In a solid, but narrow win against the Falcons on the road, the Chargers’ snap count remained roughly the same. There were a few changes in playtime percentages on both sides of the ball, but that will change next week because of the injuries from this game.

Chargers’ Offense:

Pos. Name W6 Snaps "% of Total W6" W7 Snaps % of Total W7 Snaps WoW % Change G Orlando Franklin 66 100% 75 100% 0% G D.J. Fluker 66 100% 75 100% 0% QB Philip Rivers 66 100% 75 100% 0% T King Dunlap 66 100% 75 100% 0% C Matt Slauson 66 100% 75 100% 0% T Joe Barksdale 65 98% 75 100% 2% WR Dontrelle Inman 60 91% 66 88% -3% WR Tyrell Wiliams 48 73% 66 88% 15% RB Melvin Gordon 52 79% 65 87% 8% TE Hunter Henry 45 68% 47 63% -5% WR Travis Benjamin 25 38% 46 61% 23% TE Antonio Gates 31 47% 38 51% 4% TE Sean McGrath 37 56% 24 32% -24% WR Griff Whalen 9 5% 9 12% 7% RB Dexter McCluster 9 14% 7 9% -5% FB Derek Watt 16 24% 5 7% -17% RB Kenneth Farrow 2 3% 2 3% 0% T Chris Hairston 2 3% 0 0% -3% G Kenny Wiggins 1 2% 0 0% -2%

The Chargers’ offense, for the most part, was consistent with last week’s playing time percentage. This week we saw a heavy dosage of Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, and Melvin Gordon. These three offensive weapons topped the snap count chart and for good reason after the way MGIII and Williams played. Look for the development of the Philip Rivers, Williams connection.

A primary offensive weapon that will see decreased playing time is Hunter Henry. In the game, we saw Henry take a hit that seemed to shake him up a bit. I really wasn’t sure what derailed his play, but after the concussion report came out it all made sense. However severe it was at the time, it affected his play and he saw a decline in playing time. This is a big blow to the Chargers in a key game against the Broncos in Week 8. Antonio Gates and the rest of the TE core will have to step up and fill in for Henry to the best of their abilities.

The group I have admittedly left out of most of my snap counts is the offensive line. The guys up front have been atop of the snap count for the most part, when healthy, and have been reliable lately. Matt Slauson has been a key cog in the offense and a big contributor week in and week out.

Chargers’ Defense:

Pos. Name W6 Snaps "% of Total W6" W7 Snaps % of Total W7 Snaps WoW % Change FS Dwight Lowery 73 100% 65 100% 0% LB Jatavis Brown 73 100% 65 100% 0% CB Casey Hayward 73 100% 63 97% -3% LB Melvin Ingram 66 90% 63 97% 7% CB Steve Williams 71 97% 50 77% -20% DT Corey Liuget 43 59% 50 77% 18% DE Joey Bosa 54 74% 47 72% -2% FS Dexter McCoil 18 35% 42 65% 30% NT Brandon Mebane 22 30% 39 60% 30% DT Tenny Palepoi 43 59% 35 54% -5% LB Denzel Perryman 23 32% 34 52% 20% LB Kyle Emanuel 19 26% 32 26% 0% CB Craig Mager 73 100% 30 46% -54% SS Adrian Phillips 68 93% 27 42% -51% LB Korey Toomer 32 44% 26 40% -4% NT Damion Square 16 22% 17 26% 4% LB Tourek Williams 4 5% 7 11% 6% DT Caruan Reid 22 30% 2 3% -27% LB Chris Landrum 0 0% 2 3% 3% FS Darrell Stuckey 1 1% 1 2% 1% LB Joshua Perry 0 0% 1 2% 2% LB Jerry Attaochu 9 12% 0 0% -12% CB Trevor Williams 0 0% 0 0% 0%

Dwight Lowery remains the king of the hill in playing time; if anything he’s been reliably healthy throughout the season so far. The Chargers’ defense is trying to find an identity after the string of injuries and wave of additional players. The Chargers’ defensive front has been shaping up and showing some promise going forward. I don’t want to say that the addition of Joey Bosa changed the defense, but his presence has changed the atmosphere and identity of the defense. The defensive front has been disruptive and effective, allowing Denzel Perryman and crew to create turnovers.

The somewhat continuous flow of additional defensive backs has been constant throughout the season and has impacted the playtime percentage each week. Dexter McCoil saw a significant change in playing time compared to last week. Look for a steady amount of playing time by the Chargers’ defensive rookies and how Caraun Reid’s injury will affect the snap counts in Week 8.

Next week we will break down the Chargers’ playtime distribution against the Denver Broncos at Mile High.