Now or Never: San Diego Chargers

[T_RAV]

San Diego Chargers Franchise

For years now the San Diego Chargers have been the team to beat in the AFC West, winning the division in 4 of the last 5 seasons. But they haven't been able to turn the success of the regular season into any real post-season success having only made it to the conference championship game once. With a squad as talented as it is, surely the team can take the next step and make it to the Superbowl. With an ageing list and the other teams in the division only getting better (well they can't get worse) the time for the Chargers to make a real shot at it is right now. Expect the Chargers to make it deep into the playoffs this season or start making some moves in the offseason...

Settings:

Platform: PS3
Game: Madden 10
Quarter length: 15 mins w/ 20sec acc. clock
Difficulty: My skill
Sliders: Default sliders
Rosters: Week 1 (opening day) rosters
Drafts: Madden generated
Other settings: Very slow speed, all penalty sliders maxed apart from holding, clipping and facemask, everything else about normal. Pre-season is simmed, I'll start playing week 1.

[T_RAV]

Raiders, McFadden have huge 2nd half to beat Chargers.
-Oakland, CA

The Oakland Raiders stunned NFL fans all over on Monday night with an upset win in Week 1 of the NFL regular season over division rivals the San Diego Chargers. Going into the game the Chargers were expected to come away with the win and up until half time, that looked to be the case. With a 20-3 lead at the break thanks to some solid defense, the Raiders came alive in the 3rd quarter and held on to win 27-23.

The Chargers got off to a great start thanks to some good defensive by Antonio Cromartie. Eric Weddle forced a fumble which was recovered by Cromartie and returned to the 30 yard line. This lead to a touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to RB Ladainian Tomlinson. The next Raiders drive resulted in an interception, again by Cromartie, which led to a Chargers field goal to give them a 10-0 lead at quarter time. The second quarter saw the second pick thrown by JaMarcus Russel, this time by Antoine Cason. Philip Rivers ran for a 7yd TD on the ensuing drive and at half time the Chargers had a 20-3 lead.

The third quarter saw the arrival on Darren McFadden who finished the game with 25 carries for 225 yard and a 90 yard TD, most of which came in the 3rd. A LaDainian Tomlinson fumble and a lot of dropped passes by the Chargers recievers (10 in total) didn't help the situation with the Raiders having a lot of the ball in the quarter. The Raiders had a 24-23 lead going into the last quarter and never looked back, scoring the only points in the last quarter with a 51 yard FG by Janikowski to finish the game with a 27-23 win at home.

.................Team Stats.................
...........San Diego | Oakland...........
Total Offense .351 | 405
Pass Yards.....254 | 169
Rush Yards......97 | 236
First Downs.....14 | 10
Turnovers.........2 | 3
3rd Downs....8/19 | 3/14
Penalties......8-78 | 12-130
T.O.P.........32:25 | 27:35

Individual Stats
Passing
P. Rivers (59.1 rating) 18/45, 276 yds, TD, INT
J. Russell (71.7) 14/25, 178 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT

Rushing
L. Tomlinson 19 carries, 79 yds, 2 FUMB
P.Rivers 1 carry, 7yds, TD
D. McFadden - 25 carries, 220 yds, 1 TD

Recieving
M Floyd 4/80yds, 3 drops
C. Chambers 4/44, 4 drops
L. Tomlinson 3/43, TD
C. Schilens 4/54
D. Heyward-Bey 3/50, 2 TD, drop

Defense
K. Morrison 11 tackles (6 solo/5 assist)
R. Seymour 5 tackels (5/0), sack
T. Kelly 5 tackels (5/0), sack
T. Howard 4 tackles (2/2), INT
S. Merriman 5 Tackles (4/1)
S. Cooper 8 tackles (4/4)
A. Cason 3 tackles (2/1), INT, pass def
A. Cromartie INT, FR, pass def

Kicking
N. Kaeding 3/3 FG (45 long), 2/2 XP
S. Janikowski 2/2 FG (51 long), 3/3 XP

Punting
M. Scifres 5/178, 3 in 20
S. Lechler 6/274, 2 TB

Returns
D. Sproles 4 KO return/105yds, 4 PR/72 yds
J. Higgins 4 KO return 107

Player of the Game: Darren McFadden (25/220, TD)

Next week the Raiders (1-0) face another division rival, going to Kansas City to face the Chiefs (0-1) while the Chargers (0-1) are at home to the Ravens (1-0)

[T_RAV]

Week 1 Recap

~Divisional Standings~

AFC West Standings
1] Raiders...1-0
2] Broncos..0-1
3] Chargers.0-1
4] Chiefs.....0-1

