The Los Angeles Chargers’ defense starts slowly in its first game under new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary, contributing to a 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. In the matchup, the unit struggles across multiple areas and fails to slow Arizona’s offense effectively.
The hiring follows the departure of Jesse Minter, who leaves to become head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Multiple outlets frame O’Leary’s debut as a test of how much the defense’s performance will drop after that transition, with expectations that the change would be managed smoothly. The early result, however, is characterized as a difficult opening outing for O’Leary’s defense. While the two sources focus on the immediate performance in the Cardinals game, they align on the core storyline: the Chargers’ defensive coordinator in his first appearance cannot prevent a season-opening defeat and the defense shows significant issues right away.
