Chargers face Browns looking to solidify playoff contender status
The Chargers have raised more questions than they’ve answered going into the halfway mark of the 2024 season. The more we seem to know about them going into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, the less we seem to know about them going into Week 9.
Of course, the Chargers this season do seem like a different team with Jim Harbaugh as their coach and Joe Hortiz as their general manager. But how different are they from the teams coached by Brandon Staley and managed by Tom Telesco together for the past two-plus seasons?
The results this season seem just about as mixed as 2023 and ‘22 and ‘21.
After all, the Chargers are 4-3 going into Sunday, third in the AFC West.
To be sure, there have been changes great and small within the Chargers organization, including a 2024 draft that has paid off handsomely with the additions of players such as right tackle Joe Alt, wide receiver Ladd McConkey and several others playing key roles. But how many holes in the roster still need plugging?
The Chargers could use more experience and skill at a number of positions.
The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday. Will they make a move or two or three?
Obviously, quarterback Justin Herbert is rounding into form after he was hampered for several weeks earlier this season by a sprained right ankle and after he was sidelined for most of training camp because of a plantar fascia injury that required he wear a protective boot on his right foot.
Herbert has battled injuries the past two seasons, too.
It’s been difficult to gauge his true potential until recently because of his injuries.
“As he’s getting healthier and healthier, you can see what a difference it makes,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of Herbert the other day. “Pocket mobility. Ability to make the defense pay when they rush. Point-producing type plays throughout the course of a game.
“I think every week he’s getting more and more comfortable and taking ownership of what we’re doing. I can see it happening. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we’re only scratching the surface, we’ve only just begun, and I believe that. We’ve got a big challenge this week in Cleveland.”
Clearly, the Chargers’ defense has carried the team in the first half of the season, giving up only 13 points per game, making it the NFL’s stingiest team through eight weeks. But how long can they keep it up, especially with debilitating injuries to starting cornerbacks Asante Samuel Jr. and Kristian Fulton?
Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston figures to be a handful Sunday.
Plus, running back Nick Chubb is rebounding from a bad knee injury.
“Expectations are expectations,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s so much greater than what we’ve done so far. That’s the only good thing about it. We’ve got a lot more room to grow. I feel like there was a need for more, a hunger for more (during their victory last week over the New Orleans Saints).”
What happens next is what matters most.
The Browns have a 2-6 record after an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) in Week 8. They are a team that appeared to be in freefall before Winston led the Browns to a victory, and he is certainly capable of causing the Chargers’ defense plenty of trouble.
Next on the schedule: The Chargers play host to the Tennessee Titans (1-6), the Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) and the Ravens in a three-game homestand that could either cement their status as playoff contenders or continue their early-season pattern of wins followed by losses followed by wins followed by losses.
“It’s always about getting better each week, taking a look at what you’re putting on film and making sure you’re learning from your mistakes, making your corrections,” Herbert said. “I think we’ve done that. There’s things we’ve cleaned up each week. But there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
CHARGERS (4-3) at BROWNS (2-6)
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland
TV/Radio: Ch.2/98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)