavy favorites, a result that immediately complicated the early read on their season. Instead of looking like a team ready to establish itself, Los Angeles now heads into Week 2 with its playoff outlook already drawing scrutiny, even with oddsmakers still backing it by nearly a touchdown against the Raiders.
Las Vegas brings a matchup that is likely to test the Chargers in a different way, especially with analysts already flagging concerns about how the defense held up in the opener. The expectation is for a competitive game with points in the mix, which only adds to the pressure on Los Angeles to show that last week was a stumble, not a sign of a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]