No. 2: Possibly the Best Defense in the Division

Losing cornerback Jason Verrett to a torn Achilles stinks. But by no means is it the worst scenario possible.

No, L.A.’s defense is still potent, and it’s arguably the best within the AFC West.

Oh, and it helps to have edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram in the equation. All these two managed to do last year is register a combined 23 sacks last season. There isn’t a better one-two outside pass rush in the NFL right now.

And the rookie, Uchenna Nwosu? Well, the USC edge rusher has looked awesome in preseason action. Yet another bonus for the Chargers pass rush. Fellow rookie Derwin James is another player who will help keep defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s pass defense within the top five where it was last year.

If there’s an area of concern for L.A. this season, it’s the run defense. Last year, the Chargers ranked dead last in average yards per carry allowed (4.9). One hope is defensive tackle Corey Liuget improves upon his run-stopping efforts from a year ago. Same with strong safety Jahleel Addae.

But chew on this — even with that paltry run-stopping mark last year, the Chargers still allowed the third fewest points in the NFL last season (272). And the 5,254 all-purpose yards given up was in the middle of the pack.

Maybe the run defense isn’t that important after all in today’s pass-happy league.

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