Austin Ekeler is holding up his end of the bargain when it comes to offensive production, but the rest of the Chargers’ unit has widely fallen short so far this season.
This weekend, the Los Angeles squad will be without star wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Ekeler attributes the team’s recent offensive struggles to these nagging injury issues.
“It’s strange, hard to even explain how it’s played out,” Ekeler said, per Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. “With all the injuries, the flow of our offense is different. We have expectations based on what’s happened in the past, but that doesn’t define your future or your present.”
“… I would like to see some of those balls going down the field to some of these receivers and tight ends,” he added. “But it’s the scenario we’re in right now.”
Ekeler accounts for a large percentage of the Chargers’ overall offense. He’s by far the team’s leading rusher with 380 yards on the ground. He’s also the team’s second-leading receiver, reeling in a team-high 53 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns.
Ekeler has a chance to make NFL history this weekend. If he catches 10 passes in Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, he’ll become the first running back to notch three straight games with 10 or more receptions.
The Chargers will face off against the Falcons at 1 p.m. ET in Atlanta.