The Chargers are out of room for bad news, but that’s exactly what they got with Derwin James landing on injured reserve. After Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Rams dropped Los Angeles to 0-7, the defense is now trying to hold itself together without one of its most important voices.
There were brief signs of life against the Rams. The Chargers kept Los Angeles off the board on first downs for the first five Rams possessions and made the game feel manageable early.
For a stretch, they did enough to stay within reach. But the Rams settled in, leaned on the run and pulled away after halftime.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both scored as the Rams took control on the ground, and the Chargers were left chasing a game their offense never really helped them in. That part has become painfully familiar. The defense keeps getting asked to survive long stretches with little support, and the burden only grows now that James is expected to miss at least four games.
That absence hits hard because James is more than just another name on the injury report. He’s a central figure in the secondary, a leader, and a player whose versatility gives the defense options it can’t easily replace.
He can line up in different spots, make adjustments and affect the game in a lot of ways. That kind of presence is hard to duplicate.
Tony Jefferson remains a key piece in the back end, and the Chargers will need younger players to absorb more responsibility. Elijah Molden, Genesis Smith and RJ Mickens are among the players who now have a bigger role in front of them.
At 0-7, there’s no realistic path to pretending this season is suddenly going to turn around. The smarter focus is on evaluation, development and figuring out which players can matter going forward. But that doesn’t mean the standard disappears.
If anything, this is where the leadership piece matters most. It would be easy for frustration to swallow the group after everything that’s gone wrong, but the defense still has to stay accountable and keep competing for one another.
The next test comes against the Houston Texans on November 8, and once again the Chargers will have to find a way to fight without their defensive leader. James will eventually have a chance to return, but the team can’t wait around for that moment to start functioning again.
This season has already gone off the rails. What happens next on defense will still say something about the players in the room. The Chargers need to stay together, because the road ahead doesn’t look any easier.
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