Chargers Brandon Staley Ready to Test New Backfield With Austin Ekeler Struggling
The Los Angeles Chargers are finally in the win column and face a difficult December. December is generally the month when bad teams separate themselves from the good ones, especially for those aching for a playoff spot. Bandon Staley will have his hands full getting his team in shape to make a playoff push.
The Bolts are currently 5-7 and are sitting at #12 in the AFC playoff picture. They unfortunately sit behind the Bills, Bengals, Broncos, Texans, Browns, and Colts. The good news is they will face the Broncos twice and the Bills, which could weigh greatly on their chances.
One of the most underwhelming aspects of the team has been the run game, and it appears Austin Ekeler has not found his rhythm. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley spoke to ESPN on the matter, even flirting with the idea of changing the backfield.
"Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said Wednesday. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it."
Though Ekeler has been the tried and true Chargers running back, they could pivot to giving Joshua Kelley more touches moving forward. Ekeler currently has 446 yards and 4 TDs on 136 carries. Kelley has 376 yards and 2 TDs on 94 carries. Kelley has nearly matched the same output around 40 carries less.
To be fair, the Chargers backfield has been hindered by the offensive line, which has seemingly lost Corey Linsley for the season. The offensive line has had some struggles this season, including injuries to Linsley, Slater, and Pipkins.
Despite the injuries to the line, the team needs to find a way to create lanes for Ekeler and Kelley to get through. A running game is crucial for any team to make it to the postseason and beyond.
The Chargers are currently in the bottom 10 with 97.7 YPG. That is nowhere near good enough for the team to imagine hanging with the upper-echelon AFC teams. Brandon Staley realizes this and wants to rely on Ekeler, but there are reservations about his output.
"We know that Austin is a good running back," Staley said. "We just haven't found any rhythm in the last couple of weeks in the run game. Just need to keep after it and keep working hard in practice."
Via Brandon Staley, ESPN.com
To his credit, Chargers Brandon Staley is currently in the right mindset needed to bring the Bolts out of their rut. Good coaches often try new things, especially when it comes to radical changes like potentially allowing Kelley to be RB1. With the Broncos on the horizon, the team will certainly need to be playing at a much higher degree than they did against the Patriots.
Now scoring a touchdown will not work against the Broncos, despite the Bolts' defense holding strong against the Pats. Right now, Staley needs to pull out all the tricks to ensure the team can win out and head to the playoffs.
Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Chargers!
