The Chargers will gear up for their first 10 am kick off of the season on Sunday, as a road game against the Giants and first-time starter Jaxson Dart looms.
Here’s what Los Angeles’ defense needs to do to come away with a win.
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Keep the roof on
Los Angeles was phenomenal against the deep ball in Week 2, holding Geno Smith to 0-for-12 passing on attempts of at least 10 yards. Despite limited success in the box score a week ago, Denver had far more success designing deep plays against the Chargers’ secondary, but missed a number of opportunities to connect on those plays and put LA on their heels. The Giants lead the league in pass attempts of 20 yards or more with 18, so the Chargers will need to rediscover their Week 2 form to flatten New York’s efficiency.
Confuse Dart
Dart played in an RPO-based offense in college and is making his first career NFL start, which means that the rookie is not a particularly advanced processor at the pro level yet. One of the hallmarks of Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s scheme is disguising coverages and moving members of his secondary around the formation to give quarterbacks pause during their pre-snap process. Getting Dart to make a few mistakes or hesitate to make a decision should be enough to make the difference on Sunday.
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Get to third down
The Giants are 31st in the league with a third-down conversion rate of just 27.5%, which is part of the reason Dart is now under center rather than Russell Wilson. New York will now also be without running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who dislocated his shoulder last week, which affects how much they’ll be able to generate on early downs as well. As long as LA can bring tough runner Cam Skattebo to the ground and force Dart into third and longs, their ability to limit the big play should keep the Giants from moving the sticks consistently.
Find and finish pressures
Dart is going to be able to get out of the pocket and extend plays, so the Chargers need to find a way to generate pressure quickly on Sunday. Minter blitzes at one of the lowest rates in the league, so those pressures primarily need to come from a front that will play its second full game without Khalil Mack, who is on injured reserve with an elbow injury. Of 145 qualified defensive linemen (defensive tackles and edge rushers) with at least 50 pass-rushing snaps, Bud Dupree is currently 133rd and Caleb Murphy is 137th in pass-rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus. While third-round rookie Jamaree Caldwell has been impressive on the interior, he’s only a few spots above those two in 130th. The Chargers’ best rusher has been defensive tackle Teair Tart, who is 50th in win rate at 15.1%.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers’ defensive keys to victory against the Giants