The Chargers continue their quest for their first win of the season against a familiar foe, traveling to meet former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter in his new digs as the Ravens' head coach.
Here are a few reasons to be optimistic about Los Angeles winning.
Familiar tendencies
Los Angeles should have a good handle on what Minter will call defensively after two seasons as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, even if offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel wasn't on staff then. Baltimore has also struggled defensively in its last three games, giving up 35 to Cincinnati, 36 to Buffalo, and 33 to Jacksonville. Granted, those are three of the best offenses in the league this season, but Monday night should still give the Chargers a chance to put points on the board.
Quarterback carousel
Baltimore
will start its fourth quarterback of the season on Monday, trotting out recently acquired veteran Jacoby Brissett because of long-term injuries to Lamar Jackson (thumb) and Tyler Huntley (turf toe). Due to a short Thursday night turnaround ahead of their game against Jacksonville, the Ravens started undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who made the 53-man roster after initially reporting to Baltimore as a minicamp tryout player last week while waiting for the Brissett trade to go through. The 33-year-old did complete 27-of-37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown against LA in Week 1 as a member of the Cardinals, but he's still learning Baltimore's playbook and is a better matchup than Jackson.
Home struggles
Curiously, Baltimore has gone 5-9 in its last 13 home games dating back to last season, a major factor in the Ravens' decline in record in those two seasons. They're currently on track to go under .500 at home for the second season in a row for the first time since the 2005-06 season, and ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives the Chargers a 54.4% chance to win the game despite their struggles this season. With a team just below the average lines in both offensive and defensive EPA/play, Baltimore is one of the few matchups that doesn't look completely hopeless for LA right now.
Up for primetime
For as bad as the Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert have been this season, they've always gotten up for primetime games under Jim Harbaugh. LA is 6-0 in primetime since 2024 and is 18-8 against the spread in Justin Herbert's career in such games. Monday will be the Chargers' first primetime opportunity this season, and Herbert said this week that he expects to play after Harbaugh told the media imaging did not detect a fracture in Herbert's finger. With a decent matchup and Harbaugh out to prove his student hasn't surpassed him yet, the Chargers might find a level of success that has eluded them so far this year.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: 4 reasons for optimism for Chargers against the Ravens in Week 10
