The Chargers are still searching for their first win of the season, but will have to travel to Seattle Sunday and take down the Super Bowl champs to do it.
Here's what Los Angeles needs to do on defense to sneak out with the win.
Keep the run game in check
Seattle has struggled to run the ball almost as much as the Chargers offense has this season, ranking 28th in EPA/rush while waiting for Zach Charbonnet to come back from a torn ACL last season. Charbonnet and first-round rookie Jadarian Price (chest) are out on Sunday, however, leaving the backfield to George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. LA has been a fairly good run defense to start this season but got gashed by James Cook late in last week's game and will be without defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson for the second straight
week due to a hamstring injury. If the Chargers can keep Seattle behind the sticks, they might force a low-scoring affair.
Help out the secondary
Derwin James Jr. (hamstring), Donte Jackson (concussion), and Elijah Molden (hamstring) are all questionable on Sunday, which could force LA into playing a secondary of Cam Hart and Rodney Shelley or Deane Leonard on the outside, Tarheeb Still at nickel, and Tony Jefferson and Genesis Smith or RJ Mickens at safety. That's not an inspiring group to have on the field against reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is tied for the NFL lead with 27 receptions and leads the league in receiving yards (405) and touchdowns (6) this year. If LA's pass rush can heat up Sam Darnold quickly and help out their teammates in the secondary, Sunday might not be as much of a nightmare.
Cause havoc plays
The Chargers defense has held up their end of the bargain in the first three weeks of the season, even when accounting for a few blown coverages that resulted in big plays for the Raiders in Week 2 and the run defense falling apart last week against the Bills. LA forced 5 turnovers, including 2 interceptions of Josh Allen, in that Week 3 game, but the offense was only able to convert those into 10 points. Seattle turned the ball over 3 times, including 2 interceptions by Darnold, last week against a below average Commanders defense. If the Chargers can replicate that effort and get their offense to step up, LA might be able to pull off an upset.
Show new looks
Los Angeles under defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary runs a very similar defense to what Mike Macdonald runs in Seattle - Macdonald is a former assistant under both Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and his brother John and worked with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter under John with the Ravens from 2017-20. Minter is the one who tutored O'Leary in this defense, dating back to Minter coaching O'Leary as a player at Indiana State, so the Seahawks have gone against a very similar defense in practice every week. O'Leary putting his own twists on the scheme and using this game to define what his individual identity as a defensive playcaller is may put the Seahawks' offense into knots.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' defensive keys to victory vs. Seahawks in Week 4
