Chargers get a Needed Victory over the Chiefs
After a disappointing loss last week, the San Diego Chargers were able to comeback and go on the road to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-7. Philip Rivers looked sharp in this game. Rivers threw for 268-yards and three touchdowns. Vincent Jackson also had a great game for the Chargers. Jackson set a Chargers first half record with 142-yards receiving. The Kansas City Chiefs had no answers for the Chargers passing attack. The Chiefs did scored a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to keep the game close at 20-7. However, it was not enough, as the Chargers defense were able to keep the Chiefs offense off balanced and they also did not let the Chiefs offense get into any sort of rhythm.
The San Diego Chargers took control of this game when Philip Rivers threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Even though it was a tough loss for the Chiefs, the Chiefs defense did come to play, especially towards the end zone. The Chiefs were successful on stopping LaDainian Tomlinson from scoring a rushing touchdown near the goal line on several occasions.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, this is a rebuilding year. The Chiefs will be successful someday, but not on this day. As for the San Diego Chargers, their offense needs to score touchdowns when they are close to the goal line. The Chargers should not settle for field goals. This is something that they need to work on, if the Chargers are to be successful this season.
There is a New Shift in the AFC West
On Monday night, the San Diego Chargers had a chance to send a message to the Denver Broncos and the rest of the league that the Chargers were still one of the elite teams in the NFL. But, that was not the case. The undefeated, 6-0 Denver Broncos are the team to beat in the AFC. The Denver Broncos beat the Chargers 34-23 on Monday night to prove to the rest of the league that the Broncos are for real.
The Broncos were coming into this game looking to make a statement and they made their point. Now, the Broncos go into the bye week, undefeated, and are ready to make their move to become the best team in the NFL. For the San Diego Chargers, again, Philip Rivers cannot do it by himself. Chargers defense needed to step up and could not do it for 4-quarters. Chargers special teams also did not come to play. Denver Broncos wide-receiver, Eddie Royal, scored two touchdowns on special teams. Eddie Royal, scored on a 93-yard kickoff return and a 71-yard punt return.
Now, the San Diego Chargers have to regroup. The Chargers have to asked themselves, is the season over? At this point, it looks like they are not going to catch the Broncos. And, if that is the case, then the Chargers need to look at the Wild Card, but that is not looking good either. One way or another, the San Diego Chargers need to do something or this is going to be a long season.
(Sources: ESPN)
Enough Talking, It’s Now Time for Chargers to Start Playing
Last week, San Diego Chargers General Manager, A.J. Smith, made comments about how bad the Chargers were playing. A.J. Smith was quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune saying,
“I’ve seen us be tough and physical to soft and bewildered.”
In response, Chargers linebacker, Shawne Merriman, was not happy about those comments. Shawne Merriman said,
“The only opinions that matter to me are the ones in this locker room. Anything else, it doesn’t matter.”
But, talking about what’s wrong and doing something about it are two completely different things.
The San Diego Chargers are 2-2. Of course, everyone wants the Chargers to be 4-0, but it is what it is. Yes, the Chargers are struggling to run the ball and yes, they are struggling to stop the run. The players on the field need to step it up and make plays on both sides of the ball. Management is responsible for bringing in the right players to make those plays. However, everyone needs to work together. But, the bottom-line is that it’s time for everyone, from management to the players to stop talking and do the talking on the field.
(Sources: San Diego Union-Tribune, ESPN)
49ers Signed their Number One Pick, Finally!
Well, after training gamp, four NFL preseason games and four NFL regular season games, on Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers finally signed their number one draft pick, wide-receiver Michael Crabtree. The 49ers signed Michael Crabtree to a six-year contract. But, what took so long? Well, when you have two parties that need to come to an agreement and when one of those parties disagrees with the offer proposed, then that’s where the problems begins.
For Michael Crabtree’s camps, what the San Francisco 49ers was originally offering was not good enough. Both sides tried reach an agreement, but nothing was happening. The San Francisco 49ers finally received a call on Sunday from Crabtree’s camp and they finally met with the 49ers on Tuesday.
As the San Francisco 49ers move forward, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. What kind of game shape is Michael Crabtree in? How will Michael Crabtree perform on the field after being out of football since college? What role will he play and how will it effect the other players on the team? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, now the San Francisco 49ers have their number one pick in camp and are ready to play football. The main question for the 49ers, is Michael Crabtree ready to play some NFL football? We shall see.
(Sources: ESPN)
Brett Favre Gets His Revenge Against Packers
On Monday night, marked the first time that Brett Favre played against his former team, the Green Bay Packers. And, how sweet a victory it was for Brett Favre and his new team, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings beat the Packers, 30-23. But, it was not easy.
Brett Favre had to prove to the Packers that it was a bad decision to let him go. But, the Packers had to move on and so did Favre. But, for the Green Bay Packers, they also had something to prove that they made to right decision to look towards the future. And for Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, this game was a chance for him to prove that he belonged on the same stage as Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers did do a great job to keep the Packers in game, but it was not enough.
The Packers defense could not stop Favre and the Vikings offense from scoring. In the end, Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings just wanted this game more than the Packers did, this time. However, the Vikings will play in Green Bay on November 1st. We shall see how the Green Bay Packers respond. Stay tuned.
(Sources: ESPN)
No Pressure, No Problem for the Steelers
If the Pittsburgh Steelers were looking to get back to playing Steelers football, the San Diego Chargers were to perfect team to play against. The Chargers defense had no answers for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense. The Steelers were unstoppable in the 1st-half as they dominated the Chargers taking a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Steelers were able to run the ball at will, rushing for 177 total yards and Ben Roethlisberger had a great day throwing for 333-yards and two touchdowns.
But, it’s obvious that the Chargers rush defense is missing All-Pro nose tackle, Jamal Williams. Without a run stopper or someone to plug up the middle, the Steelers offensive-line were able to dominate the Chargers defensive-line. With no way to stop the run, the Steelers were able to set up the pass to keep the Chargers defense off balanced.
The Chargers also had no pass rush, which allowed the Chargers secondary to be tortured by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers receivers. Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie committed some bad penalties that help maintained Steelers drives. However, it’s not all his fault. You cannot cover someone for so long without any help from your defensive-line. However, playmakers make plays when it counts.
One player for the San Diego Chargers that is a playmaker is quarterback, Philip Rivers. Despite being down 28-0, Philip Rivers was able to rally back his team. With some help on a couple great special teams plays to keep the Chargers offense on the field, Philip Rivers was able to make the most of his opportunities, especially in the 4th quarter. The Chargers scored 21 points in the 4th quarter. But, one player cannot do it all. The Chargers needed a stop on defense to give the Chargers a chance to tie the game, however, it was not meant to be. The Steelers were able to kick a field goal and would eventually win the game, 38-28.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they got back to what they do best, run the ball and beat you on defense. It worked for the Steelers on Sunday. For the San Diego Chargers, they have a lot of problems going into their bye-week. First, the Chargers need to get healthy. Too many injures on this team, so the bye-week couldn’t come at a better time. Next, the Chargers need to find a way to play better on defense. The Chargers not going to be successful this year playing this kind of defense. The defense needs to step it up in two weeks when the Chargers play Denver on Monday Night. We shall see how the Chargers defense response.
(Sources: Chargers.com, ESPN)