Throughout their existence, the Los Angeles Chargers have always been known for Chargering things. Unfortunately, this is not a term of endearment. Instead, it’s a painful, one-word reminder that no matter the score, the Chargers find a way to lose in the most spectacular, heartbreaking fashion. In Los Angeles’s Sunday Night Football matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, it felt like the Chargers were about to lose in the most Chargers way imaginable. However, under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles didn’t end up Chargering the game away. Instead, the Chargers found a way to win.
“This team came with more purpose,” linebacker Daiyan Henley said. “Maybe it wasn’t there last year for whatever reason, but right now, we have purpose. We have belief.”
In a meeting with the defense on Saturday, Joey Bosa told his teammates about a feeling that would overcome Chargers teams in big games that they knew they would always somehow lose. But Bosa said he told the group this year that it felt different and that he had a special feeling about this Los Angeles team, which he had never felt in his NFL career.
“Having Coach Harbaugh and having the whole staff, I think, has shifted the culture here,” Bosa said.
He continued: “I feel like we have a shot. … It just feels a little different right now. It feels like if we keep doing what we need to and preparing the way we do, not getting comfortable, and just continuing to improve every week, I think we have a shot at something special.”
When the game is on the line, Jim Harbaugh has electrified the Chargers
Heading into their matchup against Cincinnati, Los Angeles boasted the league’s best-scoring defense, allowing 13.1 points per game. But they had faced the league’s second-easiest schedule, according to ESPN analytics, raising questions about how good this defense was.
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The Bengals were sixth in the league in points per game (26.1), which would be the first test for this unit. Henley said Harbaugh talked to the team Friday about the many criticisms of the defense in motivating his players for Sunday.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles’s 27 points allowed were a season-high for their defense. Their 21 points in the second half were the most they’ve allowed since Week 15 of last season when they gave up 21 to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the defense still got crucial stops late, including a hit on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow that forced an incomplete pass and helped lock up the win.
“Defense was at our best when our best was needed,” Harbaugh said.