Hall Of Fame Chargers Defender Blames LA's Defense For Detroit Loss

The defense didn't show up once again this season.

The Los Angeles Chargers record fell to 4-5 on the season after they dropped their matchup against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. In front of the Sofi Stadium faithful, the Bolts defense once again failed to do their part to secure a victory.

The Chargers allowed 533 yards of offense to the Lions in the game, and that isn't going to get the job done. It was a disappointing outcome for a team that felt that they had just found their footing over the last few weeks.

Veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack gave his thoughts on the game afterward, and he wasn't happy with the performance displayed by the defense, writes Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register.

“It was nothing they did, it’s what we didn’t do,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s what we didn’t do, yeah. That’s on me. I’ll take that being one of the guys, especially on the outside. We’ve been consistently playing the run and we gave up 200 yards rushing."

Now to be fair, the Lions offense is one of the best in the entire league, so they get some credit. But the Chargers defense simply didn't show up when it mattered most.

“I don’t want to blame it on nothing, but we didn’t come to play today,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t get it done today. (The offense was) ballin’. I feel bad for letting them down today, especially as one of the captains on defense. We’re going to control what we can control and get back to work.”

They had been on a nice run over the last few games, but against Detroit, they went completely missing. It was another reminder of the opportunities that this team continuously has missed this season, and it now sets them back once again.

Los Angeles now heads to Green Bay this coming week for a matchup with the Packers, as they look to get their record back to .500. They all know that they should have won this game like others this year, and that is what has made this entire season so frustrating for the team. 

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