The Los Angeles Chargers defense has been the biggest revelation in a season full of positive growth under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. He brought in his former Michigan defensive coordinator to take this defense that was 28th in the league in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed.
So far it seems Minter has understood the assignment. They are 6th in yards allowed and first in points allowed (118). They are lightyears ahead of the next-best team in points allowed in fact. They have given up 28 fewer points than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 2nd best. That gap is nearly the same gap between the Steelers (146) and the Denver Broncos (177).
And the Chargers aren’t doing it in the way that league-leading defenses have been doing in recent years, which is to say a side that stays healthy and has a dominant pass rush. The Chargers are second to last in pressure percentage and have lost several starters to long-term injuries.
The Chargers Defense Is Buying The Minter Mentality
Which points back to coaching and scheme. Minter, of course, comes from the new trendy defensive coaching tree, that was birth out of Baltimore. But what most players think is the big difference is the mentality in which they play. This reveals across-the-board ‘buy-in’ from the defense.
After the Chargers win over the Tennessee Titans, in which they held the team to just 17 points and 288 yards, an offense that put up 400 or more yards in each of the last two weeks, defensive tackle Morgan Fox talked about Minter’s mentality, one it is apparent he has adopted.
“Coach Minter always says, ‘How would we prepare if this was the AFC Championship Game? How would we prepare if this was the Super Bowl?’” Fox said. “So that’s kind of the mentality that we’ve locked into. It’s like, how would we prepare if this was the most important game of the season? So that’s kind of where we’ve been going, and I think that’s really what’s helped propel us in the direction that we’re going.”
Before that game, newcomer safety Elijah Molden echoed the high stakes and high bar approach to the team;
“Why can’t we be the No. 1 defense this year in every category, not just points allowed?” Molden said. “Why can’t we take it a step further and why can’t we go out there and hold them to zero points instead of 10 points?”
The Chargers face a challenging road ahead facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, and Kansas City Chiefs.
