San Diego Chargers Week 16 Three Phase Analysis
Dec 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85, left) speaks with San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) after the game at Levi
The San Diego Chargers came into Saturday night with their playoff dreams on the line. After a 90-yard touchdown run by Colin Kaepernick in the third quarter, the playoffs seemed lost. It was a good thing that Philip Rivers ate his wheaties on Saturday morning.
Rivers ended up finding Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd in the end zone with 5:15 and 0:29 left on the clock in the game. By the end of the day, the Chargers had defeated the 49ers in OT by a score of 38-35.
With a 9-6 record and the opportunity to advance to the playoffs, the Chargers were incredibly clutch on Saturday night. The defense, while as porous as a sponge at times, stepped it up when needed. Philip Rivers, albeit three interceptions, played outstanding when he needed to. The special teams, lead by punter Mat McBriar, helped seal the deal in overtime with a game-winning 40-yard field goal.
In this article, I will be reviewing all three phases of the Chargers 38-35 win over the 49ers and how each phase played well/what it could improve on.
Looking at this game, the Chargers are lucky to have survived considering their defensive performance. While they did stop the 49ers in the overtime period and recover three fumbles (one for a touchdown), the Bolts had a poor overall defensive effort. In total, the Niners amassed 469 total yards, 355 on the ground and 114 through the air. <p>In terms of pressure on Kaepernick, the Chargers did an alright job. The Bolts sacked Kaepernick twice for a loss of 22 yards and registered three hits on the former Nevada QB.</p> <p>Where the Chargers defense was most effective was in their turnover game. San Diego forced and recovered three fumbles on Saturday night with Corey Liuget returning one of his two fumble recoveries to the house for a touchdown.</p> <p>The Chargers defense was not impressive though in terms of yardage and scoring. Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore combined for 309 rushing yards against the Chargers. Gore started the scoring with a monstrous 52-yard run which was topped by an unbelievable 90-yard touchdown run by QB Colin Kaepernick. 355 yards allowed on the ground is the most rushing yards allowed by a single team this season. Had the Chargers stopped the 49ers rushing attack, they would have won by a much wider margin than they did.</p> <p>In terms of passing, the Bolts had a relatively good performance, allowing Kaepernick to complete 15 of 24 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown. Anquan Boldin caught seven passes for 61 yards.</p> <p>Overall, the Chargers should have lost this game based on their defensive performance. San Diego allowed 355 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Kaepernick, while only throwing for 114 yards, still completed 62.5% of his passes. Without the defensive touchdown and early fumble recovery in overtime, the Chargers should have earned a D- for defense. They’re going to need to step it up on defense if they are going to make it far in the playoffs.</p>. D. San Diego Chargers. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS DEFENSE. C+
Next: Offensive Performance