Gus Edwards is back and could take Chargers to a new level

In his return from the IR, Edwards led Los Angeles in rushing for his best game of the season

Javon Edmonds | Nov 12, 2024

Nov 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Gus Edwards (4) carries the ball for a first down before he is stopped by Tennessee Titans cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (29) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Chargers

Running back Gus Edwards made his highly anticipated return to the Los Angeles Chargers during Sunday's 27-17 win against the Tennesee Titans after spending more than a month on the injured reserve with an ankle injury. In his return to action, he proved to be the guy offensive coordinator Greg Roman knew back in Baltimore.

During their time with the Ravens, Edwards and J.K. Dobbins were a committee backfield with Dobbins providing speed and elusiveness in zone runs and Edwards bringing downhill power straight up the gut.

Things hadn't gone as planned for Edwards with the Chargers prior to his IR stint, averaging just 2.97 yards per carry and no touchdowns in four games.

Sunday, however, "Gus the Bus" returned to the tune of 55 yards on 10 carries. Edwards's physical running style made life easy on an interior offensive line that has proven to be the weak link of the Chargers' offense.

While Dobbins never got going, being limited to 3.3 yards per carry, Edwards was able to dominate a Titans front that includes two-time All-Pro Jeffery Simmons. The Chargers finished with 145 rushing yards against a team that entered the week allowing just 113.4 per game, which was 11th-best in the NFL by just four-tenths of a yard.

If Edwards can continue to build on his performance from Sunday, the Chargers should be able to recapture the Roman-Dobbins-Edwards magic that made Baltimore one of the best rushing teams of all time. However, Justin Herbert's natural passing ability may give Los Angeles the advantage its backfield never had when teaming with rookie contract Lamar Jackson.

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