EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Admirers of defensive football should be in for a treat when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
The Chargers (5-3) — winners of two straight and three of their last four — allow a league-low 12.6 points per game. They are also the sixth club since 1990 and the first since the 2019 Patriots to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first eight games.
The Titans (2-6) have NFL’s top-ranked unit in overall defense (269.1 yards per game) and against the pass (155.8 ypg).
Tennessee forced a season-high three turnovers in last Sunday’s 20-17 overtime victory over New England, snapping a three-game skid. Safety Amani Hooker picked off two passes, including the final play of the game, and has all three interceptions by the Titans this season.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert has not been picked off in his last six games.
“He’s getting the ball out quick,” Hooker said. “The receivers are getting open to the spots, you know, where he likes to make the throws, and he’s doing a good job of just not turning over the ball.”
The Titans have held seven of eight opponents under 200 passing yards this season. A significant reason for that is the pressure they've put on quarterbacks.
Tennessee has four sacks in each of the past two games. Outside linebacker Arden Key has had four sacks in the past three weeks.
The Titans will face a Chargers offensive line allowing a 39.7% quarterback pressure rate, the fourth-highest in the league. Justin Herbert was sacked a career-high six times in last Sunday’s 27-10 win at Cleveland.
“They play a really sound scheme. They like to try to squeeze you and keep everything in front of you and make you go the long way,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
The Chargers have one of the most improved units in the league in coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s first season in Los Angeles. They are eighth in total defense (303.8 yards per game) and eighth against the run (107.9 yards per game).
“So far, it’s going well. But like I always say, it’s a week-to-week league. You can’t sit around going, ‘Hey, look where we’re at right now.’ Happy with where we’re at and always trying to chase ways to get better,” Minter said.
Tennessee quarterback Will Levis will get the start after missing the last three games with a sprained AC joint in his right throwing shoulder.
After some early-season concerns, the Chargers' receivers are beginning to show their potential.
Ladd McConkey is tied for third among rookies with 35 receptions and has five straight games with at least four catches. Quentin Johnston is coming off a career-high 118 yards last week after missing two games with an ankle injury, and Josh Palmer’s last four receptions have gone for at least 26 yards, including a 28-yard TD at Cleveland.
Chargers defensive back Elijah Molden has been anticipating this game since the Titans traded him on Aug. 29. Molden leads Los Angeles with three interceptions and is fifth in tackles with 32.
“Part of the reason I asked for a trade or to be released from the Titans is because I believed my best football was ahead of me. I wanted to play a lot and contribute, and I’m doing that right now,” Molden said.
Molden isn’t the only former Titan who has helped the Chargers this season. Cornerback Kristian Fulton has started six of the seven games he has played but might miss a second straight week with a hamstring strain. Defensive lineman Teair Tart blocked a field goal last week at Cleveland, and linebacker Bud Dupree is averaging 35 snaps per game.
Fulton and Tart were with Tennessee for four seasons (2020-23), while Dupree was there for two (2021-22). Titans defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day was with the Chargers for the past two seasons.
Titans coach Brian Callahan said running back Tony Pollard might not have to practice again if he can play the way he did last week when an injured foot sidelined him from practice. Pollard responded with a season-high 128 yards rushing on a career-high 28 carries. He also had 26 yards receiving for 154 yards from scrimmage, the second-best game in his career.
“It sounds good, but I’m one of those guys I got to go out there and practice it for full speed so I can have a feel for what it’s going to be like the game,” Pollard said.
Pollard might be getting some help in the backfield. Running back Tyjae Spears has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury. The Titans are happiest when they can mix and match the pair.
The home team has won the last eight meetings in the series, including Tennessee’s 27-24 overtime victory last season.
The Titans have not won a road game against the Chargers since 1990 when they were the Houston Oilers, and Warren Moon threw for 355 yards in a 17-7 victory at San Diego. They have lost nine straight — seven in San Diego, one in London in 2018, and a 17-14 defeat in 2022 in the Chargers’ current home.
AP Pro Football Writer Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack smiles as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) intercepts a pass intended for New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) to end the game in overtime of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) for a 6-yard loss in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) smiles as he leaves the filed following an overtime win over the New England Patriots in an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster, with some experts saying that the airliner was damaged by Russian air defense fire.
Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea.
The plane went down about 3 kilometers (around 2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft lying upside down in the grass.
As the official crash investigation started, theories abounded about a possible cause, with some experts alleging that holes seen in the plane’s tail section possibly indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.
Ukrainian drones had previously attacked Grozny, the provincial capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, and other regions in the country’s North Caucasus. An official in Chechnya said another drone attack on the region was fended off on Wednesday, although federal authorities didn't report it.
On Thursday, national flags were lowered across Azerbaijan, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence.
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.
“The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” he said.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.
According to Kazakh officials, those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals. Russia's Emergencies Ministry on Thursday flew nine Russian survivors to Moscow for treatment.
Mark Zee of OPSGroup, which monitors the world’s airspace and airports for risks, said that the analysis of the images of fragments of the crashed plane indicate that it was almost certainly hit by a surface-to-air missile, or SAM.
“Much more to investigate, but at high level we'd put the probability of it being a SAM attack on the aircraft at being well into the 90-99% bracket,” he said.
Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.” Osprey provides analysis for carriers still flying into Russia after Western airlines halted their flights during the war.
Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.
“This incident is a stark reminder of why we do what we do,” Nicholson wrote online. “It is painful to know that despite our efforts, lives were lost in a way that could have been avoided.”
Caliber, an Azerbaijani news website, claimed that the airliner was fired upon by a Russian Pantsyr-S air defense system as it was approaching Grozny. It questioned why Russian authorities failed to close the airport despite the apparent drone raid in the area. Khamzat Kadyrov, head of Chechnya's Security Council, said that air defenses downed drones attacking the region on Wednesday.
Caliber also asked why Russian authorities didn't allow the plane to make an emergency landing in Grozny or other Russian airports nearby after it was hit.
Asked about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defense assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”
Kazakhstan’s parliamentary Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev also warned against rushing to conclusions based on pictures of the plane’s fragments, describing the allegations of air defense fire as unfounded and “unethical.”
Other officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.
Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Aida Sultanova in London, contributed to this report.
In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev holds a meeting in Baku, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 following an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane crash. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Flowers and portraits are placed at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)
In this image taken from video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers transport wounded passengers from a medical plane after the Azerbaijani Airline crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, center, holds a meeting following an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane crash, in Baku, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)
The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Azamat Sarsenbayev)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
