Chargers came out flat in Week 12 after a terrible game in Week 11. The 2nd lowest scoring team in the NFL put up 10 points in their 1st two possessions. Seven minutes into the game the Chargers were down 10-0 to the Cardinals.
Then Phillip Rivers took over! He set a record for completions to start a game, breaking the record of 22 shared by Mark Brunell and David Carr (that would have been a heck of a trivia question) on his way to tying the record for consecutive completions (25) held by Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill set his record over 2 games. Rivers ended the game 28-29, 259 yards, 3 TDs. By halftime the Chargers were up 28-10 and at the end of the 3rd quarter the score was 42-10 and Rivers day was done.
After giving up 108 yards to the Cards in their 1st two drives, the Charger D only allowed 41 yards the rest of the game. Joey Bosa recorded 2 sacks.
It should have been a game that ended with all smiles, but Melvin Gordon left the game in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury. Gordon was visibly upset on the sidelines which normally isn't a good sign, but the news today was an MCL sprain. I have to wonder why he was still in the game with an (at that time) 35-10 lead when Gordon was questionable all week nursing a knee injury. He could possibly be out for the rest of the regular season and definitely won't play Week 13 against the Steelers.
I believe the Chargers will miss Gordon more than sportscasters are speculating. Austin Eckler is capable of breaking off big runs and is averaging 5.8 yards/carry, but the last game Gordon was out (Wk. 7 vs the Titans) the Chargers had only 47 yards on 16 attempts (2.9 yds/carry) and scored just 20 points., all season lows. Eckler rushed 12 times for 42 yds. I like Eckler, but I'll use a basketball analogy...Eckler is like the 6th man. He provides a spark off the bench, is talented enough to lead the team in scoring every now and then, but you normally won't start him because he can't sustained that high energy play for an entire game. If he tries to conserve that energy to play more minutes as a starter he's less effective. Also, Gordon has developed his blitz pickup technique over the years. Eckler is a decent blocker and a tough guy, but isn't as big as Gordon and isn't asked to block as often.
I also found it interesting that Justin Jackson had more carries than Eckler (Eck still led the team with 10 catches) after Gordon left. Was it just the team giving Jackson a try out in a blow out win or was it a preview of the plan moving forward...that being Jackson taking over Gordon's role and Eckler keeping his role? I honestly don't know the answer, but Jackson was a high volume back at Northwestern (1142 attempts, 5440 yards) and considered in some circles as the most underrated back in last years draft. I still feel that Eck will get more total touches, but I wouldn't be surprised if Jackson isn't the one on the field in early downs and gets more carries. Jackson isn't a one trick pony either, he had 858 receptions in his 4 years at Northwestern. Still, Jackson is a rookie and has had limited time on the field. I doubt Jackson will have had time to learn all the blitz pickups. That may limit his playing time more than any thing else.
The Chargers are going to need the defense to step up in this one...which is a tall order against a team with the level of talent on offense that the Steelers have. Of course, Rivers has to have a good game, but that's no different than any other game. Rivers picked up Offensive-Player-of-the-Week honors for his performance against the Cardinals, it would go a long way to winning this one if he can do it in back-to-back weeks.
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Not much to say about the rest of the NFL. Saints still rolled the Falcons 31-17 despite having uncharacteristically inconsistent play on offense. Rams/Chiefs were on their Bye. Texans are 8-3, wining 8 straight after stating the season 0-3. Bengals have really struggled lately and now Dalton is done for the season. Seahawks, Broncos, and Cowboys are making a push for a playoff spot.
Speaking of the 'Boys. The Thursday Night Game is just coming to an end as I type this. Who would have thought that the Cowboys would win a 13-10 game over the Saints? Brees and Co. looked unstoppable in going 10 straight after losing the season opener. This was big. The Rams now have the #1 seed which means the road to the Super Bowl goes through LA. I would have bet the farm on the Saints if the Conference Championship was played in New Orleans.
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