Chargers Playoff Preview Mailbag: Facing Trevor Lawrence, Rashawn Slater's Timeline and Emphasizing Ball Security

Answering questions that surround the Chargers as they enter the playoffs.

Author:
Nicholas Cothrel
Publish date:
Jan 10, 2023 12:50 PM EST

In this story:

Los Angeles Chargers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Welcome to the fourth 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 @Boltupandrew: Trevor Lawrence was able to get the ball out quickly in Week 3, leading to minimal pressure from the Chargers. What can Brandon Staley and the defense do differently this time to disrupt his rhythm?

Trevor Lawrence was near flawless in Week 3, completing 28-of-39 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns that led to a 38-10 blowout over the Chargers. To find different results this time around, there's no disputing the Chargers can't allow Lawrence to sit back in the pocket and tee off like he did in their first meeting when he wasn't sacked and was hit just one time.

I think there's good reason to be optimistic this time around, though. Both the Chargers and Jaguars are much different teams now than they were early in the season. I really don't think there's much that parallel's from the first game, as a lot has transpired since the Sept. 25 beatdown at SoFi Stadium.

Brandon Staley also thought the Jaguars team now isn’t what they faced early on.

“They are a different team," Brandon Staley said of the Jaguars' development since their first game. "They have been through a lot since the game we played them. Their season was kind of a rollercoaster, as well. They were 2-6 at one point, and then really got hot at the end. I think our seasons are probably similar that way in that we played our best football at the end."

Particularly, the pass rush of the Chargers has taken monumental steps the last five weeks, an aspect to the defense that wasn't a factor in Week 3. Kyle Van Noy's late-season surge has been a big reason for that, logging a sack in five consecutive games, the longest active streak by a player in the AFC.

I think it's also safe to assume that Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack will have a larger impact this time around against the Jacksonville offense. In the Chargers-Jaguars first meeting, Bosa played just 13 defensive snaps before slipping on the turf and tearing his groin. That led to the defense having to endure losing one of their star pass rushers on the fly.

I'd imagine with Bosa building his way back and Mack being his steady self, the pressure inflicted on Lawerence will be much more disruptive.

Question No. 2 from @Curran_CP: Will Rashawn Slater play in the playoffs?

The recovery process for Rashawn Slater still remains ongoing. Will he play in the playoffs? Yes, that's certainly a real possibility, but that also hinges on how far the Chargers are able to go.

Brandon Staley said Monday that Slater is making progress, but wasn't ready to reveal a precise timeline for the standout left tackle.

“Similar to the way we handled Joey [Bosa]’s situation, you guys will get a sense of that when he is getting close to a return to practice," Staley said of Slater's status. "I am proud of the way he has come back and worked hard to give himself a chance to play.”

A month ago, Staley wasn't willing to rule out a possible Slater return during the regular season. Obviously, that's shown to be a little more optimistic than it was an accurate expectation.

During the viewing portion of practice, I haven’t seen Slater resume activity with team trainers off to the side just yet. To give a rough estimate on Slater's return, I think the earliest we see him in a game is the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Question No. 3 from @Dinhklam: How often do the coaches preach "ball security" to the players? Fumble issues are concerning heading into the playoffs.

Ball security drills are completed at just about every practice. But clearly there are reasons to be concerned given that two balls were punched out in the regular season finale against the Broncos from Austin Ekeler and DeAndre Carter.

I questioned Staley about the team's ball security on Monday and he described the two fumbles on Sunday by explaining Ekeler's as sort of an unexpected incident where Justin Simmons came storming through the offensive line unblocked and just flat out made a quality play on the ball. The fumble later in the game from Carter, Staley quantified by suggesting it was a blind spot hit to the ball.

"You know the story of turnovers. We were able to finish yesterday, but those two definitely prevented us from scoring a lot more points because we really moved the ball well," Staley said. "You just know that if you can secure it, how much more prolific you are going to be offensively. That is certainly something that we’re going to be emphasizing every single day moving forward. Our guys have been outstanding all year with it.”

The Chargers preach winning the turnover margin with great focus. It's one area that Staley said he'd be surprised if any other team puts more of an emphasis on it than they do, indicating the value he views this aspect of the game.

Ultimately, the Chargers are seventh in the turnover margin at +7. They've committed 10 fumbles this season in which nine other teams have more. But three of the 10 fumbles by the Chargers have come in the last three games, an indication that this is an area they must clean up heading into the playoffs.

Question No. 4 from @Wick_is_back: Is Joey Bosa OK?

Assuming you’re referring to Joey Bosa's early exit to the game Sunday against the Broncos, Joey Bosa is fine. He played 23 defensive snaps in his second game back from groin surgery, but Staley said it was more about getting him out of the game, rather than suffering a setback.

“We were looking to play a strong first half. Then, depending on the flow of the game in the second half, be able to phase Bosa out when we felt like the time was right," Staley said. "That is kind of what happened in that second half. We were able to get him out when we felt like it was appropriate. We felt like he got enough snaps, both run game and pass game, and playing in altitude. We felt like he got a good day’s work and was able to take another step toward building for this week.”

Bosa is closer to getting back to his normal self, but still remains in the process of building stamina, just like other guys who've been out for extended periods of time have to do when they return from injury.

Bosa anticipates he'll be able to take on a regular workload in the Wild Card game without any sort of snap count restriction.

Question No. 5 from @BRT86_Chargers: On the assumption reaching the playoffs is enough for Brandon Staley to keep his job, what does Joe Lombardi have to do in the playoffs to keep his or do you think he stays regardless?

It certainly hasn't been what last season was for Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi where the offense finished top 5 in many categories across the board in 2021. However, this year the circumstances have been much different, and I think that's important when evaluating what he has or hasn't done.

Justin Herbert played probably close to two months with his fractured rib cartilage limiting him, the offensive line has been pieced together at times and Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have missed a handful of games. That's all worth considering.

But we've also seen the offense, particularly the last month and a half, where it's been at or close to full strength. And yet, given who the Chargers have at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, the results have been underwhelming more than they've been encouraging.

I will say that the last two weeks have shown some level of an improvement. Week 17 against the Rams, who do possess a respectable defense despite their record, was the Chargers' most complete offensive performance since probably Week 5 against the Browns. They ran and threw the ball effectively on the Rams (431 yards), something they've struggled to do simultaneously this season.

Lombardi and the offense certainly need to pop in the playoffs. Especially in the Wild Card Round when they're going to Jacksonville, a warm weather climate where the conditions should have no impact on how they move the ball downfield.

I'm sure the Chargers' decision makers will take a thorough end-of-season review as things pertain to Lombardi. I don't think they would be doing their job to its fullest if they're not at least looking at possible alternative options for next season's offensive play-caller. I would assume the offensive performance in the playoffs will play a part in Lombardi's future, but don't think it trumps what's been put out on display all season.

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