SAN DIEGO — Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler knew at the beginning of the season that the expectations were high surrounding this team. With numerous star players returning, players coming back from injury, and a brand-new young coach, the bar was set high for this team.
“We knew the media hype was going to be high for us coming into this season," he said. "We got Justin Herbert returning at quarterback, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, the defense is back and healthy, the bar was set high for us, people wanted to see what we could do.”
A big reason why the Chargers have seen more success this season compared to seasons past is the close games. In the past, the team just couldn’t overcome the obstacles and find themselves on the winning side of things. Now, they have found ways to flip the script and take matters into their own hands.
“We have just made those plays,” Ekeler added. “Coach Staley just implemented doing things our way, and we have just trusted the process and system and it's helping us win those games.”
Not only are the expectations high for this Chargers team, but Ekeler puts high expectations on himself to improve every season.
“For me, it's not about having a benchmark of, 1,000 rushing yards or X amount of touchdowns, I just want to improve every season.” He added, “ I just want to help the team, I think I hold myself to a very high standard of wanting to constantly improve and continue to be better each and every season and help this team win.”
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