Brandon Staley’s defense is predicated on eliminating the deep passing game. However, that was far from the case in the Chargers’ loss to the Vikings last Sunday.
It did not take Kirk Cousins that long to diagnose the mismatch between Tevaughn Campbell and Justin Jefferson quickly.
With Campbell lined up against Jefferson for the majority of the afternoon, Cousins went to the wideout early and often. He finished with nine catches on 11 targets for 143 yards.
Campbell got the start in place of Michael Davis, who was out for the second straight week with a hamstring injury.
Not only that, but another reason for Jefferson’s field day was because Los Angeles was missing Nasir Adderley, who was out with an ankle issue.
In Adderley’s absence, Alohi Gilman and Trey Marshall split playing time. Marshall did an adequate job while Gilman had his struggles.
In the first half, the Chargers held their own, largely thanks to the pass rush between Joey Bosa and Uchenna Nwosu. The Vikings converted just one of their six third downs through the first two quarters.
That quickly fell apart as the Bolts returned to the field, as they allowed 4-of-6 conversions on third down in the second half.
One of the two stops was on 3rd-and-20 on the final drive, but the 18-yard completion to Adam Thielen put Dalvin Cook in a perfect position to close out the game.
Asante Samuel Jr. returned to the action after missing last weekend’s game due to a concussion. Samuel was solid, allowing just 60 yards on the day. Chris Harris Jr. also had himself a good game after struggling in weeks prior.
But Cousins’ success with Jefferson primarily and in crucial situations speaks to the Chargers’ lack of depth and overall experience in the starting role in the secondary.
