EL SEGUNDO — No rest for the winless.
The Chargers dropped to 0-3 after their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and now it gets tougher and perhaps more complicated, with the Seattle Seahawks up next as a difficult stretch of standout opponents continues. The Seahawks are, after all, the defending Super Bowl champions.
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“Tremendous team,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday.
So far, the Chargers have not played anything close to tremendous football.
Harbaugh suggested there was some growth in certain facets of the game, including an emerging ground game that averaged a season-best 4.7 yards per carry in the 24-16 loss to the Bills, with Omarion Hampton rushing for 56 yards on 15 attempts and Keaton Mitchell gaining 52 yards on eight carries.
It was an improvement over Week 2, when the Chargers gained an average of 4 yards per attempt during their 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, which was an improvement on their average of 3.9 yards per carry during their 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the season opener.
For what it’s worth, the Chargers ran the ball 28 times against the Bills, and quarterback Justin Herbert attempted 34 passes. They had 32 running plays against the Raiders, and 27 passes. They ran the ball 21 times against the Cardinals and passed it 27 times.
Overall, Hampton has a team-leading 193 yards plus two touchdowns on 50 carries, an average of 3.8 yards per attempt. What’s been missing has been a big gain or two or three from him. Mitchell, who has been the speedy outside counterpoint to Hampton’s inside running, has 85 yards on 17 carries, averaging 5 yards per rush.
“Building, building,” Harbaugh said, repeating himself for emphasis when asked about the state of the ground game through three games. “It’s another thing we’re growing. You’re striving to perfect your craft, whether it’s run game or pass game. I thought we had growth (Sunday), yeah.”
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The next challenge is punishing a team on the ground with a defense as sound as the Seahawks, a team that ranks at or near the top in almost every defensive category in the NFL. They are giving up only 87 net rushing yards per game (sixth in the league) and 3.83 yards per play (first)
Seattle (2-1) has given up an average of 16.7 points per game, tied for third.
The Chargers are averaging 14.7 points, 29th-best in the 32-team league.
“Really well-coached defensively,” Harbaugh said. “The way they run to the ball is what stands out the most. The way they tackle. Just good in so many areas. They play really well together. … Everything’s connected with the coverages, the linebackers. You can see how connected the front is to the back. They play with a tremendous edge.”
STAT OF THE WEEK
Since the 2013 season, teams that had five turnovers in a game and a minus-four turnover margin, as the Bills did against the Chargers on Sunday, are 3-81-1. The three winners are the Bills over the Chargers on Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Chargers in the January 2023 AFC wild-card game and the Denver Broncos over the Chargers in the 2015 season.
Statistical research courtesy Evan Abrams.
INJURY UPDATES
Left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula), defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe (eye), cornerback Donte Jackson (concussion), tight end Charlie Kolar (forearm), outside linebacker Khalil Mack (rest), defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson (hamstring) and wide receiver Brenen Thompson (quadriceps) didn’t practice.
Safety Elijah Molden (hamstring) joined his teammates for practice for the first time since he was injured in the Chargers’ season-opening loss. Linebacker Denzel Perryman (undisclosed) worked out in the weight room. He began the season on injured reserve and could be activated after Sunday’s game.
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