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Chargers defense looks dangerous

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Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin is a former Olympic long jumper who once leaped 27 feet 4 inches. It’s quite possible he flew even farther when Eric Weddle hit him Sunday.

The fourth-quarter collision, which left Goodwin dazed and Weddle jazzed, blew up on the Internet as the Chargers closed in on their 22-10 win. And while it may not have been the most important play of the afternoon, it hammered home the following theme: When the Bills had the ball, it wasn’t going to end well.

Praise Philip Rivers and his receiving corps all you want, but it was the Chargers’ defense that won the game Sunday. The front seven and secondary kept Buffalo in a holding cell for four quarters.

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Yes, the Bills managed 10 points and produced 292 yards of offense. But that big play? That momentum-changing moment? It was as absent as the rain projected before the game.

“They executed the plan that Coach (John) Pagano and the rest of the staff had for them,” said Chargers coach Mike McCoy. “It’s a number of players. You look out there and there’s different guys coming and going.”

OK, so that wasn’t the most poetic quote in the world, but there are two points within it worth examining. The first is the defensive strategy, which couldn’t have gone more according to plan.

The Chargers entered the game focused on stopping the run and making quarterback EJ Manuel beat them. They accomplished the former... and watched Manuel fall well short of the latter.

Through the two quarters, San Diego held the Buffalo running backs to 24 yards rushing on nine carries. The long run for C.J. Spiller was six yards and Fred Jackson three.

The normally raucous Ralph Wilson Stadium fans had few opportunities to show off their larynxes. And by halftime, the Bills posted a measly three points.

That said, it is the second half of McCoy’s quote that warrants the most attention -- the part which emphasized the collective effort. This wasn’t the Chargers’ front seven carrying the load or the secondary bailing them out -- this was a defense sporting a conspicuous lack of weaknesses.

It had Dwight Freeney and Corey Liuget terrorizing the quarterback. It had Jarret Johnson holding firm on the edge. It had Brandon Flowers locking down his assignment. And it had Weddle simply being Eric Weddle.

This top-to-bottom consistency was most evident in the fourth quarter. Despite having the wind to its back, the Chargers’ offense more or less disappeared in the final 15 minutes, creating myriad opportunities for Buffalo to come back.

But on five separate drives, the Bolts held the Bills scoreless -- sacking Manuel, forcing a safety, and doing whatever else necessary to keep their two-score lead intact. Did it help that Manuel struggled mightily in the wind? Sure. But it helped more that the Charges provided the key play whenever needed.

“We just huddled everyone up and said regardless of what our offense is we have to get the ball back to the offense,” Weddle said. “That’s when it’s fun, when we’re out there flying around and having fun, everyone doing what they’re supposed to do and we’re really doing the right things to start climbing towards a really good defense.”

There were certainly moments last year when the defense shined for this football team. The Chargers holding the Bengals to 10 points in the wildcard game may speak most loudly to this point.

But in general, the pass rush was lacking and the secondary invisible. Now? Both actually look pretty strong.

You can’t discount a healthy Freeney or the additions of Flowers and rookie defensive back Jason Verrett. You can’t overlook Liuget’s explosiveness, Donald Butler’s savvy or Weddle’s Pro Bowl precision, either.

And while there are certainly question marks -- linebacker Manti Te’o and defensive end Kendall Reyes being among the most prominent -- this is no longer a D that just needs to survive, but one that can thrive.

After the game, Chargers cornerback Shareece Wright was asked just how hard it is to score on his team’s defense, to which he responded “as hard as we make it.”

Three games into this season, they’re making it look pretty tough.

San Diego Chargers 22, Buffalo Bills 10

9/21/2014 at Ralph Wilson Stadium

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