Greg Roman has faced a lot of criticism in his first year as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
With his offense struggling to score touchdowns in the past two and a half games, Roman took responsibility for improving things before Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, a rival in the AFC West.
“I have to do a better job of giving Justin (Herbert) some better stuff and a better opportunity to do what he can do,” Roman said on Thursday.
Last Sunday, the Chargers won 17-13 against Atlanta, but it was the second time this season that their offense didn’t score a touchdown. Even more concerning, they only gained 187 total yards, their lowest in a win since a 177-yard performance in a 23-21 victory over Indianapolis in Week 10 of the 2007 season.
The Chargers (8-5) have scored on 10 of their last 27 drives, with seven field goals and three touchdowns, and they have reached the red zone only four times. Four of Cameron Dicker’s field goals have been from at least 51 yards.
There have also been seven three-and-outs and two turnovers that led to touchdowns for the other team.
“We were disjointed overall. A lot of things to clean up,” Roman said. One area where the Chargers need to improve quickly is the running game.
After J.K. Dobbins was placed on injured reserve following a knee injury against Baltimore on November 25, the Chargers averaged only 3.3 yards per carry against Atlanta and finished with just 56 rushing yards, their second fewest this season.
Gus Edwards averaged 5.3 yards per carry but only had the ball six times.
“I have to do a better job of game-planning and calling the run game. That’s part of it,” Roman said. “It’s also just us playing in sync. When we do it right, we’re pretty damn good. It’s a lot of different things. Some communication errors but we addressed it and learned from it.”
The Chargers have also struggled against man coverage recently, which is concerning with the Chiefs playing a lot of man defense. Kansas City has used man coverage on 171 designed pass plays, the sixth-highest total in the league.
The Chargers do have one advantage compared to their first meeting with the Chiefs: a healthy Justin Herbert. The fifth-year quarterback was playing with a sprained right ankle in that game, which affected his mobility.
Left tackle Rashawn Slater and rookie right tackle Joe Alt also missed that September 29 game due to injuries. The Chargers scored on their first two drives before the Chiefs came back for a 17-10 win.
Los Angeles has a new injury concern, though. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey has been limited the last two days due to shoulder and knee issues.
“I wouldn’t say the preparation changes too much. You can rely more on the film from earlier in the year already having played them,” said Herbert, who passed for 179 yards in the first meeting. “I think we’ve grown and gotten better (since the first meeting). There are definitely things we can continue to clean up and fix, but I think we’ve come a long way.”
