Chargers running back Gus Edwards led the team with 36 rushing yards and scored a touchdown Sunday against the Chiefs.
(Peter Aiken / Associated Press)
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said last week that a more potent rushing attack was going to be necessary to win against the Chiefs. The Chargers rushed for 94 yards; it was their third consecutive game with fewer than 100 yards on the ground.
Chargers running backs averaged 2.6 yards per rush in the first half, getting only five carries. It didn’t feel like a coincidence that the Chargers were shut out in the first half.
Gus Edwards was dropped for a two-yard loss on his first rush, and Kimani Vidal had a seven-yard gain negated by penalty on his first touch. The negative plays forced the Chargers to veer from the running game early.
But the running backs started the second half on the right foot with Edwards picking up three yards on his first carry of the third quarter. Vidal rushed for eight yards on consecutive plays, leading to the Chargers’ first touchdown drive of the game.
“We started kind of getting to who we are,” Bozeman said of the offensive improvement in the third quarter. “It started paying off for us in the second half. We just got to start faster in the first half and give G-Ro the confidence for us to be able to run the ball.”
Edwards finished with 36 yards rushing on 10 carries and one touchdown. Vidal got his biggest workload of the season Sunday with eight carries and 34 yards rushing.
The Chargers will be without running back J.K. Dobbins (knee) for at least two more games while he is on injured reserve.