The Chargers are set to face off against the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
There are a few things that Los Angeles will need to do in order to a secure a victory in Week 2.
Offensively, L.A. has to keep the ball in the hands of quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert flourished in the season opener behind a newly revamped offensive line that only allowed six pressures to a talented Washington defensive front. He must carry that momentum against a Cowboys defense that gave up 379 passing yards and four touchdowns against the Buccaneers and will be without two starting defensive linemen. In particular, Herbert needs to look to exploit certain cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis, who were the primary culprits in Week 1.
Defensively, L.A. must put pressure on QB Dak Prescott early and often to prevent wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb from being factors, and most importantly, to win the turnover battle. Edge defender Joey Bosa should benefit from facing backup tackle Terrence Steele, who’s playing in place of La’el Collins. Running back Ezekiel Elliott had a quiet performance in Week 1, but Dallas could look to feed him the rock more against a Chargers defense that gave up 126 rushing yards. Reading run keys well and not losing gap integrity on a consistent basis is critical to determining their success.
In addition, the Bolts must eliminate mental mistakes, like dropped passes and penalties, that almost cost them their matchup against Washington.
