5 reasons for optimism for the Chargers against the Cowboys in Week 16

The Chargers have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Here are a few reasons to be optimistic about their ability to get it done.

Soft passing matchup

The Cowboys are the worst passing defense in the league in terms of yards allowed and have five cornerbacks on Wednesday's injury report in limited or worse fashion. That leaves open the possibility of a world in which the Chargers have a cornerback quartet of Reddy Steward, CJ Goodwin, Trikweze Bridges (LA's own seventh-round pick in April), and practice-squadder Corey Ballentine. While LA's offense has struggled to find its identity through the air, Justin Herbert is more than good enough to take advantage of a matchup like that.

Run game coming along

Omarion Hampton took nine carries for 53 yards in the second half last week after toting the rock 6 times for 8 yards in the first half, an encouraging sign that Hampton is beginning to feel completely healthy and that the Chargers can rely on him as a closer. With Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in concussion protocol and inconsistent linebacker play all season, Hampton and Kimani Vidal should have an opportunity to deliver another strong game to keep the ball in the Chargers' hands, a winning formula often this season.

Pressure package

When all three of Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Odafe Oweh are on the field, the Chargers have a pressure rate of 55 percent, well beyond the overall league lead. Those packages have allowed Tuipulotu, who is fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks, to rush more on the interior, where he has feasted this season. LA's sack percentage of 10.28 percent is fourth in the league over the last three weeks and could overpower the fact that the Cowboys' offensive line has allowed only 1.7 sacks of Dak Prescott per game this year.

Strength on strength

Dallas' strength is its pass game, as the Cowboys rank first in the league in passing yards at 276.1 per game. They're especially effective when attacking vertically thanks to the skillsets of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, both of whom will finish with 1,000 yards this season, assuming Lamb stays healthy. The Cowboys have thrown the second-most touchdowns of anybody when throwing beyond the first down marker this season. The Chargers allow the lowest passer rating in the league on such throws, however, and have allowed less than 20 points in each of their last three games.

Lessons from last week

Against the Vikings, a slightly worse defense than the Chargers by EPA per play, the Cowboys scored 26 points but fought in fits and starts against a Dak Prescott performance that ranked in the 40th percentile in EPA per play since 2010, per RBSDM. The Chargers also held Kansas City, a slightly worse offense than Dallas by EPA per play, to 13 points and forced two takeaways. That combination favors Los Angeles, especially given how the defense has ratcheted up the intensity over the last few weeks.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' path to beating the Cowboys: Week 16 optimism