OK, one non-Charger thought. Did you know that Tom Brady is the only QB in the history of the NFL to pass for 350+ yds, 5 or more TDs, 0 interceptions, and better than 85% completions in the same game? Will, last week against the Bears he did it for the 2nd time (1st was in 09 vs. the Titans).
I mentioned in my Week 4 Thoughts post that people were over-blowing the Chargers 5-1 record. Now after 2 straight loses some sportscasters are jumping off the bandwagon, like in this Around the NFL article. Just watched the Broncos game on rewind last night and I'm not that discouraged (that might change if they lose to the Dolphins this week).
Chargers defense played the Broncos tough in the first quarter. They made the Broncos punt in their first two drives...how many times has that happened to Broncos this year? The halftime score was 14-7 Broncos, but mostly because the Chargers were robbed of a turnover (even the instant replay official calling the game said it should have been a fumble) and partially because CB Jason Verrett went out with a shoulder injury. Branden Flowers was already out, so both starting CBs out versus Peyton Manning...not likely that's going to work out well. Manning immediately started picking on replacement Richard Marshall. Marshall was so bad that the Chargers cut him after the game. You have to play pretty lousy to get cut when a team has both starters at your position injured.
Phillip Rivers threw 2 interceptions, but neither one was terrible. On the first, Keenan Allen slipped on the cut. The bad part was that it happened in the opening drive of the 3rd quarter. On the previous drive the Chargers went 13 plays, 84 yards to tie the score at 7-7.The 2nd interception was towards the end of the game down 2 TDs. Rivers was trying to go deep to Malcolm Floyd, but a Bronco safety was over the top. Considering the game situation I can see why Rivers' gambled, but it still wasn't a good decision.
With the Broncos up 28-14 Eric Weddle made a great interception that could have changed the game. The interception was overturned by a tricky-tack holding call on Marcus Gilchrist. I can see why they called it because Gilchrist put a hand on the receivers hip, but he never turned him or impeded his progress.
Lastly, with time left to turn the game around, Broncos up 35-21, Weddle punched the ball out of Emmnauel Saunders hands. Unfortunately, despite several Chargers defenders around the ball, Wes Welker ended up recovering it.
The point is all the breaks went the Broncos way. Are Broncos a better team? Absolutely, so when you lose the turnover battle 2-0 you should get blown out. The Chargers lost handily by 2 TDs, but it wasn't a blowout. Add to that they could have easily had 3 Bronco turnovers and I don't feel like the Chargers were over matched (especially considering 2 starting CBs, and OLB Melvin Ingram were out). It was really encouraging how well the defense played before Verrett went out. Broncos only TD while Verrett was in the game was set up by a great catch by Saunders...and it was well covered.
Unfortunately, Verrett may be out for awhile and Ingram isn't due back anytime soon. Flowers should play against the Dolphins and the Chargers signed ex-Washington CB Richard Crawford. Who knows how soon Crawford can play. The Chargers defense has been a lot better when Flowers and Verrett have been on the field, but Shareece Wright has been serviceable when either of the two has been out. Rookie Chris Davis has been getting playing time and getting better.
The schedule does get tougher late November into December, but if they can beat the Dolphins the Chargers will be on a bye so they should be able to get a few players back from injury for Week 11 including a very realistic return by Ryan Mathews. Branden Oliver made a splash running for 100+ against the Jets and Raiders, but hasn't been able to duplicate that success against the Chiefs or Broncos. Love Oliver and he does have talent, but I'm guessing his success had something to do with the opponent.
If the Chargers are at full strength going into the last five game gauntlet of @Ravens, Patriots, Broncos, @49ers, @ Chiefs, I'll still give this team a decent shot at the playoffs.
Showing posts with label Phillip Rivers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phillip Rivers. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
NFL Week 6 Thoughts
Phillip Rivers is playing some great QB right now, setting a record with 5 consecutive games with a QB Rating over 120, but lets not get carried away with the Super Bowl contender talk. Yes, the Chargers are 5-1 and would be the #1 seed if the playoffs started today, but 4 of the wins came over the Bills, Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders...and they had to come from behind to beat the Raiders.
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 after beating the Seahawks, who lost only their 2nd home game in 2 seasons. Cowboys are performing way above expectations this year, but you have to wonder if DeMarco Murray can hold up getting 30 touches a game (26.5 rushes, 3.5 catches). Murray previous high in carries is 217 and he already has 159. He's also on pace to have 66 catches which would best his career high of 53.
Joe Flacco set a record by throwing for 5 TD passes in 16 minutes. That broke the previous record by 12 minutes!!!
Bengals' kicker Mike Nugent has to feel like crap after missing a gimme 36 yarder in OT that preserved a 37-37 tie with the Panthers. I saw a lot of articles written on how games shouldn't end in a tie, but if you miss a 36 yarder you shouldn't deserve a 2nd chance.
