The Chargers may have found a silver lining in Trey Pipkins’ absence. With Kayode Awosika now set to play the entire game at left guard, the team can finally build consistency and chemistry on an offensive line that struggled with last week’s rotation.
The Los Angeles Chargers may have accidentally found something they needed heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Raiders.
Trey Pipkins will miss the game with a knee injury, and Jim Harbaugh confirmed Friday that Kayode Awosika will play the entire game at left guard. There will be no rotation between Awosika and Pipkins simply because Pipkins won’t be available.
Considering what happened in Week 1, this could end up being one of the best things for the Chargers’ offensive line.
The decision to rotate Awosika and Pipkins against the Cardinals was one of the stranger decisions of the season opener. Awosika was officially named the starter before the game, yet the Chargers still rotated the two throughout the afternoon. Awosika played 35 snaps while Pipkins played 20.
And quite honestly, there was a noticeable difference between the two.
Awosika looked like the better left guard. According to initial Pro Football Focus tracking, he didn’t allow a pressure on 25 pass-blocking snaps while Pipkins allowed a pressure and a sack on 14 pass-blocking snaps.
The biggest problem with the rotation wasn’t just the individual play. It was the lack of continuity.
Offensive line play is all about communication and knowing exactly what the guy next to you is going to do. Jake Slaughter was making his first NFL start at center and suddenly had two different players rotating next to him. That is not exactly an ideal situation for a rookie center trying to get comfortable in a new offense.
The Chargers struggled to find any consistency offensively against Arizona, and the offensive line certainly didn’t look like a group that was completely comfortable playing together.
Now, Pipkins being out forces the Chargers to do something they probably should have done from the beginning: pick a left guard and let him play.
That player is Awosika.
This doesn’t mean Pipkins can’t have value for this team. He has experience and the ability to play multiple positions along the offensive line. That versatility is valuable over the course of an NFL season. But the Chargers don’t need to manufacture playing time just because they have two players capable of playing the position.
Sometimes having a clear starter is better than trying to find a creative way to get everyone involved.
If Awosika plays well against Las Vegas, the Chargers could learn something from this situation. Maybe the answer at left guard has been in front of them all along.
Pipkins’ injury isn’t good news for the Chargers. But being forced into a decision could ultimately help this offensive line.
Give Awosika the job, let him build chemistry with Slaughter and the rest of the line and see what happens when the group gets a chance to play together consistently.
That could be exactly what this offense needs.
