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<\/p>\nEl SEGUNDO, Calif. — The engine powering the Chargers to an 11\u20136 record this season has been their defense.<\/p>\n
Jesse Minter\u2019s unit has been among the NFL\u2019s top defensive groups for the second straight year, but this season has felt different \u2014 for both players and coaches.<\/p>\n
“We feel like we’re capable of walking in anywhere and winning,\u201d Minter said.<\/p>\n
That belief has become the defense\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started as soon as we found out we were going to have the most miles traveled over the whole year,\u201d linebacker Daiyan Henley said. \u201cWe knew we were going to be a road team\u2026 So we go on this road, and we prepare ourselves for any type of condition, and we try to make sure that we’re war warriors trying to get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a \u201croad warrior\u201d is the mentality they\u2019re carrying into Foxborough, where they\u2019ll face a New England Patriots team riding high in its first season under head coach Mike Vrabel.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Drake Maye has completed 72% of his passes for 4,394 yards, with 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust having an MVP caliber year,\u201d safety Tony Jefferson said. \u201cGood, good ballplayer. Always looking downfield to make a plays. He has an opportunity to make explosive plays at any point in time. So we’ve got to be great in coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maye\u2019s growth has been undeniable, especially with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels back in the fold. McDaniels has simplified the offense and surrounded the young quarterback with reliable weapons.<\/p>\n
Those weapons include rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson, tight end Hunter Henry, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The former Buffalo Bills receiver surpassed 1,000 yards this season after returning from a torn ACL suffered last year in Houston.<\/p>\n
Diggs has shown he remains one of the league\u2019s most dynamic receivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecial player,\u201d cornerback Donte Jackson said of Diggs. \u201cI’m saying he doesn’t really let anything fluster him, any defense, any press coverage, or anything. He really can do it all from all positions on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jordon Kelly-The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson (26) celebrates after play during a NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles on. Monday December 08, 2025 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.<\/p>\n
The Chargers defense has proven itself on the road this season, earning wins in Brazil, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, and Miami.<\/p>\n
They went 5-1 in the division, holding offenses led by Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes to fewer than 21 points in all four matchups.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if you’re a competitor like I know everybody in this building is, you can beat any body anywhere,\u201d defensive tackle Teair Tart said. \u201cShit, it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been flawless.<\/p>\n
The defense endured lapses, including allowing more than 400 yards and 38 points to Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts, while giving up three rushing touchdowns to Jonathan Taylor.<\/p>\n
Four weeks later, during a three-game winning streak, they received another wake-up call just before the bye week with a 35\u20136 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, surrendering four rushing touchdowns to three different players.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime you get punched in the mouth, it’s a wake up call,\u201d Tart said. \u201cWe knew what we have. We know the type of players we got. We just had to play to that standard. And I think that’s something we put a large emphasis on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since returning from the bye, the defense has been on a mission: tighten up in the red zone, eliminate explosive plays, and get the ball back to Justin Herbert.<\/p>\n
They forced Jalen Hurts into five turnovers, held Kansas City to one touchdown, and shut out Dallas in the second half after allowing 17 points early.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe trust each other,\u201d Tuli Tuipulotu said. \u201cIt’s a different. Different atmosphere. We are all connected and we’re all bonding, man, and I feel like stuff like that carries us on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
This marks the second straight season a Jim Harbaugh\u2013led Chargers team is heading into the playoffs in a hostile environment.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s trip to Houston didn\u2019t go as planned, with the offense struggling mightily, but several players say valuable lessons were learned.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding how they were able to attack, especially that second half defensively, but understanding that it was on us saying to get it done up front and on the back end defensively, you got to travel,\u201d Mack said. \u201cYou can’t give the offense, too much momentum at home and I feel like that’s something I learned personally, but I feel like we all learned that as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart, who were rookies last season, described last year\u2019s 32\u201312 loss as eye-opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is a 60 minute fight,\u201d Still said. \u201cSo really settle in, take it one play at a time, and really just had to be detailed. That’s the biggest thing, I think, detailed in work, detailed in preparation, and making it meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is football at the end of the day, still got to lace them up and go out there and play,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
With temperatures expected in the low 30s and a chance of rain, national media have questioned whether the Chargers can win at Gillette Stadium.<\/p>\n
![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/251109_010_steelers_at_chargers-544x306.jpg\" "\\"Los")
<\/p>\n
Jessica Cryderman – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker, Del’Shawn Phillips (53) celebrates a fumble recovery during an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 9, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.<\/p>\n
The players don\u2019t see it that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s playoff football,\u201d cornerback Donte Jackson said.<\/p>\n
They understand exactly what awaits them Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a hostile environment,\u201d rookie Jamaree Caldwell said. \u201cEverybody knows the Patriots are going to be cold. I feel like when it’s cold, the battle is won in the trenches.\u201d<\/p>\n
One point Chargers players repeatedly emphasized this week was keeping things simple and not trying to do too much.<\/p>\n
The defense will be relied upon to create turnovers and rattle Maye. If the game comes down to that side of the ball, the Chargers like their chances.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocusing on being where our feet at, making sure we get the Patriots everything we got,\u201d Mack said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"El SEGUNDO, Calif. — The engine powering the Chargers to an 11\u20136 record this season has been their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,29991,4919,10728,7,1012,1159,1014,262,2444,2443,88,6,14179],"class_list":["post-669285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-chargers","tag-chargers","tag-chargers-2","tag-derwin-james","tag-derwin-james-jr","tag-football","tag-jim-harbaugh","tag-justin-herbert","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangeleschargers","tag-news","tag-nfl","tag-tst-los-angeles"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115877598172710697","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}