The have one of the leagues best quarterbacks in .Yet, if Los Angeles is going to make the playoffs for the second straight season it will be up to the defense to hit its stride.Because if one thing has become apparent during what has Bruce Brown Jr. Jersey been a rollercoaster first half of the season for the Chargers, it is this they can mostly adjust when Herbert and the offense struggles, not the other way around.Brandon Staleys defense had one of its best games since he became coach in 2021 during Monday nights 27-6 victory over the . The Chargers held the Jets to a pair of field goals, forced three turnovers, sacked Zach Wilson eight times and held New York to only three third down conversions in 17 attempts.ADVERTISEMENT During the Chargers 4-4 start, the defense was unable to hold late leads in lo ses the first two weeks against and . Kenneth Murray Jr. made a pivotal interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter in the Sept. 24 win against .They won on Monday night despite only getting 191 yards. It is only the fifth time in franchise history, and first since 2007, the Chargers have won a game when gaining fewer than 200 yards.The only person who might not be wondering if the Chargers are hitting their stride is Staley."Theres no stride to be hit. This is just one week against the Jets in November," he said.NFL Rankings: Joe Burrow leads Bengals' rise, Falcons fall & Vikings gaining steam? While the wins against the and Jets the past two weeks have been with and Wilson at quarterback not and there are some signs that the Chargers may be able to carry some momentum on defense with , and n looming over the next four weeks.A healthy something that has rarely been said over the past couple of Wilson Chandler Jersey seasons has 3 1/2 sacks in the past two games. The Chargers and Miami Dolphins are the only teams in the league to have four players with at least four sacks. is tied for third in the league with nine, Bosa has 6 1/2 followed by 5 1/2 and rookie four.The run defense has also improved, allowing only 89.8 yards per game, sixth best in the league."The reason why were able to rush the way we are is because of the way were playing against the run and thats been the secret, thats been the formula to our succe s." Staley said.The steady play of the front seven also takes the pre sure off cornerbacks and , who have struggled.WHATS WORKINGThird down pre sure. The Chargers have a league-leading 18 sacks on third down Kyrie Irving Jersey , including six against the Jets. The six takedowns of Wilson on third down are tied for the third most in a game since 1991.WHAT NEEDS HELPFinding a second receiver. season-ending knee injury in Week 3 was a huge blow, but r being sidelined for at least the next three games is another hurdle the Chargers need to overcome. Herbert needs to develop more confidence in first-round pick while Jalen Guyton made his season debut on Monday night after mi sing 13 months with a knee injury. Johnston had only two catches for 14 yards Monday night, but was in for a season-high 83.9% of the offensive plays (47 of 56 snaps).STOCK UPWR/PR . The fourth-round pick leads the league in punt return average (16.6 yards per return) after his 87-yard touchdown during the first quarter to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead. Taking out the touchdown, Davis is averaging 11.2 yards, which would be sixth in the NFL. Nine of his 14 returns have Julius Erving Jersey gone for at least 10 yards.STOCK DOWNRT The fifth-year pro has allowed five sacks after giving up only three last season. Pa s protection is starting to become a concern after Herbert was sacked five times for the second time in the past three games.Is Daniel Jones' future with the Giants in JEOPARDY after torn ACL injury? INJURIESCenter (non-football injury) and Palmer are on injured reserve with no timetable to Tyler Johnson Jersey return.KEY NUMBER2 Players that have at least 10,000 receiving yards with the Chargers. joined on Monday in style, with an tremendous 23-yard catch during the fourth quarter. The ball was over Allens head, but he spun and grabbed it with one hand as he was going to the ground."The catch was fire. I felt pretty good about it on the field," said Allen, who has 10,007 yards on 858 catches during his 11-year career.NEXT STEPSThe Chargers are 2-0 against the NFC North this season, but face a difficult test on Sunday when they host Detroit. The Lions are the first of three current division leaders the Bolts will face during the second half of the season.Reporting by The A sociated Pre s.