2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 0-7
Chargers defense
Every snap the Chargers defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.04 EPA a play allowed, 9th of 32, and 0.10 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (5th).
- How they playThey blitz on 27% of dropbacks, the 20th-most in the league, and get pressure on 21%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.3 a carry, 21st, and runs outside left gain 7.1 a carry.
- Who hurt themCody White (LV): 24 yards and +5.9 EPA on 2 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Texans, whose offense ranks 13th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.04 | 9th of 32 | 73rd | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | -0.02 | 9th of 32 | 73rd | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.06 | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 44% | 19th of 32 | 42nd | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 10% | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Yards per play | 5.6 | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Yards per carry | 4.3 | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 31% | 3rd of 32 | 92nd |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 5.6% | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 21% | 15th of 32 | 55th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 17% | 10th of 32 | 70th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 2.8% | 6th of 32 | 83rd | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 50% | 10th of 32 | 69th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 2.08 | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.6 | 9th of 32 | 75th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.10 | 5th of 32 | 86th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Chargers. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 6 of 7 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 5 against the Broncos, 0.27 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.05 a play elsewhere, the 1st-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs ARIL 14-26+0.14usual -0.05
vs LVL 14-26-0.10usual +0.04
at BUFL 16-24-0.02usual +0.21
at SEAL 23-30-0.09usual -0.04
vs DENL 17-23-0.27usual +0.00
at KCL 6-22+0.08usual +0.14
at LAL 9-24-0.07usual +0.06Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep left: +0.72 EPA a throw against a league +0.34. The lockdown zone is intermediate middle, -0.10 a throw (league +0.59). Completions against them run 1.5 points over expected, 19th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.3 yards a carry against them, 21st of 32. The leak is outside left: 7.1 a carry and +0.52 EPA (league 5.0, 0.00).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 15.63rd | 132.712th | +0.2014th-toughest | 19.916th-fewest25.316th-fewest30.616th-most |
| Tight ends | 6.03rd | 52.415th | +0.2415th-toughest | 5.87th-fewest8.06th-fewest10.26th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 5.113th | 22.47th | -0.254th-toughest | 20.510th-most22.211th-most23.911th-most |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 13.37th-fewest13.47th-fewest13.57th-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody White | LV | 2 | 24 | 2 | +5.9 |
| Kendrick Bourne | ARI | 8 | 75 | +5.8 | |
| Ty Johnson | BUF | 4 | 50 | +5.8 | |
| Trey McBride | ARI | 13 | 95 | 1 | +3.8 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | 6 | 76 | +3.5 | |
| Tre Tucker | LV | 7 | 119 | 1 | +3.4 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-short (1 to 3): offenses convert 32% against a league 61%. They are stingiest in 3rd down (-0.36 a play, league -0.04) and weakest in the two-minute drill (+0.25, league 0.00).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 187 | -0.03 | +0.02 | -0.04 |
| 2nd down | 132 | +0.12 | +0.00 | +0.12 |
| 3rd down | 83 | -0.36 | -0.04 | -0.32 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 22 | 32% | 61% | −29 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 22 | 45% | 44% | +1 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 39 | 23% | 27% | −3 pts |
| Red zone | 72 | -0.08 | +0.03 | -0.11 |
| Two-minute drill | 45 | +0.25 | 0.00 | +0.25 |
| When they lead | 86 | +0.10 | +0.01 | +0.10 |
| One-score game | 315 | -0.04 | -0.01 | -0.04 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 83 | -0.04 | +0.03 | -0.07 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 27% of dropbacks and average 4.3 rushers; 73% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.23 EPA when they blitz and +0.08 when they do not.
They put 6.5 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 5%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 4.5 a carry; into eight or more, 1.8.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 4 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.08 EPA against them on 24% of throws; screens +0.08.
19 defensive penalties for 193 yards, 17 of them first downs, the 11th-fewest. They miss 8% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 9th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Khalil Mack leads the pass rush with 11 pressures and 3 sacks on 71% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45Tuli TuipulotuLB | 83% | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 29 | 2 |
| 52Khalil MackOLB | 71% | 11 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 21 | |
| 93Teair TartDT | 55% | 4 | 5 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 90Akheem MesidorLB | 54% | 4 | 2.5 | 6 | 2 | 24 | 1 |
| 92Justin EboigbeDT | 52% | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 24 | 1 | |
| 99Jamaree CaldwellDT | 47% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 94Dalvin TomlinsonDE | 34% | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 91Nick BarrettDT | 27% | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 48Bud DupreeOLB | 16% | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Daiyan Henley plays 87% of the snaps with 39 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0Daiyan HenleyLB | 87% | 39 | 1 | 0.5 | 3 | 17 | 93.5 | 2 |
| 53Del'Shawn PhillipsLB | 66% | 36 | 2 | 12 | 102.8 | 4 | ||
| 43Troy DyeLB | 18% | 25 | 2 | 1.5 | 2 | 7 | 74.7 | 1 |
| 58Marlowe WaxLB | 7% | 7 | 1 | 39.6 | ||||
| 50Caleb MurphyLB | 1% | 3 |
Tarheeb Still is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 75.6 passer rating on 20 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4Tarheeb StillCB | 93% | 20 | 11 of 20 | 117 | 1 | 75.6 | 1 | 4 |
| 20Cam HartCB | 91% | 21 | 13 of 21 | 221 | 86.2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 23Tony JeffersonS | 68% | 13 | 9 of 13 | 91 | 1 | 92.7 | 2 | |
| 2Elijah MoldenCB | 53% | 8 | 5 of 8 | 78 | 88.3 | |||
| 22Genesis SmithSAF | 48% | 15 | 10 of 15 | 142 | 2 | 92.8 | 2 | 4 |
| 3Derwin JamesFS | 40% | 11 | 7 of 11 | 43 | 1 | 101.7 | 1 | |
| 27R.J. MickensSAF | 33% | 4 | 3 of 4 | 22 | 82.8 | |||
| 26Donte JacksonCB | 24% | 9 | 6 of 9 | 69 | 85.6 | 2 | ||
| 33Deane LeonardCB | 14% | 5 | 5 of 5 | 56 | 113.3 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.