Chargers’ Lack of Pressure Could Be a Major Concern Under Chris O’Leary

The Los Angeles Chargers entered the 2026 season hoping their defense under Chris O'Leary could maintain the standard established under Jesse Minter.

After Sunday’s season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals, however, there is already a major question surrounding the new-look unit.

Can O’Leary’s approach actually generate enough pressure?

According to Pro Football Focus' initial tracking, the Bolts produced just eight pressures against Arizona. If that number holds, it would be their fewest pressures in a game since they recorded seven against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025.

Under Minter, the Chargers rarely had games where they struggled this badly to create pressure. In his 36 games as the team's defensive coordinator, the Chargers reportedly finished with fewer than 10 pressures in only four of them.

Now, through one game under O'Leary, they are already potentially looking at their lowest pressure total in nearly a year. 

Obviously, one game should not define an entire defensive scheme. Especially considering it's O'Leary's first game as an NFL defensive coordinator.

O'Leary is implementing his own approach after taking over for Minter, but he also inherited a defense with many of the same key pieces. The expectation was that the Chargers would maintain the aggressive identity that helped make them one of the league's better defenses over the past two seasons.

There is plenty of reason to believe they can still get there.

Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Akheem Mesidor and the rest of the Chargers' pass rush have too much talent for eight pressures to suddenly become the norm.

But the issue is that an aggressive defense can become a double-edged sword when the pressure doesn't arrive.

Blitzing creates opportunities for turnovers and negative plays, but it also leaves fewer defenders in coverage. If the quarterback has enough time to find those opportunities, the aggression can work against the defense.

That is something O'Leary will have to address quickly.

The Chargers have no shortage of talent on defense, and Sunday's performance should not erase what this group is capable of. But if the pressure numbers remain this low, it could become increasingly difficult for Los Angeles to replicate the defensive success it enjoyed under Minter.

One game is hardly enough to make that conclusion.

But after an eight-pressure performance, the question is already worth asking: Was Sunday simply an off day for the Chargers' pass rush, or is the lack of pressure going to become a problem under O'Leary in 2026?