Associated Press

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — JK Dobbins knows midseason plaudits don’t mean much. However, the fact that he’s being mentioned as a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year provides 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 heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

“My goal is to continue at my pace and get better and maybe I’ll get that award,” Dobbins said after Wednesday’s practice. “It would mean a lot to me, especially everything I’ve been through regarding my career. It would be incredible, but we have six months left.

Dobbins was drafted in the second round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, but has suffered significant injuries in two of the last three seasons. He tore his Achilles tendon in the first game of last year’s season after injuring his knee during the preseason in 2021. He also missed six weeks in 2022 after suffering a surgery to remove scar tissue from the knee injury.

Dobbins signed a one-year deal with the Chargers during the offseason, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was with Baltimore during Dobbins’ first three seasons in the purple and black.

The commitment to the running game — even when things got pushed back at times — has brought more balance to the Chargers’ offense after being pass-heavy the past three seasons.

After posting the second-highest passing rate over the past three seasons, the Chargers have called running plays 46% of the time this season, the eighth-highest percentage in the league at the midpoint.

“Maybe it doesn’t look pretty on the stat sheet, but it serves a greater purpose,” Roman said. “I think of it as a game of chess. In chess, you organize things. You do this to configure this. Sometimes you have to transition and pivot quickly during the game.”

Dobbins – who passed for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers 27-10 victory against 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 this 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%), but he is one of four with carries 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 make a big play every play, so you have to stick to your guns, and that’s what we do,” he said. “There might be a gain of a yard here and there, but eventually it will turn into gains of 20 or 40 yards.”

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 over the last three games, the level Chargers fans have become accustomed to since he was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft. However, adding a game of racing also relieved Herbert.

“The more we pass, the more cover 2 and hull (coverage) we will have, and that helps us in our race. Being able to run the ball when we pass it keeps defenses accountable,” Herbert said. “As long as we can do both, that’s when we play our best football.” JK is a special back and any time you can get him the ball, especially with those two high looks, he will do something special with the ball. »

The Chargers will face a Titans defense allowing a minimum of 269.1 yards per game. Tennessee is 11th against the run (113.4 yards per game) and has allowed just one throw for 100 yards this season while Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs had 127 two weeks ago.

“They build their team by playing with the ball. “They have a great return in JK. He looks like his pre-injury self and a lot of respect for him,” Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. was even in Baltimore. So I think just seeing him run the ball again like he does, that’s how we kind of stop their offense.

Notes: 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. … Receiver Jalen Reagor was signed off the practice squad. … Running back Gus Edwards returned to practice, beginning his 21-day window to return from injured reserve. Edwards has missed the last four games with an ankle injury. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (shoulder) is eligible to return, but there is no timetable for his return.

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