Chargers @ Titans Week 2 Game Preview

Los Angeles Chargers @ Tennessee Titans

Both of these teams played to their stereotypes in Week 1: The Chargers managed to lose a thrilling, high-scoring affair while the Titans grinded out an ugly cover.

The Chargers lost to the Dolphins at home, but there were plenty of positive takeaways for their offense.

They put up the second-most yards of the entire week (433) and scored the fourth-most points (34).

Justin Herbert was efficient, completing 69.7% of his passes for 228 yards and a touchdown, but the running game was the most exciting development.

The Chargers had virtually no ground game to speak of in 2022. They averaged 88.4 rushing yards per game in 2022, which was the third-lowest mark in the league. Their advanced metrics were a bit rosier, ranking 20th in Success Rate and 14th in Rushing EPA, but it didn’t translate into anything tangible on the field.

If Week 1 is any indication, the Chargers should be significantly better in that area this season.

No team was more successful running the football in Week 1 (via rbsdm.com):

It’s only a one-week sample size – and the Dolphins weren’t the strongest run defense last year – but the gap between the Chargers and the rest of the field was massive.

Austin Ekeler turned his 16 carries into 117 yards and a touchdown, while Josh Kelley added another 91 yards and a score. Overall, the team posted a 66.7% success rate on rushing plays, while no other team was above 50%.

If the Chargers can continue to find success on the ground, they should have a very dynamic offense in 2023.

Herbert has already established himself as a premier passer, and he has arguably the best supporting cast of pass-catchers in his entire career. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both back after missing large chunks due to injury in 2022, and the team used a first-round pick on receiver Quentin Johnston.

Unfortunately, as good as things were for the Chargers’ offense, it was completely negated by their defense.

They allowed a whopping 536 yards to the Dolphins, with 466 of those yards coming through the air. Tua Tagovailoa and company absolutely shredded their secondary, with Tyreek Hill torching them for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

The good news is that the Chargers’ defense gets a bit of a breather this week vs. the Titans.

Tennessee doesn’t boast nearly the same pass attack as the Dolphins. In fact, Ryan Tannehill turned in one of the least impressive performances of the entire week.

He completed just 16 of 34 passes for 198 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions. He finished 28th at the position in terms of Pro Football Focus grade, while he was 31st in QBR.

There was some hope that Tannehill would improve off his subpar 2022 campaign with an improved pass-catching corps. They added DeAndre Hopkins in free agency, giving him a legit No. 1 option at receiver, while Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo were potential breakout candidates in their second seasons. Maybe they can turn things around vs. the Chargers, but Week 1 certainly didn’t paint an optimistic picture.

The Saints’ defense was 13th in Matthew Freedman’s Unit Rankings, so they weren’t exactly expected to be a juggernaut.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to pass against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.

Despite Tannehill’s struggles, the team managed to secure a cover in Week 1. They kicked five field goals – including a somewhat questionable decision to kick a field goal down four with 2:17 left on the clock – resulting in a one-point loss.

With the cover, it continues Mike Vrabel's impressive record as an underdog. It moves him to 24-15-1 ATS as an underdog during the regular season, including 14-9-1 with Tannehill as QB.

The Titans will take the field as home underdogs in Week 2, and the game will take place at 1 p.m. ET. That makes this a bit of an uncomfortable time for the West Coast-based Chargers.

You’ll hear a lot about the fact that the Chargers have to travel from California to the Eastern Time Zone for this matchup.

For years, that was a brutal spot for those teams to handle. From 2003 to 2012, those teams were just 40-55-3 against the spread, so it was a legitimate spot that bettors could take advantage of.

However, the script flipped completely in 2013. I’m not sure if it’s because the public has become aware of this trend and the sportsbooks have adjusted or if NFL teams have gotten better about travel. Regardless, this trend no longer applies.

Since 2013, Pacific Time Zone teams are 62-44-3 ATS when playing in the Eastern Time Zone at 1 p.m. ET.

I’m not saying you should specifically pick the Chargers for that reason, but you probably shouldn’t hold it against them, either.