Chargers have to play with more urgency   

The Los Angeles Chargers are a team with an immediate need to win more ballgames than the number of contests they might lose. That’s because their postseason aspirations depend on it. 

Sitting at 4-6 with seven games remaining on their schedule, beginning with a date against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers are running out of options if they want to compete for a playoff spot. 

Mathematically, the Chargers have to win, win, and win some more. There’s little or no wiggle room for the Chargers in that regard. 

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis (12) makes a good impression against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL preseason game played at SoFi Stadium on August 12, 2023. Photo by Mark Hammond/News4usonline

After going on the road and falling to the Green Bay Packers where there were a ton of things that went wrong, one has to wonder if the Chargers are under pressure to produce wins instead of excuses on why they lost. Losing edge rusher Joey Bosa won’t help. 

Bosa suffered a foot sprain injury in the Chargers’ 23-20 defeat and had to be carted off the field. Without one of their best defensive players, what will the Chargers do? The loss of Bosa for any length of time might add even more stress to a struggling defensive unit. 

Chargers defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said there’s no added pressure for the defensive unit to measure up in getting things turned around.

“The NFL is about pressure,” Ansley said “It’s not about the defense getting it turned around, every game is a pressure game. Even practice is pressure, when we go against our people. As a pro player, what got you here is having a sense of urgency to do it right and do your job. That is not going to change. I can’t speak for [Head Coach] Brandon [Staley] and what he feels, but from what I see, our guys have the urgency to get it right. We just have to continue to stay the course and trust our way of doing things.”

One aspect of pressure the Chargers’ defense will be under is to stop or try to slow down Jackson in Week 12. The Ravens are No.1 in the NFL in running the football, averaging 155 yards per game on the ground. 

Added to that mix is the dynamics of Jackson, who can run and write with lethal success. Jackson won the league’s MVP honor in 2019. While he has not played at quite that level this season, Jackson running in the open field is still a scary sight for both defensive players and coaches alike.        

“He’s the best scrambling quarterback in the world,” Ansley remarked. “He’s Houdini back there. He has really good skill players around him. Their run game is a force, so that complements the pass game. They’ve added some tempo this year, which plays to his strengths, so he can either distribute the ball or get out of there if there are some cracks in your rush. 

“He’s a dynamic player. He is a guy that I defended when I was at Kentucky and he was at Louisville, and he’s been the same player — very elusive, fast, stronger than you think. We have to do a good job of filling up those rush lanes and keeping a roof over the coverage.”  


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