San Diego Chargers Three Phase Analysis
Dec 7, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell (19) is defended by San Diego Chargers cornerback Steve Williams (23) after making a catch during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Against an offense that has lit up teams such as Cincinnati (43 points), Buffalo (37 points), Chicago (51 points), Denver (43 points), Indianapolis (42 points), and Detroit (34 points), the Chargers defense did a pretty alright job. But, they still allowed 23 points to New England as well as 397 total yards. Tom Brady passed for 317 yards and two touchdowns with a 63.6% completion percentage. Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski both caught eight passes for 141 and 87 yards, respectively. The Bolts were killed by the pass as Edelman caught a 69-yard touchdown pass half-way through the fourth quarter. The running game for the Patriots was relatively controlled as LeGarrette Blount was stopped for 66 yards on 20 carries (a 3.3 yards per carry average). <p>The biggest play for San Diego was a 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Darrell Stuckey. That is one of the main reasons why the Chargers earned the grade they did. Their line backing corps played great football on Sunday Night. If they hadn’t recovered that fumble for a touchdown, the Chargers would have earned probably a C. The Chargers leading defensive player was probably Melvin Ingram. In the entire game he had six total tackles, three tackles for loss, one QB hit and a pass defended. Manti Te’o had an interception as well as three tackles on the night.</p> <p>The Chargers were stringent against the run, but porous against the pass. The defensive front seven, although they had only one sack, stepped it up big. During the game they helped the Chargers gain nine tackles for loss on the Patriots (the most in recent games).</p> <p>The key for the Chargers is getting more consistent pressure on Brady and defending passes deep. It seemed a lot of times the Chargers were leaving too much room on receivers on Sunday. The Pats had four receivers averaging over 10 yards per reception. They need to close those gaps and continue to defend the ball if they are even going to think of a playoff spot.</p>. D. San Diego Chargers. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS DEFENSE. B-