EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — J.K. Dobbins knows midseason plaudits don’t mean much. However, the fact that he is mentioned as a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year does provide even more incentive for the second half of the season.
The Los Angeles Chargers running back is third in the AFC with 620 rushing yards, averaging 4.92 yards per carry going into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
“My goal is to keep going at the rate that I’m going and get better and maybe I will get that award,” Dobbins said after practice on Wednesday. “That would mean a lot to me, especially all the things I’ve been through regarding my career. That would be amazing, but we’ve got half a year left.”
Dobbins was drafted in the second round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 but suffered significant injuries in two of the past three seasons. He tore his Achilles’ in last year’s season opener after having a knee injury during the preseason in 2021. He also missed six weeks in 2022 after having surgery to remove scar tissue from the knee injury.
Dobbins signed a one-year contract with the Chargers during the offseason, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was with Baltimore during Dobbins’ first three seasons wearing purple and black.
The commitment to the running game — even when things have been bottled up at times — has brought more of a sense of balance to the Chargers’ offense after being pass-heavy the past three seasons.
After having the second-highest rate of pass plays the past three seasons, the Chargers have called run plays 46% of the time this season, the eighth-highest percentage in the league at the midway point.
“Maybe it doesn’t look pretty on the stat sheet, but it’s serving a greater purpose,” Roman said. “I kind of look at it as chess. In chess, you set things up. You’re doing this to set that up. Sometimes, you’ve got to transition and pivot quickly in the course of the game.”
Dobbins — who had 85 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers’ 27-10 victory over Cleveland last Sunday — has four games of at least 85 yards in the first eight games. He is the first Chargers running back to accomplish that since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2003.
Among the 19 NFL running backs with at least 100 carries, Dobbins has the second-highest percentage of carries with zero or negative yards (23.3%), yet is one of four with rushes of 12 yards or more on at least 10% of carries (10.3%).
“I think it shows the character of this team. In the NFL, you can’t have a big play every play. So you got to stick with your ideas, and that is what we’re doing,” he said. “There might be a 1-yard gain here and there, but eventually it will turn into 20- or 40-yard gains.”
Dobbins’ production, along with the emergence of the passing game with a healthy Justin Herbert, has made the Chargers offense productive since the bye week with wins in three of their last four.
Herbert has passed for at least 279 yards in the past three games, the level Chargers’ fans have grown accustomed to since he was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft. However, the addition of a run game has also taken some pressure off Herbert.
“The more we pass, the more Cover 2 and shell (coverage) we’re going to get, and that helps our run. Being able to run the ball when we’re passing it holds defenses accountable,” Herbert said. “As long as we’re able to do both, that’s when we’re playing our best football. J.K. is a special back and whenever you can give him the ball, especially in those two high looks, he is going to do something special with the ball."
The Chargers will face a Titans defense allowing a league-low 269.1 yards per game. Tennessee is 11th against the run (113.4 yards per game) and has allowed only one 100-yard rusher this season when Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs had 127 two weeks ago.
“They build their team off running the ball. They got a great back in J.K. He’s looking like himself before the injury, and much respect to him," Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "Kind of talked a little bit, you know, throughout the offseason and stuff in that nature when he was even in Baltimore. So I think just to see him back to running the ball the way he runs it, that’s the way you kind of stop their offense.”
Notes: Wide receiver Simi Fehoko (elbow) and linebacker Junior Colson (ankle) were placed on injured reserve. Coach Jim Harbaugh is optimistic both can return by the end of the season. ... Wide receiver Jalen Reagor was signed off the practice squad. ... Running back Gus Edwards returned to practice, starting his 21-day window to return off injured reserve. Edwards has missed the last four games due to an ankle injury. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder) is eligible to return, but there isn’t a timeline for his return.
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