The Chargers will look for their first win of the season on Sunday in a Week 2 matchup against the Raiders, who are coming off an opening win over the Dolphins.
Here's what Los Angeles needs to do on defense to come away victorious.
Ramp up the pressure
The Chargers generated only 12 pressures on 39 dropbacks against Jacoby Brissett last week, after Brissett allowed the fourth-most sacks in the league despite only playing 13 games last season. Rookie edge rusher Akheem Mesidor is the only Chargers player in the top 40 of the NFL's pass rush win percentage leaderboard on Pro Football Focus with a win rate of 20 percent. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins is also not a particularly mobile quarterback, however, so if LA can get to him more effectively and improve upon
a 10 percent pressure-to-sack ratio last week, they should be able to keep the Raiders behind the sticks on Sunday.
Contain Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty had 147 yards of total offense and scored two receiving touchdowns in Week 1, looking spry and explosive despite preseason concerns about an ankle injury. With tight end Brock Bowers (knee) missing Sunday's game, the Chargers should be able to devote more resources to stopping Jeanty, 2025's No. 6 overall pick. But LA also struggled to defend the edges on the ground last week, a problem they've had dating back to the Jesse Minter days, which allowed 2026 No. 4 overall pick Jeremiyah Love to find a decent amount of running room. If the Chargers can tighten that up and limit Jeanty, they'll have even more opportunities to get after Cousins.
Convert turnover opportunities
Getting after Cousins should lead to turnover opportunities. The veteran Raiders quarterback threw two interceptions to a young and under-talented Dolphins secondary last week, which bodes poorly for his ability to take care of the ball in general. Cousins has also recorded six seasons with at least 10 fumbles, just under half of his total career and all but 4 of his seasons as a full-time starter. Los Angeles was not able to force a turnover last week against Arizona, one of many reasons the Chargers were not able to reverse their fortunes once they went down.
Play decisively
The Chargers looked tentative in their first game under Chris O'Leary, perhaps the biggest reason why they struggled to defend an offense helmed by Brissett. That hesitancy made a defense that already lacks top-end speed look even slower and allowed Brissett, a polished point-and-shoot passer, to pick Los Angeles apart with underneath throws to tight end Trey McBride and slot receiver Kendrick Bourne. Speeding up their breaks on the ball and decisions in zone coverage will make those windows feel tighter, however, which will create that suffocating feeling the Chargers defense had under Jesse Minter the last two seasons.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' defensive keys to victory vs. Raiders in Week 2
