Chris O’Leary acknowledged that Los Angeles has plenty to clean up defensively after Week 1.
The Los Angeles Chargers did not get the defensive performance they wanted in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, and defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary was blunt about the areas that need to improve.
“Not good enough,” O’Leary said of the defense’s performance. “Got to be better in a lot of areas.”
The Bolts will have an opportunity to respond in Week 2 when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders, but the matchup presents a different challenge. Instead of focusing primarily on containing the passing game, Los Angeles will have to prepare for an offense that O’Leary expects to lean heavily on its physical rushing attack.
“Power run game, like they’re gonna stick to it,” O’Leary said.
That physicality starts up front. O’Leary pointed to Las Vegas’ personnel as one of the biggest challenges the Chargers will face, particularly with the Raiders’ tight ends playing a significant role in their blocking schemes.
“They got big personnel, their TEs are big,” O’Leary said. “At the point of attack they’re strong.”
For a Chargers defense that struggled to consistently pressure quarterback Jacoby Brissett, establishing a stronger presence at the line of scrimmage will be important. Los Angeles did not generate the kind of disruption they had hoped against the Cardinals, allowing Brissett to consistently get the ball out quickly.
O’Leary explained that the Chargers' inability to affect Brissett was not necessarily about failing to generate pressure in traditional terms. Instead, the Cardinals' quick passing game limited the opportunities for the pass rush to get home.
“Ball came out on time, I think it was quick throws,” O’Leary said.
The defensive coordinator also identified two areas the Chargers can improve moving forward. Getting their hands into passing lanes and playing tighter coverage.
“Combination of getting our hands up in rush lanes and being stickier in coverage,” O’Leary said.
That will be especially important if the Chargers want to prevent Kirk Cousins from finding a rhythm early in the game.
The Raiders also bring an additional unknown into the matchup with the status of star tight end Brock Bowers. He began practicing on a limited basis this week after recently undergoing a knee clean up procedure and missing the season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
“You’re obviously sitting there waiting to see what’s happening with Brock Bowers,” O’Leary said.
Bowers’ availability could significantly impact the way Los Angeles approaches the matchup, particularly given O’Leary's comments about the size and physicality of Las Vegas’ tight end-heavy personnel.
Regardless of Bowers’ status, Michael Mayer is no slouch, and the Chargers know what type of game they are preparing for. O’Leary expects the Raiders to test them physically and stay committed to the run, putting pressure on Los Angeles to improve its performance at the point of attack.
After calling the season opener “not good enough,” the Chargers now have a chance to show how quickly their defense can respond.
