Chargers' offensive struggles and defensive bright spots tell the story of their playoff exit. Dive into the crucial numbers defining the 16-3 defeat.
Well, that sucked. But it was all too predictable. I actually felt, a few days ago, that I was being a little too pessimistic in my previews of the Chargers-Patriots matchup because I wasn't giving L.A. much of a chance at all. Turns out, sometimes the story is the one everyone sees coming and there is no surprise ending.
207 total yards
The Los Angeles Chargers have had worse days on offense. Hell, the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars before the bye was worse by almost every metric. That being said, 207 total yards of offense in a playoff game is going to have people questioning your capabilities, which is exactly what is happening now with Greg Roman (as a play-caller) and Justin Herbert (as a postseason QB).
1/10 on 3rd down
I know, when you have a bad day like this, all the stats kind of say the same thing using different words. Still, I can not recall the last time I saw a team quite this inept at converting on third down. It probably didn't help that the running game could get going and they were fighting their way out of 3rd & long all game.
6 sacks allowed
If you didn't see the game, you would understand from the box score that it was the same old story it has been for much of this season. Justin Herbert was sacked 6 times and pressured an astonishing 11 times. They didn't do so hot running the ball either, despite Greg Roman's resumé, picking up just 30 yards on 11 carries when not counting Herbert's contributions (57 yards on 10 carries).
16 points allowed
If you're looking for a silver lining to walk away with, the Los Angeles Chargers defense turned this into a defensive battle. They held the RB combo of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson to just 80 yards on the ground and kept the Patriots out of the end zone until the 4th quarter. They also sacked Drake Maye 5 times and forced him to run more than he has been (41 yards rushing was his 2nd highest total since October).
Daiyan Henley finished with 13 tackles and an interception and was not alone in giving the Patriots offense fits. But my favorite stat on the defense is one I'll probably be talking about all offseason....
3 sacks
Odafe Oweh turned himself into a huge part of the Chargers defense after the team traded Alohi Gilman to get him. In 5 games with the Ravens this year, Oweh had zero sacks (after getting 10 last season). In 13 games with the Chargers, he put up 10.5.
Oweh just turned 27-years old and is about to hit unrestricted free agency. I won't go so far to say that he kept the Chargers in the game by himself, but he was a part of what kept the team in the game and they'll need to find a way to bring him back for next year.