Total Offense
2008:
- 11th in yards per game
- 3rd in yards per play
- 2nd in points per game
- 4th in 3rd down conversion %
- +4 turnovers
2009:
- 16th in yards per game
- 12th in yards per play
- 4th in points per game
- 12th in 3rd down conversion %
- +5 turnovers
Passing Offense
2008:
- 7th in passing yards per game
- 1st in yards per attempt
- 8th in passing plays of 20+ yards
- 9th least sacks allowed
- 5th least interceptions thrown
2009:
- 11th in passing yards per game
- 3rd in yards per attempt
- 6th in passing plays of 20+ yards
- 13th least sacks allowed
- 3rd least interceptions thrown
Rushing Offense
2008:
- 20th in rushing yards per game
- 18th in yards per carry
- 19th in rushing touchdowns
- 12th in rushing plays of 20+ yards
- 1st in least amount of fumbles
2009:
- 29th in rushing yards per game
- 31st in yards per carry
- 12th in rushing touchdowns
- 19th in rushing plays of 20+ yards
- 1st in least amount of fumbles
Editor's Note: This was going to be a purely-stat post, but my god. How have we not realized and stressed repeatedly that the Chargers' key to victory is that they turn over the ball less than any other team in football? For all of the harping that has been done over his early-season playcalling, Norv Turner deserves an insane amount of credit for being able to eliminate mistakes.
If you're looking for a reason why Football Outsiders' computers liked the Chargers so much in the preseason, the lack of turnovers would probably be the best place to start.
Total Defense
2008:
- 25th in yards allowed per game
- 21st in yards allowed per play
- 15th in points allowed per game
- 20th in stopping 3rd down conversions
- 23rd in forced fumbles
2009:
- 14th in yards allowed per game
- 9th in yards allowed per play
- 15th in points allowed per game
- 24th in stopping 3rd down conversions
- 23rd in forced fumbles
Rushing Defense
2008:
- 11th in rushing yards allowed per game
- 11th lowest yards per carry allowed
- 8th least rushing TDs allowed
- 2nd least rushing plays of 20+ yards allowed
2009:
- 21st in rushing yards allowed per game
- 13th lowest yards per carry allowed
- 11th least rushing TDs allowed
- 1st in least amount of rushing plays of 20+ yards allowed
Editor's Note: We haven't gotten to the passing defense yet, but this formula is becoming quite clear. Ron Rivera has fixed whatever problems there were in the secondary, and even though the defense isn't much worse at defending the run teams are choosing to run on them a lot more than they did last season.
Passing Defense
2008:
- 31st in passing yards allowed per game
- 14th in least amount of yards allowed per pass attempt
- 27th in passing TDs allowed
- 11th in interceptions
- 5th least in passing plays of 20+ yards allowed
2009:
- 11th in passing yards allowed per game
- 16th in least amount of yards allowed per pass attempt
- 15th in passing TDs allowed
- 14th in interceptions
- 5th least in passing plays of 20+ yards allowed