Chargers coordinator Gus Bradley needs his defense to do little things in order to get big results against the Broncos

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn wants three things from his defensive players. He wants them to play fast. He wants them to play physical. He wants them to force turnovers.

You don’t win awards with this kind of forward thinking.

It’s an opinion that surely is shared with the 31 other NFL head coaches because a defense that played slow, weak and turnover allergic would be a very, very bad defense.

But the things that separate teams around the league is how they go about accomplishing these unimaginative defensive goals.

The Chargers and their coordinator, Gus Bradley, use an approach that forces opponents to chip away, using small play after small play to make an impact.

And, the defenders have to think the exact same way.

“He talks about it with us all the time — don’t get bored,” Chargers safety Tre Boston said. “There is one out of 65 plays that might be your play and you just need to do exactly what he tells you to do. If you do it the right way, that one play in the game will be yours.

“… It can be hard. But, if you’re doing your job the right way each time, people, they can’t beat us because we’re not beating ourselves.”

If there’s an underlying philosophy to the Chargers’ defense, it’s that.

“What we’re trying to do is limit explosive plays,” Bradley said Thursday. “That’s a big part of it. If we give up an explosive play within a drive, then the chances of them scoring is pretty high. So we’re trying to limit those.”

Bradley winced at the use of the cliche “bend but don’t break” to describe his defense. The implication there is that the Chargers are OK giving up small plays, when in reality, the goal is to snuff those out too.

But with some roster problems, such as depth at linebacker, the Chargers have had to be creative in their bending.

Hayes Pullard might’ve been out of a job after he was waived by Jacksonville in the preseason. Now, he’s the team’s starting middle linebacker until Denzel Perryman returns from injury.

Jatavis Brown and the rest of the linebackers have specific strengths and sizable weaknesses, so the Chargers have been shuffling them in and out based on the situation.

The team also has been experimenting with using a third safety, Adrian Phillips, as a second linebacker in passing situations.

“That’s what we want to do,” Lynn said, “put our guys in positions to make a play.”

Happy home life

The Chargers return to StubHub Center on Sunday for a “home” game after a pair of wins on the road.

While the Chargers’ home stadium has routinely been filled with fans of the opposing team — which surely will happen again against Denver — Lynn said that it shouldn’t ruin the team’s homecoming.

“We try not to concern ourselves with that. We don’t play against the fans, the opposing fans. We play against the Denver Broncos,” Lynn said. “It doesn’t matter who shows up; I believe our crowd will show up. And when we make plays, they stand and they’re loud. I’ve heard them. That really hasn’t been an issue.”

And the cheers for the road teams?

“Me personally, I block it out,” Lynn said. “Once we’re on the field, it’s a football game. You don’t really realize what’s going on around you, and hopefully, that’s what the guys have their focus on — on the football team.”

Etc.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen (shoulder) joined running back Melvin Gordon (shoulder) as limited participants Thursday. “He’s fine,” Lynn said of Gordon. “Most running backs in Week 6 are on the injury report. He’s just a little banged up.” … Defensive tackle Corey Liuget (back) is day to day and could miss Sunday’s game. If he does, reserve Darius Philon will be in line for the start. … Phillips, who was in the concussion protocol after the team’s win in Oakland, returned for limited participation Thursday.

dan.woike@latimes.com

Twitter: @DanWoikeSports