Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll be running one of these every week during the regular season, so send in submissions for the Mailbag here on Twitter or by sending me an email.
Off we go...
How are the vibes going into the Chiefs game? I'm a little worried. (Kevin via email)
A quick story:
This is my ninth season covering the NFL. The other day I was talking to someone who is relatively new to the league and is in their first season with the Chargers.
After Sunday's loss in Pittsburgh, the Bolts first of the season, I could tell this person was feeling a bit down.
We were chatting and I made the analogy that winning a game makes you feel like anything in possible while a loss makes you think the sky is falling.
The answer is usually somewhere in between. Over the years, I've tried to adapt an approach where one game doesn't define the season and that there is still months left to go.
In terms of the Chargers, the injury bug that bit them Sunday certainly adds another layer to this.
But I believe in the process and culture that Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is building here.
The Bolts want to be a team that is not only tough physically but mentally, too.
That mindset will likely be required against a Chiefs team that is 3-0 despite not playing their best early in the season.
There's a chance the Bolts could be without numerous recent first-round picks against Patrick Mahomes and Co.
Harbaugh likely does not care. He will have his team ready to go at the 1:25 p.m. (PT) kickoff at SoFi Stadium.
And if the Bolts can find a way to win with what could be a depleted lineup, that would make a potential victory even sweeter going into the bye.
If not, the Chargers would be 2-2 and get some much-needed time off with 13 games still to play.
Keep the faith.
First off, Joe Alt played all 46 offensive snaps in Week 3 so there was no need to replace him.
He appeared to hobble off the field on what ended up being the Chargers final offensive play.
But if you're asking about why Trey Pipkins III played left tackle in place of Rashawn Slater and why Jamaree Salyer took Pipkins' spot at right guard, then I have an answer for you.
Rather, Harbaugh has an answer for you.
Harbaugh said after the game that Pipkins is the team's third tackle so he was the choice to replace Slater, while Salyer has had "more time on task" at guard so he slotted in there.
We'll see what the status of Slater and Alt is going forward, but losing one or two of those linemen would obviously be a big blow against Kansas City.
If both are out, I could see Pipkins going back to right tackle since he has the most experience there in his career. That would mean Foster Sarell could step in at left tackle while the interior — left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman and Salyer (right guard) — is the same as it was at the end of the Steelers game.
Lots to be figured out between now and Sunday afternoon.
No, the problem in the second half Sunday definitely wasn't the play calling.
It was the fact that the Chargers only ran 15 plays and held the ball for less than 10 total minutes in time of possession.
Credit Pittsburgh's defense, too, for being incredibly stout up front and taking away the Bolts run game for most of the day.
The Bolts opened the second half with a pass on first-and-10 before Justin Herbert was sacked on second down. That brought up third-and-15, an obvious passing down, where Herbert threw incomplete.
Herbert was sacked again on the first play on the Chargers ensuing drive when he tweaked his ankle injury. After that, it was likely mixing and matching personnel and plays based on how much Taylor Heinicke knew from the playbook.
Again, all of this against perhaps the league's No. 1 defense.
Through three games, the Chargers have the league's fourth-highest run percentage at 55.49 percent.
That's the formula that helped the Bolts to double-digit wins in Weeks 1 and 2. But the Chargers simply couldn't get to that method in the second half as they let a halftime lead slip away to the Steelers.
What was the overall impact of having the team stay on the East Coast after the Carolina game? Was it a good decision? (Anna via email)
Yes. Players said as much during the week, whether that was in an on-the-record interview or just casually chatting with them at the team hotel or on the bus.
Personally, I know it was nice to not have to make four different cross-country flights in a 10-day span.
And the Chargers came out ready to go in a hostile environment in Week 3.
I wouldn't say the tough second half was a result of being on the road for 10 days but rather a combination of playing a good team, dealing with some injuries and simply losing a tough game on the road.
