SAN DIEGO -- Call the Chargers' run defense what you will -- "Jekyll and Hyde" or "schizophrenic" should suffice for a group that has been inconsistent all season.

That explains how the Chargers can allow an NFL-record rushing total to a rookie and then shut down two of the league's finest runners over the next three weeks.

"It's just like our team," Chargers safety Eric Weddle said. "Some days we play great, and sometimes we play bad. It's inconsistency, and we're trying to eliminate that."

The front seven took the first step toward that goal in Sunday's 32-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. They allowed just 56 yards on 20 carries and held Willis McGahee, the NFL's No. 3 rusher entering the game, to his second-lowest total of the season.

Only time will tell if a positive trend is in the making, but recent returns suggest there might be. Since getting gashed for 378 yards by Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings, the Chargers have allowed just 3.04 yards per carry. That's impressive against such rushing talent as Indianapolis' Joseph Addai, Jacksonville's Fred Taylor and McGahee.

Sunday's shutdown was their finest in six weeks. The formula for success wasn't rocket science.

"Honestly, it has to do with us tackling well, getting to our responsibilities," defensive end Ryon Bingham said.

The concept is so basic that fellow defensive lineman Jacques Cesaire felt inclined to interrupt with an elementary question.

"Can you spell that?" Cesaire asked his teammate.

"Tackle?" Bingham said. "Let's see, T-A-C-K-L-E."

Spelling it right and doing it well are two different things. The Chargers have the personnel to shut down most rushing attacks. Realizing that potential will go a long way toward a much-needed late-season resurgence.

"As long as we execute," Bingham said, "there aren't many people that can do anything (against) us."

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.