The Chargers traveled to face the Browns on Sunday, and it was a thrilling battle that came down to the wire.
Nevertheless, Los Angeles was gifted the victory as rookie kicker Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal.
Here are six numbers that tell the story of the Bolts’ win over Cleveland.
238
The talk of the Chargers for the first four weeks was their inefficiency in running the football. The storyline started to get old, so they changed the narrative by running wild against the Browns’ defense. Los Angeles finished with 238 yards on 34 carries. Austin Ekeler earned the spotlight with his career-high 173-yard performance with a whopping 10.9 yards per carry. But Kelley finally showed why he should’ve been Ekeler’s running mate from the get-go, rushing for 49 yards on ten carries (4.9 YPC).
213
The Chargers ran the ball well, but they played the run poorly. Led by Nick Chubb, the Browns rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns (6.9 yards per carry). Cleveland’s offensive line bullied Los Angeles’ defensive line. The lack of firm edges allowed Chubb to win outside the tackles. The Browns did a nice job of getting blocks at the second level. Missed tackles were still an occurrence, especially on Chubb’s rushing touchdown to open up the game. Los Angeles has allowed 494 rushing yards over their last three games. Not ideal.
112.3
Whether he is still recovering from his minor ankle procedure or has yet to get caught up to game speed or the nuances of the defensive scheme, Jackson’s play has not matched the big money he was given this offseason. Jackson was targeted nine times on Sunday, per Pro Football Focus. He gave up five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown to Amari Brissett. Jacoby Brissett had a 112.3 passer rating when targeting Jackson.
0
The question loomed of how rookie left tackle Jamaree Salyer would hold up against the dynamic edge defender duo of Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Salyer allowed six pressures on the day and one hit. As a whole, the offensive line gave up 11 pressures. But most importantly, they gave up zero sacks. While under duress, Herbert resorted to quick throws and did what he does best by being a magician in the pocket to feel and navigate around pressure.
3
The Chargers defense was far from dominant on Sunday. However, they struggled to make stops when it came down to defending the Browns from within its 20. Of the four trips to the red zone, Cleveland scored three times. The first was Cooper’s 11-yard reception with Jackson covering him. The next was three drives later on a Chubb two-yard rush. The third and final was a two-yard rush by Kareem Hunt. The Bolts have allowed 11 red zone touchdowns through five games, tied for the fourth most.
134
After a big performance against the Texans, Williams followed that up with another against the Browns. Williams got open at all levels of the field and did what he does best by using his big frame to reel in passes in contested situations. He finished with ten catches on 13 targets for 134 yards. Williams did the most work against Cleveland’s top cornerback Denzel Ward – posting three receptions on four targets for 75 yards with him in coverage.
