Chargers News: LA CB Looking To "Change Narrative" About Flailing Defense
Your 2023 Los Angeles Chargers have rightfully developed a reputation for having a porous defensive unit – something that has been confirmed time and time again under head coach Brandon Staley.
The Bolts have consistently ranked inside the bottom 5 for an array of defensive stats, including total yards allowed, 3rd down conversions, penalties, and more.
To make matters worse, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made this (harsh, but fair) comment after the Lions hung 41 points on the Chargers last week:
Johnson's comment suggests that the Lions were drawing up/calling frankly anything they wanted, and all of it worked, reflecting the low level the Bolts' defense is playing at.
For the players, you'd imagine knowing that your defense is considered easy to pick apart hurts your morale. As such, cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor had some comments (per Jeff Miller of the LA Times):
“We have another opportunity to go out there and change the narrative about our defense... we have eight or nine games left, right? It’s not over. If we go play lights out, that whole narrative can shift.”
Taylor's optimism is nice, but it's unlikely the Bolts defense turns things around. Brandon Staley is adamant about retaining play-calling duties, even though the defense has regularly been atrocious ever since he took over.
They'll have games where they look competent (ex: Week 9 vs. the Jets), but only do so against poor quarterbacks that lead bad offenses.
The Packers are actually an example of that, so they may come out ready to go on Sunday, but expect them to regress back to their mean of poor play in Week 12 against Baltimore.
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