Dec 14, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) yells at referees after a replay went against the Chargers during the third period against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The San Diego Chargers are coming off of two straight losses to the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos at home by scores of 23-14 and 22-10, respectively. The Chargers offense has scored only two touchdowns in the past two games after scoring 24.6 points per game in their three game winning streak.
This Sunday, the Chargers will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco. The Niners come into the game after losing three straight games to the Seahawks and lonely Raiders.
At 8-6, the Chargers have a potential for a playoff spot, but will need some miracles to happen before we can officially count them in. First, they need to win Sunday’s game against San Francisco. By containing Colin Kaepernick, executing on special teams and having Philip Rivers produce adequate numbers, the San Diego Chargers can become one leap closer to the playoffs.
Philip Rivers Needs to Complete Passes
As highlighted in my last post (click
), Philip Rivers was not on point at all in his past two games. Against New England and Denver, Rivers averaged 210 yards, 1.5 interceptions and 59.55% completion. In his past four games, Rivers has thrown five interceptions. Those are not numbers that you want to see from your franchise quarterback.This Sunday, the Bolts will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers are their old, but battle-tested squad. This season, the 49ers rank third in passing yards (206.0 yards per game) and eighth in rushing yards allowed per game (101.1 yards per game).At the same time though, their defense has been defeated by the likes of the Bears, Rams and Raiders.This Sunday, Philip Rivers will need to be on if the Chargers are going to win. Philip Rivers, without a healthy Ryan Mathews, is a recipe for disaster. If Rivers can compensate for the lack of a running game, the Chargers should see success. However, that is a big “If.” Rivers’ top target (sophomore WR Keenan Allen) is out this week and will rely heavily on Malcolm Floyd or Antonio Gates.It is key for Rivers to complete his passes, too. Turning the ball over twice late in the fourth quarter is a not acceptable from Rivers. This Sunday, the Chargers will go into San Francisco to take on a defense which (albeit injury-prone) has held QBs to under 200 yards six times. Rivers can buck the trend if he finds his receivers early and doesn’t make any poor decisions late in the game.One problem could be the San Fran defensive line. The 49ers have sacked opposing QBs a total of 10 times in the past three games. The Chargers held the Broncos high-octane defense to zero sacks last week. I believe that another zero-sack performance could mean a San Diego Win.
Regardless of what his receivers or other teammates do, this win is ultimately on Philip Rivers shoulders. Had he played better, he would have been able to beat the Pats and the Broncos. This week’s word is redemption and it’s spelled R-I-V-E-R-S.
Next: Dail Up Defensive Pressure on Colin Kaepernick