Reporter Unpacks Coaching Failures Of Kellen Moore This Year

The Los Angeles Chargers' offense is filled with a ton of talent, even with all the injuries they've endured. The group is led by none other than their Pro Bowl quarterback, Justin Herbert. Herbert is among the top talents this league offers, and under the tutelage of a brilliant young offensive mind, Kellen Moore, he was primed to take his game and offense to the next level. 

Moore was brought to Los Angeles this past offseason after four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys to take the LA offense over the top. However, none of that has manifested through 11 games of the 2023 season. 

It isn't very pleasant to witness. Chargers insider Daniel Popper breaks down the OC's failures in Los Angeles thus far through the season, including their lack of run success since Week 1.

Since the opener, though, the Chargers’ run game has cratered. The Chargers are last in the league in rushing success over the last 11 weeks, according to TruMedia.

Over those 11 weeks, less than a quarter of the Chargers runs have been successful. No other team is below 29 percent in that span. When isolated to just first down, the Chargers have a rushing success rate of 16.2 percent since Week 2, which is last in the league. Even including that Week 1 game, the Chargers have an overall rushing success rate of 30.5 percent for the season. That’s well below the league average of 37.6 percent and stands as one of the five worst single-season rushing success rates in the NFL since 2018, ranking 188th out of 192.

^{(per Daniel Popper via The Athletic)}

Although the Bolts are the number 11 ranked total offense, their run offense is a different story. The Bolts rank in the bottom half, at 20, for their rush offense. The Chargers average 114 rush yards per game, and it is startling with a running back like Austin Ekeler and Moore, who excel in the run game. 

Moore spoke about where his run offense is sitting where they do and isn't pleased with it. 

“Obviously it’s not necessarily the numbers or the stats that you want, that you outlooked as you projected this thing out,” Moore said this week. “But we’re continuing to navigate that and trying to find ways to run the football more efficiently — because we need to.”

^{(per Kellen Moore via The Athletic)}

The run offense has been nonexistent since Week 1. The answer to 'why' is unknown, but the issue is evident, and we'll see if they can overcome this major roadblock. 

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