Keys to victory for Los Angeles

The Chargers enter the most crucial part of their season on Sunday, needing a win against the Cardinals to stay relevant in the AFC playoff picture.

Here are our keys to victory against Arizona.

Find a fourth-down balance

There’s been a lot of discourse, as always, about Brandon Staley’s fourth-down decision-making. But this time, the conversation has largely been about Staley choosing to kick the ball away instead of the hyper-aggressive go-for-it coach we saw last season. Part of that has been the change in execution across the team: Staley trusts his (marginally) improved defense more and his decimated offense less. The Chargers have struggled to move the chains in short-yardage situations, and their waning confidence in their ability to do so certainly plays a role in the decision-making. But this game profiles as a shootout: neither Arizona nor Los Angeles has a defense worth writing home about. In contests like that, every possession matters, and kicking the ball away when you can score more points seems imprudent. LA must find a balance between trusting their defense against a discordant Cardinals offense and trusting their superstar quarterback to make superstar plays.

Keep Austin Ekeler fresh

I thought Ekeler was at his best last week when he was being spelled, primarily by emerging rookie Isaiah Spiller. Spiller had an up-and-down day, finishing with four carries for 11 yards that all came on one run. But the rookie also flashed chops as a pass protector and receiver, hauling in 2 catches for 11 more yards. Against a poor Cardinals defense, I think it’s a premier opportunity to get Spiller more opportunities. It will also open up more room for Ekeler, who may not have to take on a supermajority of the snaps at running back for the first time in what feels like forever. 

Hit a second-half stride

LA has been outscored 29-7 in the second half in the last two games and now ranks 28th in the league in second-half points scored. The Chargers also declined from fifth in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play in the first half to 25th in EPA per play in the second half this season. Something about the execution in the third and fourth quarters has been lacking. Brandon Staley has pointed to execution, while Corey Linsley has chalked it up to “little details,” and Ekeler has called it an “urgency” issue. Whatever the case, the Chargers must find their stride, or at least something resembling more than a limp, in the second half if they…