When the Los Angeles Chargers defense took the field for its wild card matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, the unit used an unusual alignment against a team that has its strengths primarily in the running game. The Chargers and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley employed a 3-1-7 defense on the first offensive play of the day: three down-linemen, one linebacker, and seven defensive backs — a look the Ravens would see a lot.
In fact, the visitors from L.A. used the alignment on nearly every defensive play as the team had seven players in its secondary on 60 of 61 snaps.