After getting fined $10,000 for wearing Beats headphones in a post game interview, Colin Kaepernick used the same headphones again during his post game interview after Monday nights game...but this time there was masking tape over the Beats logo. If you didn't know, the NFL has a sponsorship deal with Bose as the official headphone of the league. Beats is getting a lot of free publicity from this, much more than if the NFL never fined Kaepernick.
Panther's rookie wide out pulled a Donovan McNabb, saying "I didn't even know you tie in the NFL."
Kirk Cousins isn't the answer in Washington. In 13 games he has thrown 18 interceptions and fumbles 3 times. In 8 starts his record is 1-7. Maybe RGIII wasn't so bad after all.
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 after beating the Seahawks, who lost only their 2nd home game in 2 seasons. Cowboys are performing way above expectations this year, but you have to wonder if DeMarco Murray can hold up getting 30 touches a game (26.5 rushes, 3.5 catches). Murray previous high in carries is 217 and he already has 159. He's also on pace to have 66 catches which would best his career high of 53.
Joe Flacco set a record by throwing for 5 TD passes in 16 minutes. That broke the previous record by 12 minutes!!!
Bengals' kicker Mike Nugent has to feel like crap after missing a gimme 36 yarder in OT that preserved a 37-37 tie with the Panthers. I saw a lot of articles written on how games shouldn't end in a tie, but if you miss a 36 yarder you shouldn't deserve a 2nd chance.
After getting fined $10,000 for wearing Beats headphones in a post game interview, Colin Kaepernick used the same headphones again during his post game interview after Monday nights game...but this time there was masking tape over the Beats logo. If you didn't know, the NFL has a sponsorship deal with Bose as the official headphone of the league. Beats is getting a lot of free publicity from this, much more than if the NFL never fined Kaepernick.
Panther's rookie wide out pulled a Donovan McNabb, saying "I didn't even know you tie in the NFL."
Kirk Cousins isn't the answer in Washington. In 13 games he has thrown 18 interceptions and fumbles 3 times. In 8 starts his record is 1-7. Maybe RGIII wasn't so bad after all.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Did the Chargers Show the Broncos How to Beat Seattle?
Watching the Chargers-Seahawks game on NFL Rewind. With the Broncos-Seahawks rematch coming up Sunday everyone is talking about if the Chargers provided the recipe to beat the Legend of Doom. My first reaction is that all the Chargers did was do what they did in almost all of their wins last year...hold the ball forever and protect their defense, which wasn't very good last season.
Right off the first possession for Seattle though I see a different Charger defense. OLBs Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney (both missed most of last season and never were on the field at the same time) made big plays. Ingram breaking in to the backfield stopping Robert Turbin for a loss then Freeman sacking Russell Wilson for a loss in back-to-back plays. Ingram picked up another sack on the Seahawks next drive. Chargers kept the pressure on Wilson all game and held him to 18 yards rushing.
The Chargers D also had a great series to seal the win. Seahawks tried the jet sweep to Percy Harvin that got them a TD in the first quarter, but the Chargers dropped Harvin for a loss. Pressure on Wilson made him flip the ball to check offs that the Chargers immediately stuffed for no gain on the next two plays. Last pass on 4th by Wilson had no chance. Rivers then took 3 knees and the Chargers kicked a FG to make the final score 30-21.
The question though, was did the Chargers show how to beat the Seahawks?
Well I saw a lot of things that the Broncos like to do that the Chargers were successful with. Mainly, bunch receiver sets and wide receiver screens. Chargers also went to a lineup with 3 receivers to the left with Gates lined up in a normal TE position on the right side of the line. This put Richard Sherman to the opposite side of the field from his normal position on the right side of the defense. If they split Gates out, then I believe Sherman would pickup Gates as a WR. Gates caught several passes out of this formation, including his first two TDs. I can see the Broncos going to this formation to put their talented TE Demaryious Thomas with the whole right side to work with against LBs and safeties. Will be interesting to see if the Seahawks have an answer for that.
What I saw that I don't believe the Broncos can duplicate is the way Phillip Rivers was able to escape pressure and the versatility of the Chargers' running backs.
While Rivers' mobility is sort of an oxymoron, he was able to escape the pressure several times to make plays including 17 rushing yards. On the last two TDs to Gates, Rivers escaped what could have been sacks before hitting Gates for the TD. Peyton Manning, at this stage in his career, doesn't have the same escapablity (is that a real word).
While RB Monte Ball is a talented back, he isn't a great pass blocker which was why he lost the starting job last year to Knowshon Moreno. All 3 of the Chargers backs (Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown) can block, catch passes, and are good runners. It made it tough on the Seahawks to key on what the Chargers were going to do by what personnel was on the field. Ball also has just 5 catches through two games and C.J. Anderson has 0 catches so far this season. In this game alone, the Chargers RBs caught 9. WR Malcolm Floyd was shut down by the Seahawks secondary, but the Chargers RBs more than made up for it.
