The Los Angeles Chargers return to primetime for a Monday Night Football showdown with the division-rival Denver Broncos
Star wide receiver Keenan Allen is listed as doubtful and is expected to be out for the game. Allen is still nursing a hamstring injury, which he aggravated in the Week 1 win against the Raiders. He told NFL Network on Saturday that his hamstring is still suffering from fatigue at practice and the veteran will likely miss his fifth straight game.
Allen’s injury paves the way for another spotlight performance for Mike Williams as the team’s top receiver. Williams, who signed a three-year contract worth $60 million in the offseason, has emerged as quarterback Justin Herbert’s go-to target. Over the last two weeks, Williams has amassed 17 catches and 254 receiving yards for a ridiculous 34.5 percent target share average.
Just how well has Williams filled in? In three of the four games Allen has been out, Williams has gone over the 100-yard marker. With a third of the season about to be complete, Williams is on pace to surpass his career-high totals – his 28 catches and 392 receiving yards both rank 11th among wide receivers.
Williams has been able to use his big frame, jump ball prowess, and catch-point concentration to consistently pose a threat to create big plays downfield. Herbert likes to throw his way, even when in tight coverage. Williams has converted 50 percent of his contested catch opportunities and produced a 53.3 percent win rate in the same category last season.
However, Williams will be tested in Week 6 against Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Surtain, a first-round in 2021 and the second cornerback taken off the board, performed well in shadow coverage against Williams in his rookie season. The two will probably be pitted against each other again on Monday.
The former Alabama standout held Williams to four grabs and 39 yards on eight targets in the pair’s first head-to-head appearance. Williams had more success five weeks later, hauling three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Williams burned a different cornerback – Kyle Fuller – on his score, which gave Herbert the Bolts’ single-season passing touchdown record.
Surtain finished his first year strong but has been nothing short of dominant to start the 2022 season. Surtain has earned an 88.1 coverage grade from PFF, the top-ranked cornerback with a minimum of 100 coverage snaps. He posted a 91.1 coverage grade in the Broncos’ Week 5 loss against the Indianapolis Colts, which also took place in primetime.
Surtain has been targeted 31 times and allowed 19 receptions, but he has not given up a touchdown. Quarterbacks have been less inclined to throw Surtain’s way after he collected four interceptions and 14 pass breakups last year. Surtain has yet to record pick, but he has defended four passes from receivers this season.
Tipico Sportsbook currently has Williams at an over/under of 68.5 receiving yards, which is significantly below his 78.4 average this season. The matchup against Surtain is a big reason, who will be hard-set to limit one of the NFL’s most productive receivers over the last couple of weeks.
Herbert and Williams will need good chemistry to overcome their most difficult passing test to date and extend the Chargers’ win streak to three consecutive games.
