Chargers News: LA's Run Game Struggles in Absence of Austin Ekeler

The Chargers weren't prepared for the Titans run defense...

Entering their Week 2 matchup against the Tennesee Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers were desperate for a win. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t able to come away with a victory, and they now fall to 0-2 in the early season.

It was a tough game for the Bolts and one they could have won. They are left with a familiar feeling from a week ago when they dropped their season-opening game to the Miami Dolphins as well. 

With star running back Austin Ekeler on the shelf dealing with an injury this week, the Chargers running game was almost nonexistent. They couldn’t get any rhythm together, and it forced them to be one-dimensional throughout the game. Young running back Joshua Kelley got most of the carries, but he couldn’t do much with them.

“With Austin Ekeler out with an ankle injury, the Bolts managed just 61 yards on 21 attempts. Kelley had 39 yards on 13 carries while Derius Davis added a 10-yard run.”

Per Chargers.com

The Chargers couldn’t match up with the physicality of the Titans defensive front, and it hurt them. The running game showed a ton of promise in week one, but against the best team at defending the run in Tennessee, the Bolts folded. 

Head coach Brandon Staley gave his thoughts on the running game and how the Titans were able to defend them.

"They've got a very good front. Good front seven … we weren't able to get anything going today," Staley said.

Per Chargers.com

The Titans came in with a plan and executed it to near perfection. They wanted to make the Bolts throw the ball often so that they couldn’t establish any sort of consistency on offense.

"This is how the NFL works," Kelley said. "If you're not locked in, dialed in the whole game, it's the difference between 0-2 and 2-0."

Per Chargers.com

The Bolts will now try to regroup and get ready for next week. They will head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in a battle of two 0-2 squads.