The one thing I really question about the Broncos is their ability to pressure a QB when they have to. Yes, I know that they signed DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller is back from injury. I also know that they recorded 5 sacks in Week 1 versus the Colts and 3 against Kansas City in week 2. The numbers are there, but in both games, with a big lead, the Broncos' D had a hard time putting pressure on the QB allowing both Andrew Luck and Alex Smith to bring their teams back with a shot at winning/tying the game at the end. Give the Broncos defense credit for preventing those scores, but it seems to me like living on the edge. Also, consider that both Indy and KC have offensive line issues.
I'm not saying I think the Broncos can't win. That's a very talented club in Denver that deserves to be the favorite to be the AFC Champion again this season. I just don't think the Broncos can duplicate the "hold the ball" formula the Chargers used to beat the Seahawks. To use a baseball analogy, the Chargers are built to hit singles and doubles. Besides Wes Welker, the Broncos have home run hitters.
The Broncos can win, they just need to do it their way and not try to duplicate someone else. On offense, there is no physical reason they should have been shut down like they were in the Super Bowl.
Mike McCoy was asked after the game what the Chargers did to beat the Seahawks, he said, "We played our game."
Right off the first possession for Seattle though I see a different Charger defense. OLBs Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney (both missed most of last season and never were on the field at the same time) made big plays. Ingram breaking in to the backfield stopping Robert Turbin for a loss then Freeman sacking Russell Wilson for a loss in back-to-back plays. Ingram picked up another sack on the Seahawks next drive. Chargers kept the pressure on Wilson all game and held him to 18 yards rushing.
The Chargers D also had a great series to seal the win. Seahawks tried the jet sweep to Percy Harvin that got them a TD in the first quarter, but the Chargers dropped Harvin for a loss. Pressure on Wilson made him flip the ball to check offs that the Chargers immediately stuffed for no gain on the next two plays. Last pass on 4th by Wilson had no chance. Rivers then took 3 knees and the Chargers kicked a FG to make the final score 30-21.
The question though, was did the Chargers show how to beat the Seahawks?
Well I saw a lot of things that the Broncos like to do that the Chargers were successful with. Mainly, bunch receiver sets and wide receiver screens. Chargers also went to a lineup with 3 receivers to the left with Gates lined up in a normal TE position on the right side of the line. This put Richard Sherman to the opposite side of the field from his normal position on the right side of the defense. If they split Gates out, then I believe Sherman would pickup Gates as a WR. Gates caught several passes out of this formation, including his first two TDs. I can see the Broncos going to this formation to put their talented TE Demaryious Thomas with the whole right side to work with against LBs and safeties. Will be interesting to see if the Seahawks have an answer for that.
What I saw that I don't believe the Broncos can duplicate is the way Phillip Rivers was able to escape pressure and the versatility of the Chargers' running backs.
While Rivers' mobility is sort of an oxymoron, he was able to escape the pressure several times to make plays including 17 rushing yards. On the last two TDs to Gates, Rivers escaped what could have been sacks before hitting Gates for the TD. Peyton Manning, at this stage in his career, doesn't have the same escapablity (is that a real word).
While RB Monte Ball is a talented back, he isn't a great pass blocker which was why he lost the starting job last year to Knowshon Moreno. All 3 of the Chargers backs (Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown) can block, catch passes, and are good runners. It made it tough on the Seahawks to key on what the Chargers were going to do by what personnel was on the field. Ball also has just 5 catches through two games and C.J. Anderson has 0 catches so far this season. In this game alone, the Chargers RBs caught 9. WR Malcolm Floyd was shut down by the Seahawks secondary, but the Chargers RBs more than made up for it.
The one thing I really question about the Broncos is their ability to pressure a QB when they have to. Yes, I know that they signed DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller is back from injury. I also know that they recorded 5 sacks in Week 1 versus the Colts and 3 against Kansas City in week 2. The numbers are there, but in both games, with a big lead, the Broncos' D had a hard time putting pressure on the QB allowing both Andrew Luck and Alex Smith to bring their teams back with a shot at winning/tying the game at the end. Give the Broncos defense credit for preventing those scores, but it seems to me like living on the edge. Also, consider that both Indy and KC have offensive line issues.
I'm not saying I think the Broncos can't win. That's a very talented club in Denver that deserves to be the favorite to be the AFC Champion again this season. I just don't think the Broncos can duplicate the "hold the ball" formula the Chargers used to beat the Seahawks. To use a baseball analogy, the Chargers are built to hit singles and doubles. Besides Wes Welker, the Broncos have home run hitters.
The Broncos can win, they just need to do it their way and not try to duplicate someone else. On offense, there is no physical reason they should have been shut down like they were in the Super Bowl.
Mike McCoy was asked after the game what the Chargers did to beat the Seahawks, he said, "We played our game."
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