What Panthers DC Ejiro Evero said about facing Jim Harbaugh's Chargers this week

Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has previous experience working with this week's opponent.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh catches the ball for quarterback Justin Herbert (10) as he warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This week the Carolina Panthers will be hosting the Los Angeles Chargers in their 2024 home opener. While it's far from the most-compelling matchup on the NFL's schedule on Sunday, the game does feature one of the biggest names in the business. Fresh off winning a national title at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach of LA this offseason. Harbaugh has immediately become the face of the organization, even over superstar quarterback Justin Herbert, who's a fringe top-five starter in the league when he's healthy.

However, Harbaugh is a bit old school when it comes to his football philosophy and the Chargers have embraced a heavy rushing attack as expected, despite having one of the NFL's best passers in their backfield. Last week running back J.K. Dobbins went off for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Chargers' 22-10 win.

Dobbins and the rest of the Chargers running backs will present a real challenge for the Panthers, who just lost their best run stopper for the season when Derrick Brown went down with a meniscus tear. Here's what defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero told reporters today about what to expect from Harbaugh, who he's worked with before, per David Newton at ESPN.

Ejiro Evero on expectations for Jim Harbaugh

"You just know that Jim's teams - that's gonna be an organizational decision in how they play, starting up front on both sides of the ball. Being physical, running the football, and so it's not gonna be a surprise to us what's going to happen on Sunday. We have to be ready for it."

Even with Derrick Brown in the lineup last week the Panthers gave up 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground against the Saints, who nearly averaged five yards per carry. Fixing those issues without Brown up front presents a real conundrum for Evero and head coach Dave Canales. They'll either find a way to collectively contain the Chargers' rushing attack, or they'll get run over.

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