The Chargers kick off their 2019 regular season with a home matchup against the Colts.
Even though Indianapolis will be without quarterback Andrew Luck, they are not to be taken lightly.
Los Angeles will need to make sure they’re on their A-game and need to execute these three things in order to come out on top.
Bring the heat
Even without Luck, Jacoby Brissett is a proven quarterback. Brissett wasn’t just thrown in the fire without any starting experience. He has plenty of experience, but he’s coming off a season that he ended up with only four snaps in a starting role.
Brissett will feel comfortable going into the game knowing that he has one of the league’s best offensive lines blocking for him, but the Chargers can’t afford for him to feel that way. This means that Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and company will have to heavily keep the pressure on him.
If Brissett is under duress, he will have no time to throw to his top receiver, T.Y. Hilton. Along with that, if they keep him contained to the pocket, he will have no room to scramble, which is something that he is capable of doing.
Slow down Marlon Mack
If the Chargers are able to erase Brissett, then that’s a plus but they will then have to turn their attention to Mack and the Colts’ run game. Mack had a solid 2018 campaign, and it helped when he was running behind the fourth-best offensive line in the league.
The Bolts finished as the 28th unit against the run last season, per Pro Football Focus. Los Angeles has an improved front defense, but they were exposed at times this preseason, even when the majority of the starters were playing.
The defensive front will have to control the line of scrimmage and the rest of the line of defense will have to make sure they are tackling in order to keep the Colts from getting into scoring range.
Protect the gold
The Chargers are entering Week 1 with one of the weakest offensive lines in the NFL. Russell Okung, who’s one of the best tackles in the league, will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season. Trent Scott, who has yet to prove himself in a starting role, will get the start in place of Okung.
Outside of center Mike Pouncey, there are still concerns in regards to the other members up front. Forrest Lamp could be rotated in, but it appears guards Dan Feeney and Michael Schofield will get the majority of the snaps. Sam Tevi finished 2018 as one of the worst tackles.
The Colts pass rush, led by Justin Houston, has to be salivating knowing that this is the team’s biggest weakness. If quarterback Philip Rivers is given zero time to throw, it’ll be a long day for Los Angeles.
