The Chargers are off to Atlanta to face off against the Falcons on Sunday afternoon. Coming off of a big Monday Night loss to the Ravens, the Chargers are looking for a bounce-back win before they face the Chiefs again in Week 14. The Falcons are 6-5, looking to build their lead on the NFC South over the Buccaneers. That said, the Bolts are trying their hardest to clinch a Wild Card spot in the coming weeks.
These two teams were the two franchises reportedly all-in on former Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. Both the Chargers and Falcons met with the National Champion, with the Chargers follow-up meeting being before the Falcons, ultimately resulting in Harbaugh signing with LA on that day. The Falcons then hired former Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, who is also doing a great job with his team. With that in mind, some people in both parties could consider Sunday’s matchup a revenge game for different reasons.
The Falcons have the advantage when it comes to injuries heading into Sunday. The Chargers are missing standouts Alohi Gilman, JK Dobbins, Cam Hart, and Denzel Perryman. Breakout LB Daiyan Henley’s status is up in the air, making it a potentially very rough game for the Interior LB group. Chargers fans could end up seeing a guy like Khalil Mack get extended reps at the inside, something that has been a last resort. Other guys who will likely get snaps at MLB are Troy Dye and Shaq Quarterman. The Falcons will be without CB Mike Hughes and RB Chase McClellan, with star K Younghoe Koo listed as questionable. There is a gap between the quantity of talent the Chargers are missing compared to Atlanta.
In the last few weeks, the Chargers offense has gone up against some of the worst secondaries in football. The Falcons, meanwhile, have one of the most star-studded secondaries in the league. FS Jessie Bates will cause the most problems as the league’s premier safety. He shares his position group with FA acquisition Justin Simmons, as they create what is likely the best Safety duo in football. CB AJ Terrell Jr. is the big name at corner, with other guys like Clark Philips III and Antonio Hamilton Sr. filling out the depth in the backfield. These guys are going to cause trouble all day for the Chargers’ pass-catchers. Justin Herbert is coming off his least efficient game of the year, and he’s going against a tougher defense than he faced in Week 12.
The biggest question for the Chargers offense is what the run game would be like without JK Dobbins. Dobbins has been electric all year, and with an MCL sprain, the offense is going to look a lot different. Gus Edwards and Hassan Haskins will lead the backfield, with rookie Kimani Vidal likely taking some of Haskins’ snaps over time. Gus Edwards was great in Baltimore last year but hasn’t been as explosive this season. If Edwards can show any flashes of his play in 2023, the run game shouldn’t take much of a drop. If he doesn’t, the Chargers offense will see a dip in all aspects.
The Chargers’ Defense is also facing a big test. Already banged up, they face off against an offense filled with playmakers. Kirk Cousins quarterbacks the offense, with Drake London and Darnell Mooney being his top targets at wideout. Young stars Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts are also great options for Cousins, with Robinson having the breakout year everyone was expecting. Since the Chargers are missing so much talent on defense, this Atlanta offense is going to be a problem. It’s still manageable, but it will be Jesse Minter’s toughest challenge yet as his patchwork defense is going up against a high-powered offense.
This could be a trap game for the Chargers. The Falcons’ last game was a blowout loss to the Broncos. The Chargers are likely looking ahead to two huge games against division rivals Chiefs and Broncos. With Jim Harbaugh at the helm, looking past an opponent isn’t something the Chargers would easily do, so Harbaugh should have his team prepared. However, Raheem Morris has shown himself to be a good coach who could lead his team to a bounce-back win. With that in mind, Sunday is bound to be a competitive matchup between two hard-nosed, physical teams.