A Disappointing Finish for the Chargers' O-Line

A point of emphasis for the Chargers over the last two offseasons has been solidifying their offensive line around Justin Herbert. So it had to be disappointing for them to get outplayed in the trenches during the pivotal moments of their Thursday Night loss to the Chiefs, the very team they are trying to overcome in their division.

Yes, the Chargers lost their starting center and right tackle in the middle of the game. And that likely had some impact when it came to assignments and protection decisions at the line. But it wasn’t their replacements that couldn’t hold off Kansas City’s pass rush. Instead it was their starting guards, Matt Feiler and rookie 1st-rounder Zion Johnson, who struggled in key moments down the stretch.

Take this 3rd-and-10 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter and the Chargers clinging to a 3-point lead. This was L.A.’s first series of the game with back-ups at both center (Will Clapp) and right tackle (Storm Norton). The Chargers focused their help on Norton, doing a half-slide to his side, and even adding chips from the tight end and running back on Norton’s man:

The problem was that created 1-on-1’s to the backside, leaving Feiler alone to try and handle Chris Jones:

Advantage Jones, who used a double-swipe move to easily get past Feiler:

Two drives later on a 3rd-and-2, Feiler again struggled to stave off Jones. This time, it was in the running game. Feiler was driven into the backfield at the snap, which blew up the play and resulted in a 2-yard loss:

On third down of their next drive, with the Chargers trailing by one score, disaster struck. First, notice the personnel package used by the Chiefs. They went with 3 defensive ends and Jones to get more speed in their pass rush:

The left side of the line slid to Jones’ side:

That resulted in 1-on-1’s to the right, with rookie right guard Zion Johnson responsible for defensive end Mike Danna:

Johnson, who should end up being a great player in this league, struggled with Danna’s quickness on this play. Having a defensive end aligned over him might have made Johnson anxious to get his hands on him first so he could use his power to neutralize Danna’s speed. In that effort, however, he ended up reaching, lost his base and balance in the process, and that led to a big hit on Herbert:

The Chargers actually converted there (They would finish just 2-for-11 when passing on 3rd down). Unfortunately, the hit knocked Herbert out for a play and ended up altering his effectiveness on that drive. The next time they got the ball back, the Chargers trailed by two possessions with just 3:20 remaining.

L.A.’s offense was not shut down by any means in this game. They racked up 401 yards and did score 24 points. Yes, the pick-6 obviously hurt, but the Chargers had multiple other opportunities to do something late in the game and failed because they lost the battle up front. They have to be able to more consistently win 1-on-1’s in the trenches like the ones shown above if they hope to overtake the Chiefs in the AFC West.