Chargers Defense Ready to Challenge High-Power Bengals Offense

EL SEGUNDO — Bud Dupree knows the challenges that await the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

With Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow leading the league in passing yards and Ja’Marr Chase leading the league in receiving yards, this is a prime opportunity for the Chargers’ defense to show the rest of the league that it needs more respect.

“Some people want to see us play, we’ve got to prove them right. We can’t come out here and pee our legs. “We’ve got to step it up,” Dupree said.

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Chargers’ Defense Aims to Prove Its Value

The 6-3 Chargers, who have won three straight and four of five, allowed a league-low 13.1 points per game and are trying to become the first team since the 1990 New York Giants to allow 20 or fewer points in every game. first nine games.

But critics point out that the Bolts’ early-season success was due to a lack of a great offense and a lack of wins against a quarterback.

Four of the Chargers’ wins have come against offenses ranked 24th or lower and four of the six lowest-ranked passing attacks in the league.

Of the nine quarterbacks they have faced, none are ranked in the top 10 in passer rating. That will change significantly over the next five weeks, with Burrow (third), Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (second) and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield (sixth) on the horizon.

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Facing Elite Quarterbacks Tests Chargers’ Mettle

“These games show you who you are competitively and especially mentally,” linebacker Khalil Mack said after last Sunday’s 27-17 win over Tennessee. They have the offensive power on their side with the quarterback.

The highest-ranked quarterbacks the Chargers have defeated so far are Cleveland’s Jameis Winston (28th) and Denver rookie Bo Nix (29th).

Burrow leads the league in attempts (358), completions (246) and yards (2,672) and has a passer rating of 108.1.

The Chargers have the perfect combination of pressuring the quarterback and being solid on defense, but both will be put to the test against the Bengals.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Burrow ranks fifth in yards per attempt and has the fourth-highest passer rating against split safeties this season. The Chargers are the second-highest team in the league to use this coverage.

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Chargers’ Defense Faces Tough Test Against Chase

Chase gets 795 of his 981 yards against zone coverage. The Chargers use zone coverage on 83.7% of their passing plays, the third-highest rate of any team in the league.

Chase also leads the league in touchdowns (seven) and yards after the catch (462).

Burrow said Wednesday that Chase’s coverage savvy along with him has elevated his game to another level.

“He stepped up and did a great job of understanding the zone coverage and what his job was in all those different details on his routes,” Burrow said. “Teams can’t focus on him in one spot and be aware of where he is at all times.”

If anyone knows how dangerous Chase can be, it’s Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. They both played together in high school and then at Louisiana State.

Fulton is on track to return to the lineup this week after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury.

“He can make plays anywhere on the field. It’s up to us to know in advance his fit and how they’re trying to get the ball to them,” Fulton said. “It’s not just going to be one-on-one. This will be a purely backend thing (with secondary) and we’ll make sure we don’t have faulty coverage. We saw this happen last week in Baltimore and a few other games they played. We have to make them win this.

“We know they’re going to throw the ball. That’s what we live for and we get more opportunities to make plays.”

The Chargers’ biggest defensive gain over the last three weeks has been their passing offense. They have 18 sacks over the last three games, and all but five of them have come from a blitz.

Second-year linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu has all 5.5 sacks in the last three games.

“This shows progress. Every moment is a big moment and we have to keep trying,” Dupree said of the pass rush. “People are going to make a lot of slips and slides, we have to create ways to go one-on-one and when we do that we have to win.”