Chargers' defense sends early message under Chris O'Leary

The Chargers came away with their first win of the preseason on Thursday against the Texans, 27-7.

Los Angeles held the Texans offense to a touchdown, which came in the first quarter. After that, defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary's unit was suffocating, completely dominating the trenches and stifling Houston's pass attack. 

Through one game under O'Leary, it appears that the defense will pick up right where it left off under Jesse Minter. Minter was the Chargers' defensive coordinator for the last two seasons, but left Los Angeles to become the head coach of the Ravens. 

As Daniel Popper of The Athletic noted, O'Leary's defense is not a carbon copy of Minter's, but there are similarities. 

"The Chargers gave up some yardage on the ground, but their pass defense was excellent against a pretty established backup in Davis Mills. The Texans totaled just 105 passing yards. They averaged 4.8 yards per attempt.

"Sound familiar? It should. This was the DNA of Jesse Minter’s Chargers defenses. Playing with fewer bodies in the box leads to some disadvantageous looks in run defense, but it allows the defense to play suffocating coverage. O’Leary’s unit executed the vision effectively in Houston."

Under Minter, the Chargers defense was an above-average group. Last season alone, they ranked in the top 10 of many major categories, including fifth in total defense, fifth in passing defense, eighth in rushing defense, and ninth in scoring defense. 

Jim Harbaugh was more than pleased with all three phases of his team after the preseason opener. 

"Overall, offense, defense, special teams, I really thought our players took the coaching that they had," Harbaugh said.

"I thought he called a really good game. Loved the three and outs, loved the fourth downs stops," Harbaugh said of Chris O'Leary's defense. "Calm, cool, collected the whole night."

O'Leary is expected to maintain the defensive foundation that Minter built in his tenure, while also implementing a more aggressive scheme featuring higher pressure and blitz rates.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' defense sends early message under Chris O'Leary