Chargers vs. Bengals

If the Chargers don't experience a let down this week, they should beat the Cincinatti Bengals at home. The Bengals pose some unique challenges for San Diego, with a strong running game and defense, but once again it's hard to see how the Cincinatti defense can contend with all the Chargers' weapons.

Cincinatti has two of the best cornerbacks in the league in Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. They may be able to take away the outside passing game and the deep game. This will actually be an interesting challenge for the Chargers' huge wide receivers: How do they match-up against two fast, capable corners? Will they be able use their height advantage against these guys?

Even if the Bengals are able to shut down Jackson and Floyd, it's unclear how they're going to cover Antonio Gates. Against other opponents, Cincinatti attempted to cover the tight end or slot receiver with linebacker Ray Maualuga. While he's a strong run defender (I wish the Chargers would have drafted him) who is a big part of the Bengals' success this season, he's just not fast enough to keep up with Gates, Naanee, and Sproles. Look for one or all three of these guys to have big days catching passes across the middle and out of the backfield.

On the other side of the ball, the Bengals have shown a bruising running game with Cedric Benson and not much passing. They haven't scored a lot of points this season, but have played great defense and controlled the clock on offense. I don't think that formula will work today. With Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco, some think the Bengals should be able to explode at any time, but it just hasn't happened this year and it's unlikely to change this late in the season. Some have theorized that Carson Palmer's arm isn't healthy, others that the offensive line, while strong in the running game, can't pass block well. Whatever the cause, the Bengals will have trouble keeping up with the Chargers in scoring today.

The X factor today will be the Bengals' emotional state with the loss of Chris Henry. Will they step up, playing the best game of their season, shutting down the Chargers? I think they will come out with furious emotion and make some plays. However, the Chargers' offense is so dynamic, teams can't beat them on emotion and aggression; they have to be smart as well. Rivers is playing at such a high level that he will capitalize on any mistake. Some Bengals may be trying to do too much today.

Chargers 24, Bengals 13

The Chargers Earn Elite Status

The Chargers played a great game yesterday that wasn't as close as the 20-17 score in beating the Dallas Cowboys. Amazingly, San Diego is still flying under the radar of the national media. Anyone who watched "Football Night in America" after the game saw a boat-load of analysis about "What's wrong with the Dallas Cowboys?" Anyone think to ask what's right with the San Diego Chargers?

I'll answer it since they didn't:

Phillip Rivers has attained near Jedi status in his ability to read the field and know where his receivers are, who is open and how much to put on the ball to deliver it to them perfectly.

Norv Turner has out-coached everyone the past eight weeks. The Cowboy defense looked completely lost out there when in counted.

Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson are dominant. Teams must choose to focus on one. When they do, the other one has a monster game. Pick your poison.

The offensive line can pass block anyone. On crucial third-and-longs, as Wade dialed up his most creative and serious blitzes; we saw wave after wave of silver and blue crash into a wall while Rivers easily found the open big man one-on-one with some poor, short DB tagging along behind.

The defense is stout in the red zone. Everyone saw the huge four-down goal line stand. The defense has done this many times this season. The defensive line has gelled just enough and the toughness and depth at linebacker becomes more and more evident. Don't mess with Siler and Dobbins up the middle.

LT has enough left to make a play when he needs to. One of the plays of the game came on the final drive, when LT was hit in the backfield as the ball was handed to him. He juked the tackler, then shot through the hole for an eleven yard gain and a first down. He also knows how to find the end zone better than any running back in the league...at least better than Marion Barber.

Two shut down corners? Notice how teams never attack the Chargers in the middle of the field deep or down the sidelines? This is because both Cromartie and Jammer are too good and too dangerous to challenge directly. Teams have to run and play the dink and dunk game down the middle.

Lastly, the punting game. If a drive does fizzle? The Scifers to Osgood connection will put opponents inside their own five-yard lines again and again. Those two punts to the one yesterday had as much to do with the lack of Dallas scoring as the goal-line stand.

Overall, the lack of national media recognition may be frustrating for Charger fans, but it's probably good for the team. It keeps that chip squarely on the Chargers' shoulder while encouraging other teams to take the Chargers just a tad too lightly.

Chargers vs. Cowboys

Once again, the Chargers are in a game with playoff atmosphere and implications. If San Diego can win today, they may be able to separate themselves from the Cincinnati Bengals in the hunt for the 2nd seed and playoff bye. The Cowboys are coming off a loss and trying to stay in first place in their division. Dallas fans are calling for the head of Wade Phillips as they think their team is underperforming.

