Go beyond the scoreboard
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Breaking down how the Chargers (6-6) and the Miami Dolphins (8-4) match up heading into their game at 5:20 p.m. PST on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The game will be shown on NBC (Ch. 4) and streamed on Peacock and NFL+.
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When Chargers have the ball
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen makes a touchdown grab against Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson last weekend.
(Matt York / Associated Press)
Once again, the Chargers will try to begin and end a game with both of their top wide receivers — Keenan Allen and Mike Williams — something that hasn’t happened all season.
Allen was injured in the second quarter of the season opener. He came back in Week 7 but was unable to play in the second half. Allen and Williams were available in Week 11 until Williams was injured on the Chargers’ second offensive series. Williams remained on the injury report until Friday, when his removal meant he and Allen were in line to start against Miami.
For Justin Herbert to get the ball to either of his favorite wideouts, the Chargers will need improved protection. Herbert has been sacked 14 times over the last three weeks, and the Dolphins do like to blitz. Miami has had multiple sacks in four consecutive games.
The Chargers have had a difficult time protecting Justin Herbert recently because of an injury-depleted line. The solution: Do everything faster on offense.
The return of center Corey Linsley should help, the 2021 Pro Bowl pick clearing concussion protocol Friday after missing slightly more than a game and a half. Playing behind a line riddled by injury, the Chargers’ offense has been unable to produce any consistency in 2022, particularly when it comes to running the ball.
If they fall behind early in this matchup, Herbert, Allen and Williams likely will be the Chargers’ only chance.
3
When Dolphins have the ball
The Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle, here catching a touchdown pass Oct. 30 at Detroit, forms a top-notch receiving duo with Tyreek Hill.
(Lon Horwedel / Associated Press)
The Chargers were unable to contain Davante Adams a week ago, the Las Vegas wide receiver catching eight passes for 177 yards and two game-turning touchdowns.
Now they’ll face an offense that features two of the NFL’s top-five receivers in yardage — Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Hill leads the league with 96 catches and 1,376 yards and has torched the Chargers in the past as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Waddle should go over 1,000 yards for the season Sunday.
Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko remembers Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as a budding star in Hawaii who was always challenging himself.
Even more concerning for the Chargers is that they probably won’t have safety Derwin James Jr. (quadriceps) or slot corner Bryce Callahan (core muscle). Both are doubtful. That leaves plenty of potential matchups that will be challenging, to put it mildly.
The Chargers have struggled stopping the run too, a reality made more stark by the expected absence of tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (knee). But Miami hasn’t shown much of a rushing attack and probably won’t have to in this game. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could find himself in more of a point guard role, picking out the most effective places to distribute the ball.
4
When they kick
Rookie Cameron Dicker had his first miss against the Raiders, his 52-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter going wide right. In five games with the Chargers, he has made all 20 — 10 field goals, 10 extra points — of his other attempts.
Since joining Miami in 2018, Jason Sanders has made 83% of his field-goal tries, the top mark in franchise history. He has hit 17 of 21 field goals and 32 of 35 extra points this season.
Jeff Miller’s prediction: This feels like a troubling matchup for the Chargers, especially with the Dolphins trying to rebound from a shaky performance in a loss at San Francisco. And the Chargers already have two multiple-touchdown losses at home.
DOLPHINS 35, CHARGERS 17
