Eric Weddle Leading Stunning San Diego Chargers Defensive Turnaround

It was no secret that the offense carried the defense for the San Diego Chargers in 2013. Quarterback Philip Rivers orchestrated a strangely efficient ball-control offense that led the league in plays per drive and yards per drive. His defense led the league in the same categories, which gave Rivers no margin for error against good offenses.  

Now, everyone from writers such as Peter King of The MMQB to film junkies such as Bleacher Report featured columnist Cian Fahey seems to agree that Rivers is the leading candidate at the quarter pole to win MVP. The NFL also named Rivers the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month for September.

Yet the only real difference between Rivers’ 2013 and 2014 performances through four games is the play of safety Eric Weddle and the rest of the defense. That’s not to take anything away from Rivers, who has more leeway to make errors and isn’t doing so.

Year	Comp.	Att.	Yards	Comp. %	TD	INT	Yards/Att
2013	105	142	1199	73.9%	11	2	8.44
2014	96	137	1155	70.1%	9	1	8.43
Difference	-9	-5	-44	-3.8%	-2	-1	-.01

General manager Tom Telesco focused most of his offseason resources on the defensive side of the ball, and it seems to be paying off despite myriad injuries. The stabilizing force is Weddle, who has regained his All-Pro level of play after what can now be considered a down year.  

The addition of cornerback Brandon Flowers, in particular, has given Weddle the freedom to make plays again.

“It’s just awesome to have someone back there who is playing at a high level and believes in himself, believes he’s the best player on the field and plays like it,” Weddle said via Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. “And in that, brings up the level of play of everyone on the field.”

Flowers is certainly helping Weddle, who hasn't missed a tackle all season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). It’s the first time since 2010 he’s gone four games without at least one miss. It was also the last year Pro Football Focus gave one of San Diego’s starting cornerbacks a positive grade.

Weddle can trust his coverage, which is leading to more big plays for the veteran safety. Weddle made a big stop against the Buffalo Bills that demonstrated this trust of himself and his teammate, but it got considerably less exposure than his big hit on wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.

With just 14 seconds left in the first half, Weddle is forced to make a choice between coming up and making a play on a short pass to running back Fred Jackson or covering the tight end. The Chargers have help deep, but the coverage is rolling away from Weddle’s side of the field based on the movement of the wide receivers.

GameRewind

Weddle ends up tackling Jackson for no gain, but the result of the play was not as important as the process. A play like this can become a big play for the Chargers in the future, which is the lifeblood of any good defense in the NFL. It doesn’t take much for a play like this to become a tipped pass, a fumble or an interception for a touchdown.

If Weddle doesn’t trust the coverage behind him, he’s worried about the tight end making a big catch over his head and isn’t able to make the play. It was the recently benched EJ Manuel throwing the ball, but he won’t be the only quarterback prone to making mistakes the Chargers play this season.

In coverage, Weddle has already defensed two passes after having just two last season, per Pro Football Focus. Weddle also already has his first interception of the year after not getting one until Week 13 last season.

Better coverage outside the numbers has forced opposing offense to attack areas where Weddle is more likely to be roaming. Weddle is making the plays he needs to make, and the result has been the defense getting off the field.

The Chargers allowed a league-worst 7.1 net yards per pass attempt last season, but they have improved to 6.1 net yards per pass attempt so far this season. The defense is also allowing fewer first downs through the air despite facing a similar number of pass attempts per game.

Year	Plays	Yards	Points	Time	Drive Start
Year	Plays	Yards	Points	Time	Drive Start
2013 Offense	6.6	34.0	2.44	3:14	Own 27.6
2014 Offense	6.6	37.7	2.33	3:13	Own 33.8
2013 Defense	6.0	35.2	1.98	2:39	Own 23.8
2014 Defense	5.5	30.3	1.51	2:31	Own 22.3

Collectively, the defense is allowing just 1.51 points per defensive drive after allowing 1.98 last season. That may not seem like much, but it extrapolates to 5.64 points per game allowed to a defense facing the average number of drives last year (192).

Considering the Chargers lost three games by four points or less, two games by a touchdown and another game by eight points last season, the defensive turnaround could be worth several wins if they can keep it up.

So far, the defensive improvement has helped disguise the lack of a running game. The Chargers are averaging a league-low 2.4 yards per carry, but it hasn’t impact Rivers, because the defense is getting him the ball back in better field position.

The Chargers' average drive start is from the 34 yard line (33.8 to be exact), which is not only the best in the league through the first month but also an improvement of five yards over last year. The Kansas City Chiefs had the best average drive start last season, which disguised an average offense, but the Chargers don’t have an average offense.

As long as injuries don’t continue to take their toll on San Diego’s revamped defense, you can expect more big plays from Weddle’s gang.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro-Football-Reference.com.