If Mike McDaniel wants to drag the Chargers offense out of the mud, the bye week handed him a pretty clear path.
Los Angeles has spent the season looking stuck in place, and the reasons are easy to trace. The Chargers are 0-6, the offense has been lost from the jump, and the injury list has been brutal. More than half of the original 53-man roster has either landed on injured reserve or appeared on the week six injury report.
The first major blow came in training camp, when starting center Tyler Biadasz suffered a significant season-ending knee injury during a joint practice with the 49ers. That forced the Chargers to reshuffle the offensive line with less than three weeks left before the season and hand rookie Jake Slaughter the starting center job.
That injury looks like the one the offense never recovered from. Biadasz never even got into a preseason game, missing the first one and getting hurt before the second.
Still, the reports out of that joint practice said the Chargers offense was handling the 49ers. That fit the earlier preseason buzz, too, after Los Angeles’ backups physically overwhelmed the Houston Texans in the opener.
"The Chargers, they out-physicaled us the entire game."- Texans head coach Demeco Ryans pic.twitter.com/6Sh456WY3q
Since then, the line has been a problem, and so has just about everything around it. The interior offensive line has not held up, and the injury issues spread to the wide receiver room as well.
All six of the Chargers’ original wide receivers have dealt with injuries, and none of them has been healthy every week. That lack of continuity has wrecked the timing of the offense, and when you combine that with a run game that hasn’t carried its weight and steady pressure up the middle, it’s no mystery why the unit still hasn’t found a rhythm.
The past two games before the week seven bye featured four rookie starting offensive linemen. Joe Alt is expected back this week at one of the tackle spots, assuming he reclaims his right tackle job. Branson Taylor could also work his way into the mix, but if the lineup stays mostly intact aside from Alt’s return, the Chargers will still be rolling out three rookies up front, including the entire left side.
That youth has come with the usual growing pains, but it hasn’t been all bad. The rookies have been better than expected, even if the rookie mistakes are still there.
Travis Burke and Logan Taylor, in particular, have been strong run blockers. Burke is a massive presence and creates real movement at the point of attack.
Note Burke's run-blocking grade on the chart below.
OT Percentile Grades in Pass & Run Blocking pic.twitter.com/Qti6mB1CT4
That could matter a lot now. The Chargers are getting some help back, with Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris both set to return to practice this week against the Rams. Charlie Kolar and Quintin Johnston also came out of the bye without injury designations.
So the question is simple: what does McDaniel do with it?
The run game has been more effective to the left side and between the tackles, and that’s where the Chargers may need to lean. Compared with a similar offensive system in San Francisco, Los Angeles runs between the tackles almost 20 percent less. But the numbers point to a clearer answer: the Chargers’ most efficient run looks come from 13 personnel, with one running back and three tight ends, and from 22 personnel, with two tight ends and a fullback.
That points toward a heavier approach. Charlie Kolar, Hayden Rucci and Scott Matlock should be on the field, with the ball running behind Travis Burke or Joe Alt, both of whom carry comparable run-blocking grades.
The Rams have been using dime personnel nearly 50 percent of the time on defense, putting extra defensive backs on the field and creating pressure by rotating and sending different players to the line. If they want to keep leaning light, the Chargers should answer with size and force.
There is still Aaron Donald on that defense, and he can wreck a game plan on his own. The Rams have sent most of their starting defensive line to injured reserve, but Donald remains the one name that can change everything in a hurry.
The Chargers’ offense under McDaniel has not come together, and there’s plenty of blame to spread around the organization. But if there’s a version of this team that can still be salvaged out of the bye, it probably starts with the parts that have actually worked. That means more inside zone, more gap runs, and less of the outside-zone heavy approach that has defined the Miami version of McDaniel.
The question now is whether he’s willing to reach back into his Shanahan roots and use them against the Rams.
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