Chargers at Jaguars

Saw that I forgot to post this after the Jags game....

For the first time this year the Chargers win back-to-back games with a 24-6 win in Jacksonville. Chargers are also above .500 for the first time this season at 4-3.

Take these next stats with a grain of salt, because this was the Jaguars, but the Chargers defense has not allowed a TD in two straight games.  The defense also had 6 sacks, the Chargers had just 13 total in the previous 6 games.  I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the Chargers are doing on defense...what Jon Gruden called the "Amoeba Defense" last Monday night.

I read one story that said they were using a 2 DL lineup, but I don't think that's 100% accurate.  Yes the two starting DE's Cory Liuget and Kendall Reyes are staying in the game and they pull NT Cam Thomas out, but the Chargers replace him with DE Thomas Keiser who sometimes stays upright (as opposed to down in a 3-pt stance) and it looks like a 2 DL lineup.  Other times Keiser goes down in a 3-point stance like a DE and the other DEs end up being DTs with the opposite LB playing like a DE...so it's kind of a 4-3.  Keiser recorded 2 sacks.


Manti Teo played more snaps in this game than he has all year.  He didn't have much of an impact and he takes bad angles when chasing down ball carriers.  It's like he underestimates the speed of the players in the NFL.  He did make one great play when Chad Henne kept the ball on a read option play and Teo read it perfectly, stuffing Henne on a 3rd and short. 

Philip Rivers set a franchise record for passes without an completion to start a game, going 14-14.  He also became the 2nd Charger QB to surpass 30,000 career passing yards (Dan Fouts 43,040).  Rivers ended the game 22-26, 285 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT and took over the lead in completion percentage from Peyton Manning (.739).  Watching the game on NFL Rewind, of Rivers 4 incompletions, one was a drop, one was a batted pass, and one was a throw away.   


It's amazing to me how this offensive line is staying effective.  The Chargers lost both starting LT King Dunlap and his replacement Mike Remmers in the 1st quarter.  Rookie RT D.J. Fluker moved to LT, RG Jeromy Clary moved to RT, and Rich Ornberger come off the bench to play RG.  Despite all that, Rivers was only sacked once and the Chargers had a season high 158 yards rushing .

Ryan Mathews surpassed 100 yards rushing for the 2nd straight game (21-110).  He was also in on a red zone package for the 1st time since the opening game and ended up with 3 yard TD.  It was his first rushing TD since Week 5 of last season (which ended up being his only TD of the year).  Mathews hasn't had consecutive 100 yard games since Weeks 11-12-13 of the 2011 season.  Coincidentally, the Chargers were in Jacksonville on Week 12.  It was also good to see him carry the ball on a goal-to-go situation (he scored from 3 yards out).  Danny Woodhead had been the RB whenever the Chargers got in the Red Zone.  I still see the speed that made me think Mathews could be a good RB in the NFL, but he doesn't have the elusiveness to make guys miss.


Not much to say about the game.  It was the Jaguars and the Chargers should beat them...of course they should have beaten the Raiders two weeks ago also.  It was the typical Chargers game this year with the offense holding the ball for long drives.  Jaguars had only 8 possessions for the entire game and Chargers opponents are averaging just under 10 possessions per game.

Chargers are off next week and head to Washington in Week 9.  'Skins are playing better than they were in the beginning of the year, but so are the Chargers.