The San Diego Chargers are rolling along in the AFC, despite the fact that they sport the worst running game in the NFL. At 3-1, though, the team knows it’s a long season, and if they want to remain competitive, they’ll need a running game to balance the offense and give Philip Rivers a break every once in a while. Once starter Ryan Mathews returns, that objective should become a whole lot easier.
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“The reality is we’re a good team without Ryan, but we’re a better team with him,” tight end Antonio Gates said of Mathews per ESPN. “I think that says it all. Everyone knows what he brings to the table, the explosiveness. We’re still a good team. We’ve still got good backs, and we can do what we need to do. But obviously he was the cornerstone of what we tried to do in the running game.”
With Philip Rivers playing at an MVP-caliber level, the team should be fine for a while, but the team has averaged just 2.4 yards/rush in the first four weeks of the season. That won’t cut it in the long haul.
Even Mathews acknowledged he’s raring to get back on the field, telling reporters, “I’m taking it one day at a time, doing my best to get my full workouts in and do the best that I can to get my knee right.”
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