If there was ever a week for the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense to appreciate a short break between games, it’s this one.
After giving up 512 yards in a 40-17 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Chargers have quickly shifted their focus to preparing for Denver and Thursday night’s AFC West game, which has playoff implications for both teams.
For the Chargers to win, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit must recover from its worst game of the season.
“It don’t matter what the Broncos got, it is about us,” safety Derwin James Jr. said. “As players, we didn’t need the coaches to come in and tell us what needed to be fixed. It’s on us as players to go out and execute.”
The defense must get better at getting off the field. After allowing opponents to convert just 33.3% of their third-down attempts over the first 12 games, the Chargers gave up 17 of 30 conversions on third down, including two touchdowns, in losses to Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
What’s even more concerning is that the Chargers haven’t forced a punt in five quarters and have allowed scoring drives on 10 of their opponents’ last 13 possessions.
“Anytime you don’t play well is a concern. We’ve had good stretches, we’ve had some rough stretches,” Minter said. “You hope that you have a strong enough foundation that you’ve done enough things together, that you can look at each other and fix your problems, trust each other and move on to the next one.”
The defense’s main concern for Thursday night might be stopping Denver QB Bo Nix, who scrambled six times for 60 yards and managed to throw on the run outside the pocket.
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield did the same in the Chargers’ last two games.
Nix is tied for fourth among quarterbacks with 38 scrambles and has gained 264 yards on those plays. He has 327 total rushing yards.
“He’s doing good for a rookie. He has taken command of the offense and spread the ball around,” James said about Nix.
The Broncos’ offense has scored at least three touchdowns in two straight games for the first time this season.
Linebacker Khalil Mack is hoping the Chargers come out with more energy than they did against the Buccaneers. Mack said the lack of energy was noticeable not just on the field but also when watching video after the game.
“We have to bring some energy and juice. You could see from the first play, the energy wasn’t there,” he said. “We were playing like things were just kind of routine. We have to play with that excitement. It wasn’t there on all levels.”
Despite losing three of their last four games, the Chargers (8-6) can secure a playoff spot with a win on Thursday night and losses by the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Los Angeles currently holds the seventh seed in the AFC, which would lead to a first-round playoff game against the second-seeded team, which could be Buffalo or Kansas City.
