The Los Angeles Chargers are getting settled in for a run of home games through Thanksgiving as they prepare to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Inglewood, Calif.
While the Chargers are playing the first of three consecutive home games that will complete their November commitments, the Titans will be playing their only game this season west of the Central time zone.
Tennessee is expected to mark the occasion with the return of quarterback Will Levis from a shoulder injury.
The Chargers (5-3) are 2-1 at home, including a 26-8 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 27 that started their current two-game winning streak.
Last Sunday, the Chargers earned a 27-10 road victory against the Cleveland Browns as quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 250 of his 282 yards in the first half, with two touchdowns. The Los Angeles defense did not allow a TD until the final minute of the game.
That Chargers defense has not allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points this season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and leads the NFL with 12.6 points allowed per game. The unit is eighth in rushing yards allowed per game (107.9) and total yards allowed (303.8).
Elijah Molden, Alohi Gilman and Tarheeb Still all had interceptions for the Chargers on Sunday, while Tuli Tuipulotu and Morgan Fox each had multiple sacks.
“(The defense) is complicated for the (opposing) offense to understand, but not for us,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said, according to The Orange County Register. “That means there’s always two people around the check-down tackles. There’s always somebody tipping the ball. There’s never anybody one-on-one. There’s a lot of people around the ball.”
James has 45 tackles, third on the team, while Khalil Mack leads with 4.5 sacks. Linebackers Denzel Perryman (toe) and Mack (groin) did not practice Wednesday, while cornerback Kristian Fulton (hamstring) also was out. Edge rusher Joey Bosa (hip) was limited.
The Titans (2-6) ended a three-game losing skid with a 20-17 overtime victory at home over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Like the Chargers’ defense, the Tennessee defense is one of the best in the NFL. The Titans will provide a challenge for Herbert with an NFL-best 155.8 passing yards allowed per game and 269.1 yards allowed. Still, Tennessee’s 26.6 average points allowed is better than just five teams.
And that has put pressure on the offense, which is averaging 17.5 points per game, again better than just five teams. The Titans are second to last in the NFL with 170.8 passing yards per game.
Levis is taking on an extra workload in practice this week in anticipation of his return after missing three games.
“The hope is that Will steps into an improved (offensive) unit as a whole from when he was last in the lineup,” Titans head coach Brian Callahan said. “I think that is going to go a long way, and then Will has to do his part. He’s got to be able to complete the ball and do a nice job managing it and protecting it.”
Mason Rudolph threw for 240 yards with two TDs and an interception against the Patriots, and had four TDs with four interceptions in three starts, while delivering a 1-2 record.
Levis passed for just 139.8 yards per game in five starts to open the season, with five TDs and seven interceptions. He had a 1-4 record. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been much improved since Levis went out, with 18 of his 27 receptions over the past three games for 258 yards.
“There was a rapport that Mason and Calvin built that was really positive,” Callahan said. “But more of it was Calvin understanding where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be there. Now Will has to do his part to get back on that page.”
The Titans placed center Lloyd Cushenberry (Achilles) and safety Quandre Diggs (foot) on injured reserve Wednesday, while cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (quad) did not practice. Cushenberry and Diggs are expected to miss the rest of the season.
The Chargers placed linebacker Junior Colson (ankle) and wide receiver Simi Fehoko (elbow) on IR and signed wide receiver Jalen Reagor to the active roster from the practice squad.
