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USATSI

Typically we use this space on Fridays to highlight a player, coach, scheme, team or matchup from that week's "Sunday Night Football" game. This week's Sunday night game, though, is Raiders vs. Jets. So, needless to say, we're changing things up a bit this time around.

Instead, we're going to narrow our focus onto one specific aspect of what should be one of Week 10's most fun games: Chargers vs. Lions.

You see, the key to Detroit's offense is the way offensive coordinator Ben Johnson designs plays that open up throws over the middle of the field, where Jared Goff is at his best. This season, Goff is 127 of 160 (79.4%) for 1,336 yards (8.3 YPA) and ranks fifth in the NFL in Tru Media's version of EPA/play on throws over the middle. Slot man Amon-Ra St. Brown ranks fifth in the league with 36 receptions on those throws, while rookie tight end Sam LaPorta ranks 11th with his 29 such catches.

Meanwhile, there is no NFL team worse at defending the middle of the field than the Chargers, who check in dead last in FTN's DVOA against throws to the middle of the field. Opponents are 122 of 157 (77.7%) for 1,438 yards (9.2 YPA), seven touchdowns, two interceptions and the league's third-highest EPA/play when targeting that area of the field, per Tru Media.

On Sunday, we'll likely see St. Brown working against Ja'Sir Taylor, who is L.A.'s slot corner. Among 46 players who have played at least 50 coverage snaps in the slot, Taylor ranks 27th in yards allowed per coverage snap, having yielded a 23-287-0 receiving line on 36 targets. Just four players have more slot receptions than St. Brown, despite the fact that he missed a game due to injury earlier this year. Goff also has a 114.1 passer rating when targeting ARSB in the slot, which is obviously an elite mark.

Goff loves to hit St. Brown on intermediate, in-breaking routes, especially when he presses his man up the seam before snapping back to the inside, and especially on play-action.

Luckily for Detroit, the Chargers have also been dreadful defending against play-action passes. Opponents have the NFL's third-best EPA/play on those throws, having gone 43 of 64 for 653 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions when throwing after a run fake. It makes sense, given how poor the Chargers have been at defending the middle of the field, but the numbers are quite striking -- and a pretty big problem against the Goff-St. Brown connection.

With LaPorta, the Lions like to give him chances to use his unique size-strength-speed-agility combination to win in one-on-one matchups. They'll line him up in the slot or out wide, and if the opponent covers him with a linebacker, just count on LaPorta to win quickly in space, then create yards after the catch. 

Chargers linebacker Eric Kendricks is a good player, but he's 31 years old now and not as reliable in coverage as he once was. There was a time where Kendricks was among the best coverage linebackers in the NFL, but his drop-off over his final couple years in Minnesota led to his eventual release, and with the Chargers he has been more reliable against the run than the pass. He's been targeted 17 times over L.A.'s last three games, per Pro Football Focus, and has given up 15 catches for 128 yards. That's obviously less than ideal -- especially in this matchup.

The Chargers might decide to use Derwin James to man up with LaPorta, but that leaves an opening in the deep part of the field, and also leaves Kendricks and the other linebackers with more responsibility against St. Brown and the wideouts, as well as running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield. That's not exactly ideal, either.

L.A.'s best bet for winning this battle is just to relentlessly get pressure on Goff. The combination of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is in the best extended stretch the two have had together, and Tuli Tuipulotu has emerged as a quality complementary rusher as well. Detroit's offensive line is typically excellent, though, and is strongest at tackle with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. They and Goff have been a bit more vulnerable on the road than at home, but if there is anything we have learned about SoFi Stadium since it opened, it's that it can often turn into a home-like environment for visiting teams with rabid fanbases.

L.A. has won back-to-back games to jump back into the playoff race, putting together consecutive excellent defensive performances along the way. The Lions are not the Bears or Jets, though. They present a far tougher challenge, and do so in a way that aligns with the Chargers' weak point on defense. On Sunday, we'll see if Brandon Staley and Co. are up for it.