The Cowboys' offense is the exact kind that gives the Chargers problems. They have a huge offensive line and a couple of big power running backs, plus the lightning fast Felix Jones. They also have a Pro Bowl tight end in Jason Witten with the hot and cold Tony Romo passing the ball. Wide receiver Miles Austin has matured into an elite "go to" receiver.

It looks like Luis Catillo and Shawne Merriman will be able to start today. If they are actually healthy and can play at a high level, the Chargers will have a better chance of stopping the run and putting a little pressure on Romo. Safety Eric Weddle is most likely going to be out. This is worrisome, as he has become a defensive leader and on-field coach of sorts.

The Cowboys will be able to move the ball up and down the field. Without Weddle deep to control things, the less experienced Charger safeties will most likely get eaten up. This game will come down to what happens in the red zone. If the Chargers can stiffen a bit inside the twenty and stop the run, then they can force the gambling Romo into making some crucial mistakes.

On offense, the Chargers will have to have one of their best games to stay in this one. They are going to have to match the Cowboys score for score and the environment will be loud and intense in the Cowboys huge new dome. The Charger running game most likely won't do much, but look for Darren Sproles to bust at least one big one on the Cowboys' field turf. Sproles has been slowed by some poor field conditions the past few weeks and is "due" to make some plays.

The passing game, of course, will be crucial. The Cowboys don't have the strongest defense backs and one of their starting safeties is out with an injury. The pass blocking has been stellar for San Diego, but they will receive their biggest test this week, as 3-4 guru Wade Phillips is desperate for a win to keep his playoff chances, and job, alive. The crucial match-up will be DeMarcus Ware against Marcus McNeill on the edge. If Rivers doesn't have time to throw, this game could get ugly in a hurry.

If the Chargers had Weddle, I would feel confident in predicting a victory. If Merriman was out, I would predict a loss, but with the overall state of the Chargers' health, I think this one is a toss up. It may come down to one big play from either team. I'm going to go with the "Sproles has a big day on field turf" theory and give San Diego the nod:

Chargers 34, Cowboys 31

What the Browns Game Shows

Well, the Browns are terrible, and the Chargers let them look like a legitimate NFL team. I know San Diego had numerous injuries and rookies playing in key positions, but the lack of fire and key breakdowns to begin and end the game should be concerning to the team and fans.

The running game is absolutely broken. If the Chargers can't run the ball against the horrible and Shaun Rogers-less Browns, they can't run it against anyone. While LT may not be as quick as he once was, he's not the problem. The schemes, the coaching, the attitude, and the players are just not clicking. San Diego is last in the league in this category and the old excuses provided by the local media ("they faced a tough defense this week" and "they're stacking the box") just don't hold any water. The opposing team is consistently in San Diego's backfield.

This is important going into the playoffs and final three games of the season as better teams who will try to dominate time of possession. The Chargers will be unable to match up against a team in this way. Sometimes the passing game gets shut down. Teams that win in the playoffs can run and pass.

The other side of the coin is the run defense. The average yards per carry against the San Diego defense is simply too high. At some point an opposing coach realize this and stick with the run throughout the entire game. If the Dolphins, Broncos (in SD), Eagles, or Giants had realized this, they might have won their games against San Diego.

Going forward, the Chargers desperately need Shawne Merriman to get healthy and provide some stout run support. Larry English was fast and aggressive last week, but he seems to get pushed around by the offensive tackles he's going against. The platoon of rookies and journeyman defensive tackles have been playing above themselves, but we shouldn't be surprised if they get exposed by a strong offensive line.

All this shows why this week's game against Dallas will be such an important test. Dallas will try to run the ball and test this defense. I can't believe that Wade Phillips won't understand and the exploit these weaknesses better than any other coach. If the Chargers can't run the ball consistently, they will be forced to use the big play to stay in the game, giving DeMarcus Ware and company a chance to test the San Diego pass blocking.

Without Eric Weddle and Shawne Merriman, this game may be beyond the Chargers' reach...unless something changes and some other players step up.

Chargers vs. Browns Pregame

I don't expect today's game to be competitive for long. The Browns are terrible to begin with, and now they're dealing with massive injuries, including their best defensive player, tackle Shaun Rogers.

The Chargers are also dealing with injuries to Shawne Merriman, Luis Castillo and Eric Weddle, but the back-ups to these players have proven in the last few weeks that they are serviceable.

Even as the lead mounts today, there will be things to watch. I want to see what Larry English can do, starting and probably getting the most significant playing time he has all season. Also, it will be interesting to see if free agent aquisition John Runyan gets some playing time at right tackle and if he's got anything left. If he's able to shake the rust and age off, the Chargers may have something special going into the playoffs. Nick Hardwick will also get a chance to play, getting back in game shape for the end of the season and the playoffs.

