Your Los Angeles Chargers seem to be heading on the right path as they ride into Week 10 on a two-game winning streak with an opportunity to go above .500 for only the second time this NFL season.
Last week, the Bolts' defense finally stepped up for a rare big game against the New York Jets. Although the offense isn't up to par, Los Angeles has performed well enough on that side of the ball. One aspect of the Chargers' offensive struggles has been their run game. The run offense is among the middle of the pack to the bottom half, as they rush for 3.9 yards per play (22nd), 101.1 rush yards per game (21st), and attempt 26 rushes per game (15th).
Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler has yet to excel on the ground game. Because of that, team insider Daniel Popper believes RB2 Joshua Kelley will lead the team in rushing as the second half of the season gets underway.
Kelly will lead the Chargers in rushing
Ekeler has 265 rushing yards on 72 carries on the season. Kelley has 74 carries. Ekeler is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Kelley is averaging 4.4.
The Chargers are struggling to run the ball this season. They need to give Kelley more touches in the ground attack. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has said he prefers a two-back committee in the running game. Ekeler has said he wants a No. 2 back to help shoulder the workload.
(Per Daniel Popper of The Athletic)
Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was brought here to make it better, not keep things the same. That hasn't been done so far, but we still have plenty of football in front of us for that to change.
With that being said, LA has nine more games as of November 9, and each game will be crucial for their playoff chances. Kelley had an opportunity to shine with Ekeler out for those three weeks as the star running back was recovering from a high ankle sprain.
However, since the bye week, Kelley has had 114 rushing yards on 16 carries in three games. His touches have been limited, but Ekeler has struggled to find his footing in Moore's rush offense.
Outside of Week 1, Ekeler has failed to rush for over 50 yards in the other four contests he's been available for. At the moment, Kelley is the team's rushing leader with 323 compared to Ekeler's 265. Popper could be on to something, and if Moore sticks with the committee backfield, he could stick the landing on this one.
We'll see as things start to wind down.
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