Plenty of questions came in about the offensive line this week, which was expected given the disappointing performance from that group as a whole in Week 4.
And it’s not as if the Chargers are hiding from the fact they need to be better.
Here is what center Bradley Bozeman said postgame.
“We had some struggles at offensive line,” Bozeman said. “That was a really good front. I’m not going to make excuses, we’ve got to be better obviously.
“Sometimes the ball doesn’t quite turn your way,” Bozeman added. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board, keep working, keep building and go from there.”
And Harbaugh also pointed out in his postgame press conference that the Chargers need to protect Justin Herbert better.
“He is taking too many [hits],” Harbaugh said of Herbert. “Yeah, it’s very concerning. We’ll go back and look, we got to get better. We got to put him in a better position. Don’t think he’s been in a good position.”
You can bet that the offensive line pored over the film from Sunday against a very good New York pass rush.
Getting Mekhi Becton back would obviously help, but the right guard is still in concussion protocol. Joe Alt could also end up missing time depending on how severe his ankle injury is.
If Becton returns Sunday but Alt is out, the Chargers could play either Austin Deculus or Jamaree Salyer at left tackle. Remember that Salyer filled in admirably at that spot in 2022 when Rashawn Slater suffered a biceps injury.
As far Bozeman and James, I don’t think we’d see a change there unless it’s health related. Bozeman is a captain and well respected in the locker room and on the field.
But no matter who is in there, the line needs to play better. I suspect we see a highly motivated and fired up group at home on Sunday.