In Chargers’ rout of Jets, Brandon Staley’s defense finally stands up

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

When defensive guru Brandon Staley took over as the Los Angeles Chargers‘ head coach in 2021, the expectation was that his team would have more performances like Monday’s 27-6 road victory over the New York Jets.

Too bad the Chargers can’t play against Jets quarterback Zach Wilson every week. Justin Herbert finished with a career-low 136 passing yards and was sacked five times, as the Chargers had trouble moving the ball against one of the best defenses in the league.

The Chargers, however, did not need an otherworldly performance from their superstar quarterback. This game was about Staley’s defense. The Chargers forced three fumbles, scoring 14 points off those turnovers. They also sacked Wilson eight times.

Joey Bosa had his best game of the season, finishing with six combined tackles and 2.5 sacks. Per Next Gen Stats, Bosa generated five pressures and those sacks on 32 pass rushes against New York for a 15.6% pressure rate. Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu added two sacks each.

The Chargers held the Jets to 3-of-17 on third down and 0-of-2 in the red zone. And the Bolts bottled up New York’s running game led by Breece Hall to 64 yards on the ground.

Uber-talented safety Derwin James Jr. led the Bolts with 10 combined tackles, while fellow safety Alohi Gilman finished with four combined tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble returned for 48 yards that set up an Austin Ekeler two-yard touchdown.

“We did the things that good defenses do,” Staley told reporters after the game. “I thought we were physical tonight. We did a really good job against the run game. I thought we rushed the passer. We limited the explosions in the deep part of the field. And we were really good in the red zone.”

Entering Monday’s contest, the Chargers had allowed a league-worst 297 passing yards a contest and 24 points per game, No. 24 in the NFL. Not exactly numbers that point to an elite defense. So, there’s ample room for continued improvement for Staley’s group on that side of the ball.

Offensively, Ekeler had an uncharacteristic three drops, but he still positively impacted the game, finishing with 70 scrimmage yards and two scores. Keenan Allen led the Bolts with eight catches for 77 yards, eclipsing 10,000 yards for his career (10,007). Allen is behind only tight end Antonio Gates (11,841), his former mentor, in franchise history.

Allen eclipsed the 10,000-yard mark on an acrobatic, one-handed catch along the sideline in the second half.

“It’s amazing, man,” Allen told reporters about reaching the feat. “It’s the hard work paying off. Consistency. Resiliency. I’ve been through a lot with injuries and stuff like that. So it’s nice.”

Electric rookie Derius Davis continues to make big plays. The speedy TCU product got the Chargers on the scoreboard first, weaving his way through New York’s punt coverage unit for an 87-yard return for a score. Davis also recovered a fumble lost by tight end Gerald Everett in the opening quarter that would have given New York’s anemic offense a short field.

The Chargers would be wise to figure out ways to get the elusive Davis the football more in space.

To close out the first half, Cameron Dicker drilled a 55-yard field goal as time expired, matching a career-high for the Texas product. Whereas “kicker” used to be a bad word pushed though clench teeth with derision by Bolts fans, the kicking game has actually developed into a strength for this team. Dicker is now 13-of-14 on field goals this season and has made all 22 of his extra points.

While the Chargers stand at 4-4 on the season and appear to have turned things around, let’s keep things in perspective. Their past two runaway wins came against teams led by undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent of the Chicago Bears and the underwhelming Wilson with the Jets.

The next three games to finish November will serve as a true measuring stick for the Bolts. The Chargers will face the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, travel to take on the Green Bay Packers in a game potentially impacted by weather and then host perhaps the AFC’s best team in the Baltimore Ravens.

“It comes down to the grind here these last few weeks, how the playoff picture starts playing out,” Ekeler told reporters after the game. “For us, we’ve got to take it one game at a time. We’ve got the Lions up next. And whatever the [AFC West] division is, is what it is. Hopefully, we can make it in our favor.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.