The LA Chargers' defense was exposed on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The top-scoring defense in the league, which benefitted from playing subpar defenses and quarterbacks, allowed Baker Mayfield and the Bucs to gain over 500 yards of offense and score 40 points.
It was a bad day at the office for the Chargers, who cannot afford to replicate the effort on Thursday against the Denver Broncos. Big playoff implications are on the line Thursday that could give the Chargers a turbulent road ahead with a loss.
While there are still underlying concerns with the defense such as Cam Hart's injury status, there is at least some good news for the Chargers in Week 16. Nothing is concrete yet but veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman is on track to make his return against the Broncos.
Denzel Perryman says the plan is for him to play Thursday night. He's missed the last four games with a groin injury.
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) December 18, 2024
Denzel Perryman returning from injury would be a huge shot in the arm for the Chargers
One player does not make up an entire defense, especially if they are not on the superstar level (which Perryman is not). However, there has been a noticeable difference in Jesse Minter's defense without Perryman in the lineup.
The most tangible difference is in run defense, where Perryman has been solely missed. Los Angeles ranked fourth in the NFL in rush EPA on defense with Perryman in the lineup and have ranked 23rd since his injury.
Perryman alone may not be worth that big of a discrepancy as quality of opponent matters in this context as well. However, he undoubtedly does make a difference in defending the run and stifling the run against the Broncos is a key to success on Thursday.
Perryman brings a level of physicality to this defense and has truly emerged as a leader of men for the Chargers this season. This is exactly what the team needs after the worst showing of the year not just from a talent standpoint but from a mindset standpoint as well.
Plus, Perryman came away with one of the most important plays of the entire game last time the Chargers played the Broncos. Perryman thwarted Denver's two-point conversion attempt midway through the fourth quarter that would have made it an eight-point game.
Perryman's play was key as it kept it a two-score game, allowing the Chargers to play more conservatively to milk away the clock. This forced Denver to kick a 40-yard field goal with one minute left in the game to cut the lead to seven, allowing the Chargers to ie it by recovering the onside kick.
Without that play, Denver would have had a minute to score from the 22-yard line to potentially tie the game with a two-point conversion. And who knows, that could have led to a completely different outcome, which would have had a huge domino effect on the AFC playoff picture.
Whether he makes a game-saving play or not, Perryman's potential return to the Chargers defense on Thursday will be massive for the Bolts.