Chargers-Browns Game Preview: Ford, Mack must keep Nick Chubb inefficient - Bolts From The Blue

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The Chargers need to ride their elite defense over and through an abysmal Titans offense led by second-year quarterback Will Levis.

The Chargers are back at home this week after playing on the road in three of the past four weeks. They are hosting the 2-7 Titans who are coming off a narrow overtime victory over the Patriots.

Here are the three biggest storylines that I’ll be following when these two teams kickoff on Sunday.

Over the past three games, Justin Herbert is averaging 303.3 passing yards per game with four total touchdowns to zero turnovers of any kind. He’s playing out of his mind and his receiver group is stepping up to meet the challenge.

Quentin Johnston returned from a two-game absence in Week Nine to post his best professional stat line with four catches for 118 yards and a score against the Browns. It was his first 100-yard game of his young career and it just so happened to follow Ladd McConkey’s first 100-yard outing the previous week against the Saints.

Even without a 100-yard game this year, Joshua Palmer has also made an impact with his 306 yards and a single score but honestly, if you’ve looked at the film, the quality of Palmer’s catches have been so much higher than what you could glean from the box score. When the Chargers have needed a big catch on third down to help keep pivotal drives alive, Palmer has been the guy. Whether it’s a perfect back-shoulder catch or a toe-tap on the sideline, Palmer has made it happen.

So this week, the Chargers face what is currently the top pass defense in the NFL. Entering Week 10, the Titans are allowing 155.8 yards through the air. That sounds like a tall task, right? Well, it’s a bit of an illusion. The Titans have been abysmal offensively while also being one of the worst units at covering kicks. So while the defensive stats look really good, they’re a bit skewed due to opposing offensive not having to deal with long fields.

I think the Chargers have an excellent chance of lighting the Titans up this week. Their top three cornerbacks in Roger McCreary, Jason Brownleee, and L’Jarius Sneed are ranking 68th, 75th, and 108th among 108 qualifying cornerbacks this year by Pro Football Focus.

Yes, that last ranking is correct. Former Chiefs defender Sneed, who balled out for them, is now the worst cornerback in the NFL based off their grades. Absolutely wild, but good for the Chargers!

At the midway point of the season, first-year Chargers wideout D.J. Chark has yet to take the field. Prior to the team’s game against the Cardinals, the Bolts initiated Chark’s 21-day activation window. However, it wasn’t until last week that they finally activated him off of injured reserve.

Fans were excited to see what he could do for the offense against the Browns, especially after the social media team teased his return by sharing a photograph of his pads, all suited and booted with his uniform pulled over them.

However, Chark would be named as one of the team’s inactive players this Sunday, further delaying his return to the field.

So after nearly three weeks of waiting, I have to ask: Is D.J. Chark...real? Is he in the room with us right now? Of course I jest here, it’s just been weird to see how they’ve handled his return, but I guess sometimes things just don’t go as planned. This week, however, seems to finally be the time. If that does end up being the case, my next question is how will he fit into the offensive game plan, especially after the team’s top trio (Johnston, McConkey, Palmer) all played so well against Cleveland?

Be it his first game back this year, I don’t expect much of a workload when it’s all said and done. He’ll likely get his vertical routes in to see how much he can affect the defense, but I’ll be surprised if he ends up getting anywhere near a starter’s workload.

Second-year quarterback Will Levis has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury. Based on recent reports coming out of practice this week, it looks like he’ll be returning just in time to face the Chargers.

In the five games he started earlier this season, Levis threw for a combined 699 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions. He was NOT having a good year before the injury and the Chargers defense will want to make sure that trend continues this week to ensure there’s not slip-up at home.

The Bolts picked off Browns quarterback Jameis Winston three times this past Sunday and have nine interceptions on the season. Former Titan Elijah Molden coincidentally leads the team with three of his own.

Levis is sure to be rusty coming off three weeks without game snaps. Even with a full offseason as the starter, he still couldn’t keep from throwing more picks than touchdowns. If I were Minter, I’d be dialing up all of my favorite pressures this week to make sure Levis fails to find a groove early on. History tells us that Levis WILL make a mistake at some point, maybe even more than one, and the Bolts will have to make sure to maximize the pain after the fact to keep this from being closer than it needs to be.