One Key Factor That Could Decide the Chargers Fate on Sunday Against the Broncos

The Los Angeles Chargers currently sit at 0-4, and on Sunday, it does not get any easier as their Week 5 opponent is the Denver Broncos.

With that said, the Chargers have to figure out a way to pick up a win. However, for Los Angeles to be able to pick up a win, there is one deciding factor that could determine how this game plays out against Denver.

On that note, the key factor is the Chargers' ability to protect quarterback Justin Herbert in spite of the variety of injuries along the offensive line.

Earlier in the week, it was announced that Los Angeles will be without offensive tackle Rashawn Slater for a few weeks as a result of a high ankle sprain, and in addition to that, fellow offensive tackle Joe Alt is expected to miss Sunday because of the neck injury he suffered last week in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

As a result of Slater and Alt being out, the Chargers will be in a very tough spot at the offensive tackle position as they will very likely be starting rookie tackles Logan Taylor and Travis Burke. After how Los Angeles managed the rotation last week, it appears that Burke would play right tackle and Taylor would play left tackle. 

This is going to be a very tough battle for the Chargers as they are going against a Broncos defense that has already recorded eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss through four weeks, showing the ability to be disruptive in the pass game and the run game.

Denver has a variety of edge rushers to throw at Burke and Taylor, which includes Nik Bonito, Zach Allen, Jonah Elliss, Eyioma Uwazurike, and a few others.

While the Burke and Taylor may have a tough time at tackle, the interior could be in a tough position as well, as guards Kayode Awosika and Trevor Penning have not practiced on Wednesday or Thursday so far this week, and guard Branson Taylor has been limited, in addition to the fact that another option on the interior, guard Trey Pipkins III, is on IR.

Based on these injuries, there is some concern as to who will play at left guard on Sunday. Now, right guard Cole Strange and center Jake Slaughter are healthy and good to go, but they have each had their struggles, and as a result of the injuries, it is possible that Slaughter may have to move to left guard.

On the other side, when it comes to who the Broncos could deploy on the interior of the defensive line, that includes Zach Allen, as he has flexibility across the defensive front, in addition to D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Sai'vion Jones, as well as a few other solid options.

Ultimately, Denver has one of the deeper defensive lines, and a solid interior and depending on who ends up starting for the Chargers on Sunday will have their hands full in pass protection as well as in the run game.

Heading into Sunday, it will be interesting to see who can win the battle between the Chargers' offensive line and the Broncos' defensive line, because whoever does will likely be in a very good position to win this game, and if Los Angeles is on the losing end of this matchup, that will put them at risk of dropping to 0-5 and quite possibly another game filled with tough hits for Herbert and limited space to navigate in the ground game.