While the offseason chatter surrounding the Chargers revolved mainly around the hiring of new head coach Jim Harbaugh, a friend he brought along has been arguably the biggest key to LA’s mid-season success.
As the Chargers cleaned house with former head coach Brandon Staley’s staff, the keys were given to Harbaugh to put together a new coaching crew.
Harbaugh was not alone on his trip from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles, as he asked then-Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to tag along and call plays for the Chargers’ defense.
Minter, who signal-called for the top collegiate defense and eventual national champions in 2023, has quickly turned the tide for Los Angeles. His defense is allowing a league best 13.1 points per game through 9 games and ranks sixth in the NFL in yards allowed per game. In 2023, the Chargers ranked 23rd and 28th in these categories respectively. LA’s defense has also already matched their interception total from all of last year with nine.
While they failed to intercept Titans quarterback Will Levis on Sunday, Minter’s group did bring the heat, sacking Levis seven times. Linebackers Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree led the effort with two apiece.
That said, Levis, who completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 175 yards and two touchdowns, had an exciting start to this matchup. He found receiver Calvin Ridley for a 41-yard touchdown on Tennessee’s opening drive to take an early 7-3 lead. Ridley would lead the team with 84 yards and two touchdowns.
Although the Titans’ offense showed encouraging signs early on, the offense failed to replicate this success later in the game. Levis was under constant duress and Tennessee struggled to convert on third down, moving the sticks just 33% of the time.
As for Los Angeles, Justin Herbert and company had another efficient day. Herbert, who has now gone seven games without an interception, completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for one passing and one rushing touchdown. LA’s offensive line kept their quarterback comfortable all game, allowing no sacks.
The Chargers offense wouldn’t find the endzone until late in the second quarter, as Herbert capped off an eight-play, 61-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. The fourth down scamper was his first touchdown on the ground this season.
LA would put together back-to-back touchdown drives coming out of halftime to blow the game open. Herbert found Quentin Johnston for a 16-yard touchdown late in the third and running back Hassan Haskins scored on the next drive from a yard out, extending the Chargers’ lead to 17.
Ladd McConkey led the receiving efforts for LA with 52 yards and Gus Edwards led the team with 55 on the ground. Edwards saw his first action in four weeks, returning from injured reserve after suffering an ankle knock.
The 6-3 Chargers will look to continue their winning streak next week at home versus the 4-6 Cincinnati Bengals.
Coming off of a heartbreaking 35-34 loss against Baltimore on Thursday, the well-rested Bengals will come into SoFi Stadium in desperate need of a win. Cincinnati has shown in years past that it can get hot late in the season and a big win on Sunday Night Football could spark just that.
LA’s offense will look to attack a subpar Cincinnati secondary while all eyes defensively will be on receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is coming off of a 264-yard, three-touchdown effort.