3 realistic goals for the Chargers defense during the 2022 season
By Jason Reed
2. Force more takeaways
The LA Chargers, despite having talent on the defensive side of the ball, have not been a team that takes the ball away much on the defensive side. While the Bolts did see improvements in this area under Brandon Staley, they still were not a team that was able to capitalize on giving its offense more possessions.
The Chargers ranked 18th in takeaways last season. That is not horrible, but improving that slightly and sneaking into the top 10 would make a world of difference for the Bolts. That is exactly why the team brought in J.C. Jackson and JT Woods.
Jackson leads the league in interceptions over the last two seasons and if he could just pick off five passes in 2022 that would be a huge improvement for LA. Woods, meanwhile, is an athletic ball-hawking safety that can make plays on the ball and also opens up Derwin James to play more positions on defense, which will result in more takeaways.
The offense is already going to be one of the best in the league and if the Chargers can get that handful of extra takeaways throughout the season it is going to make a massive difference. Justin Herbert and co. are already going to be very hard to stop. Giving them the ball back in a short field will make it even worse.
Something as small as five extra takeaways in the course of the entire season would have put the Chargers in the top 10. That is what the team should be aiming for.