Chargers Mailbag: Brandon Staley’s Game Plan vs. Dolphins, Injury Updates and Red Zone Offense

December 13, 2022

6 minutes read

Chargers mailbag: answering questions that surround the team as they enter Week 15.

Welcome to the third installment of the Chargers mailbag on ChargerReport.com this season. I’ve been doing mailbags periodically throughout the year, answering questions from fans about the team.

You can enter submissions to be included in the mailbag by tweeting at me here.

Question No. 1 from @Whatsgoodnsport: Was this Brandon Staley’s best coaching game plan?

In reference to Brandon Staley’s game plan against the Dolphins in Week 14, I do think it was his best, at least since I’ve began covering him. The Chargers thoroughly outplayed the Dolphins on both sides of the ball, and despite the game finishing 23-17 in favor of the Chargers, I don’t think the game was as close as the score reflected.

The Chargers were without six defensive starters that included Joey Bosa, Austin Johnson, Sebastian Joseph-Day, J.C. Jackson, Bryce Callahan and Derwin James as a result of injury. Yet, their game plan was executed to near-perfection with many of the team’s less-experienced players called upon.

The Dolphins entered the game as the No. 2 passing attack in the NFL and they were largely silenced for the greater part of the game. Tua Tagovailoa completed just 10 passes and four of them came on the Dolphins’ final drive.

Staley’s plan of attack to disrupt Miami’s pass game and limit the speedy Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were to play press coverage. Staley’s philosophy was if the Chargers defense play a physical brand of football at the line of scrimmage and jam the Dolphins’ receivers at the beginning of their route, it wouldn’t allow their field-stretchers to run away from the coverage and through soft zones.

It feels as if Staley and the Chargers players on defense have laid out the blueprint for the rest of the league on how to mitigate the Dolphins’ highly productive offense. Huge props to Staley and the players for their efforts on Sunday night.

Question No. 2 from @Jeff77188779: Timelines on getting Joey Bosa, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Derwin James back, plus will we see Rashawn Slater?

Joey Bosa has began doing individual workouts, but still appears he’ll miss this Sunday’s game against the Titans. The Chargers have yet to open his 21-day activation window in which he can return to practice before having being reinstated off injured reserve. Staley said “anything is possible” when asked if there’s a chance he practices this week, but the sense I’m getting is that his return is more likely to come in Week 16 against the Colts.

Sebastian Joseph-Day’s knee injury is improving. He’ll participate in practice on Thursday following Wednesday’s walk through. His game status will hinge on how his injury responds once he gets back on the practice field, so we’ll know more as the week goes on.

Derwin James is still considered day-to-day, Staley said Monday. It appears his injury is still effecting him. He won’t practice Thursday, meaning that leaves just Friday as the only chance he has at getting on the field during this week’s game prep. It feels far-fetched that James is going to play against the Titans.

Rashawn Slater, who’s biceps injury suffered in Week 3 was initially thought of as a season-ending blow, actually does have a chance at returning. Staley said they’re weeks out from that happening if it does come to fruition and that Slater’s timeline is much different than Bosa’s. Slater is in the facility rehabbing, but no return is imminent, currently. It sounds as if Slater could return for the regular season finale and play in the playoff if the Chargers get there.

Question No. 3 from @Fantasyinfo: Justin Herbert is the tallest quarterback in the league and yet he has the most passes batted down. Is this a topic of discussion or is anything being done to try and rectify this?

Herbert, listed at 6’6″, has had 19 passes batted down at the line of scrimmage this season. That’s a career-high as he had 17 last season and 12 his rookie year.

It’s quite puzzling, indeed. It’s something that is in fact a topic of discussion. Herbert and the coaching staff have been questioned about it during their weekly press conferences. Certainly, if there was a quick fix, they would’ve already flipped the switch and done so.

I think the reason for the uptick in passes getting batted down stems from the protection of the offensive line. When the pocket is collapsing, Herbert is forced to get rid of the ball and at times, he’s doing so without much of a throwing window.

I guess part of the silver lining here is you’d rather have a ball batted down than take a sack, lose yards and have the possibility of losing the ball from a fumble.

Question No. 4 from @DonnieDruin: Would you be down for Sean Payton as head coach?

Sean Payton is unquestionably the hottest name that’s going to be tossed around this hiring cycle, and NFL Network reported he would have interest coaching one of the two teams in Los Angeles, so I understand the question.

But on the flip-side, I think it’s too early to have a definitive stance on whether or not the Chargers should have their sights set on a new coaching candidate.

Staley, with more injuries than any other team in the league this season, has the Chargers with a 7-6 record, knocking on the door of a playoff berth. Certainly, he hasn’t been perfect this season. There’s been in-game decisions that have came back to bite him and the team, but before turning the page and assessing the head coaching market, are we sure Staley doesn’t get this team to the playoffs and remain in his current position?

It’s obvious the Chargers haven’t met the expectations they began the year with. But context for the situation goes a long way, particularly on the topic of injuries. If they can find a way to get into the postseason with the expected returns of Bosa, Slater and others, the Chargers could return to the form they showed the first two weeks of the season before the injuries started to pile up.

The final four games will, in all likelihood, play a huge part in Staley’s future with the team. But I think it’s important to take into consideration his entire resume and that includes the final stretch that looms ahead.

Question No. 5 from @Joseuribe310: Why can’t red zone offense be better?

No matter how you slice it, the Chargers’ red zone offense has been a weak link this season. They rank 27th in red zone offense, which has really held them back in capping off drives with touchdowns.

I think there’s a lot of issues at play as to why they haven’t been efficient in this area of the field. They can’t run the ball. The Chargers are 31st in rushing, which hasn’t helped their red zone efficiency. Inside the red zone, where the field is much smaller in space, having an effective run game would give them a helping hand, even if it’s just picking up minimal gains at a time.

The offensive line has struggled to get an overwhelming amount of push while run-blocking and that’s impacted their ability to punch it in for scores at the goal-line.

In regards to the passing game in the red zone, it hasn’t been good either. But with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams both back into the fold, I’d expect things to improve.

Operating in the red zone largely hinges on attacking matchups. With Allen and Williams finally healthy, the pendulum should swing in favor of the Chargers. Now it’s just about executing the matchup they like. Having the team’s top two pass-catchers as go-to options for Herbert in the red zone should generate a drastic lift.

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