Defense shooting for repeat showing
The Chargers actually looked like the team many expected them to be when they handled the Chicago Bears with relative ease Oct. 29 at SoFi Stadium. Can they repeat their winning performance when they face the New York Jets on Monday Night Football?
Definitely.
Maybe.
No question, the Chargers might have found something that clicked defensively. They haven't given up much in the past six quarters, which includes their victory over the Bears plus the second half of their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. They've given up 20 points over six quarters. Total.
The Bears scored two touchdowns in the Chargers' 30-13 victory, and their rookie quarterback, Tyson Bagent, was under constant pressure from a group of four outside linebackers, including veterans Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Chris Rumph II and rookie Tuli Tuipulotu provided additional depth.
“You look at it day by day,” safety Derwin James Jr. said. “It started in practice, and we got better from that. Last week, we got a `W' and started 1-0. This week, we're trying to do the same thing coming against the Jets. We're taking it practice by practice, game by game and we'll look up at the end of this thing.”
Tonight, the Chargers will face another young quarterback when they encounter Zach Wilson of the Jets. Wilson became the starter when future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury on the fourth play of New York's season-opening game.
The Chargers are 2-0 against inexperienced quarterbacks, having beaten Bagent and the Bears and Aidan O'Connell and the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4. In fact, Mack set a Chargers record by sacking O'Connell six
times in a rather impressive 24-17 victory back on Oct. 1.
Much has changed since the Chargers' victory over the Raiders. For starters, they lost their next two games, inviting plenty of doubts about their status as a playoff contender after losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the Chiefs. But they rebounded smartly against the Bears.
Plus, Bosa has rounded into form after suffering hamstring and toe injuries that limited his mobility and effectiveness. A fracture of his left big toe, suffered when it was accidentally stepped on during the Chargers' victory in Week 3 over the Minnesota Vikings, was especially debilitating.
“Pretty worn down today because I was actually able to push it the last few days,” Bosa said after the Chargers practice Saturday. “I was able to get some extra sprinting in and kind of get back to the routine that I like to stay on during the season. Lifts are going well. Practice is going well.”
A healthy Bosa is a happy Bosa.
In fact, lightening the mood did the Chargers wonders leading up to the game against the Bears. Nothing changed in the run-up to tonight's game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Chargers were positively buoyant during the past week of practice.
“At this level, it is a game, but it's also their job and their profession,” Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said. “There's a fine line, but at the end of the day it is a game, and you have to approach it that way. There are no perfect players, no perfect coaches, no perfect schemes. You just have to make sure that you don't ride the wave, and continue to keep the main thing the main thing and feed off each other.
“That's the beauty of football. You have 11 guys out there and all 11 guys may not have the same energy, but maybe there may be that one that sparks and that may get us all energized. That's the beauty of football.”
The Chargers are expected to get an additional boost when they play the Jets.
Well, actually, it could be a double boost.
Wide receiver Jalen Guyton and defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia were activated Sunday from the PUP list and could make their season debuts tonight. They each suffered season-ending knee injuries in 2022 and missed all of training camp plus the season's first seven games.
On the other hand, the Chargers placed wide receiver Joshua Palmer on injured reserve because of a knee injury. Palmer, the Chargers' second-leading receiver with 23 catches for 377 yards (an average of 16.4 yards) and one touchdown in seven games, will be sidelined for at least the next four games.