Lastly, LaDanian Tomlinson will have the chance to pass up Marshall Faulk and legendary Jim Brown at #9 and #8 on the all-time rushing list. This could potentially be a huge stat day for LT with the state of the Browns' defense, however, I'm guessing that once the game is in hand and LT has his records, Norv will sit him (wisely) giving him and anyone else he can afford to rest for tough games ahead.

Chargers 38, Browns 6

The Chiefs and Browns are Terrible...Playoff Picture!

The Chargers did not let down last Sunday, showing the Chiefs are who we thought they were. Most concerning were the injuries to Weddle and Merriman. San Diego needs both of those guys healthy to have a shot in the post-season.



Speaking of the playoffs, it's time to start jockying for position. The best way to advance a round is to skip it, which is why the Chargers should keep winning to stay ahead of the Broncos, but also begin to focus on earning a bye.



Assuming the Chargers are not going to catch the undefeated Colts, the end of the season comes down to a contest between San Diego, New England, and Cincinatti. Things can change at the end of the season, but all other teams (excluding Denver) are at least two games back right now. All three teams have easy games next week, but the Patriots are down one game behind the Bengals and the Chargers.



In week 14, two weeks from now, San Diego goes to Dallas, Cincinatti goes to Minnisota, and New England gets Carolina at home. If the Chargers and Bengals lose and the Patriots win, which will be the Vegas prediction for that week, all three teams will be tied again.



In week 15, the Chargers will have their chance at a direct matchup against the Bengals at home-- which of course will be pivotal. The Patriots go to Buffalo. The most likely outcome of this week is a Chargers' win and and Patriots' win, leaving them tied for the wild card going into week 16.



In week 16, the Chargers go to the currently on fire Tenessee Titans. This will be a tough game. New England gets Jacksonville at home, a likely win for the Patriots. Cincinatti gets Kansas City at home. If the Patriots win, Cincinatti wins and the Chargers lose, this puts San Diego and Cincinatti one game behind the Patriots going into the final week of the season.



In week 17, the Chargers play the Redskins at home, not an easy win, but a likely one, as San Diego will have more to play for. New England goes to Houston and Cincinatti goes to New York to play the Jets. If San Diego and Cincinatti win and New England loses there will be a three-way tie in terms of record. San Diego beats out the Bengals if they beat them in head to head competition a few weeks earlier. The decision would then come down to who, between the Patriots and Chargers, has the better AFC record. Right now, it looks like the Chargers may have a slight edge at the end of the season if they can go ahead and beat the Bengals and Titans. If the Chargers lose to either the Bengals or Titans, the Patriots will have the edge.

A bye, a game at home, then an AFC Championship in Indianapolis would actually be a dream trip for the Chargers. It could happen folks.

Chargers vs. Chiefs: Sleeper Game?

If the Chargers were going to take a week off and get lax in their preparation, this would be the week. After four playoff like victories in a row, with another huge match-up against the Dallas Cowboys next week, the Chiefs at home, who they already smacked down in Kansas City, might seem like easy pickings.

The Chiefs are re-energized with the addition of Chris Chambers and the subtraction of Larry Johnson. Current starting running back, Jamaal Charles is very fast and agile, averaging over five yards per carry.

If the Chargers don't come out fast, aggressive and creative (this one is on the coaches), and just go through the motions, they might put themselves at more risk than they need to. Because the Broncos, to my surprise, did not fall apart this Thursday, as they went out and beat the Giants, San Diego must keep winning to stay on top of the division (The Giants look like a tired team on the way out).

San Diego also has a huge wild card to deal with in the injury of the least talented starter on the team, right tackle Jeromey Clary. Clary has improved somewhat throughout the season though, while Brandon Dombrowski has never started at this position. Rivers will be at risk this week and next, probably limiting the Chargers' options on offense. Rivers will most likely have to keep the passes quick and short to protect him from the defensive rush.

On another note, if veteran free agent acquisition John Runyan turns out to be healthy and in good enough shape to play at the high level he has in the past, he could be the difference maker of the season. With a solid right tackle who can pass and run block effectively (unlike Clary) the Chargers are much more dangerous going into the playoffs. With Brandon Dombrowski starting? The better teams will exploit this glaring weakness, handcuffing the Chargers' explosive offense.

Today? I'm betting on the veteran leadership on this team to help the Chargers stay focused on doing things right and winning.

San Diego 31, Kansas City 20