One Thing the Chargers Defense Must Do to Stay Competitive Against the Ravens on MNF

The Los Angeles Chargers have had very little success so far during the 2026 season, as they currently sit at 0-8 and are essentially in a position where most conversations are pointed at what puts this team in a better spot for 2027 rather than trying to be competitive in 2026.

While that is the case, there is no doubt that head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to make sure the Chargers are ready to play every week and give their best effort. On that note, the next matchup for LA is a road game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, which will not be an easy game at all.

That said, there is one key thing that Los Angeles has to do in order to remain competitive against the Ravens and that thing is to stop the run and in particular limit the impact of running back Derrick Henry.

For defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary and the Chargers defense, this task is easier said than done, as Henry is a very dynamic running back and the Ravens are a great rushing team, but if LA wants to earn their first win, this is a path that the Chargers must take.

When it comes to the Ravens' production on the ground so far this season, they are averaging 137.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NFL. On the other side, the Chargers' defense has not been great in stopping the run, as they have allowed 122.0 rushing yards per game, ranking No. 21 in the NFL.

In this matchup specifically, the Chargers have to figure out a way to stop the run because the Ravens will be starting Jacoby Brissett at quarterback for the first time after trading for him, and while he is a veteran, he does still have to learn the offense, and if LA can force Brissett to beat them through the air rather than Henry and the rushing attack, that could be a formula that leads to success for the Chargers.

As far as how the Chargers could stop the run, it could take some aggressiveness from O'Leary as he utilizes heavy boxes 27.6 percent of the time, which ranks No. 13 in the NFL per Sharp Football Analysis.

The reason that O'Leary may need to get more aggressive is because is in order to stop a running back like Henry it will take multiple players to take him down to shut down the run and the more that O'Leary deploys that, the better off the Chargers could be as a defense, especially early downs to hopefully force the Ravens into third and long which should help to have success getting off the field.

So, as the Chargers head into this game, it will be interesting to see what O'Leary's plan is against the Ravens' offense, but in particular against the ground game, because if Los Angeles can limit the rush attack from Baltimore, the Chargers could have a great chance to be able to dictate terms when they are on defense, which may help them to keep the game tight and possibly help them to pick up their first win of the year.