~Players of the Week~

Offensive Player of the Week
Tony Romo (DAL) - 30/37, 353 yds, 4 TD

Defensive Player of the Week
Dominique Foxworth (BAL) - 2 INT, TD

~League Leaders~

Passing
1] D. Brees (NO) - 29/47, 362 yds, 2 TD, INT
2] T. Romo (DAL) - 30/37, 353 yds, 4 TD
3] M. Schaub (HOU) - 24/45, 312 yds, 3 TD, INT

Rushing
1] D. McFadden (OAK) - 25/220 yds, TD
2] J. Lewis (CLE) - 14/146 yds
3] A. Peterson (MIN) - 18/139 yds, TD

Recieving
1] D. Hester (CHI) - 6/158 yds, TD
2] D. Bowe (KC) - 7/156 yds, TD
3] S. Moss (WAS) - 5/155

Tackles
1] P. Wilis (SF) - 18 (15 solo/3 assisted)
2] D. Ryans (HOU) - 16 (15/1)
3] B. Scott (NYJ - 14 (12/2)

Sacks
1] R. McBean (DEN) - 3.0
2] 6 players

Interceptions
1] J. Greer (NO) - 2
1] D. Foxworth (BAL) - 2
3] 24 players

~Injury Report~

QB J. Campbell (WAS) - Broken ankle (OUT FOR SEASON)
DT M. Stroud (BUF) - Compound stress fracture (SEASON)
HB R. Bush (NO) - Broken fibula (SEASON)
SS J. Leonhard (NYJ) - Broken tibia (SEASON
plus all the season enders that were a part of the roster update

[T_RAV]

~Week 2 Preview~

Baltimore (1-0) @ San Diego (0-1), 4:15pm, Qualcomm Stadium
Weather: 80 degrees and clear

Not long until kickoff, lets take a quick look at the matchup ahead:

Team Stats

OFFENSE............................ | ..........................DEFENSE
............SD | BAL.........|........SD | BAL
Total Yards.351 (9th) | 282 (24)|.....405 (31)| 348 (22)
Pass Yards...254 (12) | 199 (20)|.....169 (10)| 295 (30)
Rush Yards..97 (14) | 83 (20)..|.....236 (32)| 53 (8)
PPG.............23.0 (11) | 31.0 (2).|....27.0 (27)| 21.0 (18)

The Chargers play their first home game of the season hosting the Baltimore Ravens. San Diego is desperate to get a win after last weeks shock loss at Oakland on Monday Night Football. The Ravens hope to keep their perfect start going after they beat Kansas City 31-21 last week.

Keys to San Diego winning:

1] Stop Joe Flacco. Last week against the Chiefs Flacco completed 15/20 passes for 199 yards and 3 TDs (and 1 INT). The Chargers pass defense will need to put pressure on Flacco if the Chargers want to have a shot at this one.

2] Catch the ball. 10 dropped passes last week made Philip Rivers look like he couldn't throw (18/45). If San Diego wants to put up big numbers then the recievers have to make catches.

3] Stop the run/tackle the ball carrier. Ravens runningback Ray Rice didn't have a great game last week (26 carries for 75 yards) but the Chargers cannot afford to put in another peformance like they did last week against the Raiders.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Ravens 20

[T_RAV]

Chargers come up big in OT to win thriller against Ravens.
-San Diego, CA

The San Diego Chargers have notched their first win for the season as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 30-24 in overtime on Sunday. Looking to bounce back from a terrible loss last week in Oakland, the Chargers put in a much better performance against the Ravens defense to produce the win.

The Ravens lost the coin toss and the Chargers chose to receive. However on the first drive things looked shaky with Philip Rivers throwing a pick (Gooden) to end a promising opening drive. Baltimore capitalised on the turnover with QB Joe Flacco throwing a 10 yd TD to WR Mark Clayton. 7-0 Ravens. Rivers redeemed himself and tied the game on the next drive to find TE Antonio Gates for a 14 yd TD to end a 75 yard drive that included a 37 yard catch to Gates earlier. Ray Rice then came to the fold to score a TD on a 3 yd run on 3^rd and goal giving a 14-7 Ravens lead which was the quarter time score. In the second quarter, a 34 yard Nate Kaeding FG with 6:21 to go before halftime cuts the lead to 14-10 until Joe Flacco found Todd Heap for a 6 yard TD with just over 3 minutes before halftime making it 21-10 to the Ravens. Another Philip Rivers INT, this time inside the last 2 minutes allowed Baltimore to get in position and have a FG attempt as time expired for the half but kicker Steven Hauschka missed the 41 yard attempt. At the half Baltimore lead 21-10. Baltimore already had over 300 yards on offense to the half.

On the third play of the second half, Joe Flacco took a hard hit from DE Jacques Cesaire which knocked him out for the rest of the game with a back strain. Troy Smith had to step in and lead the Ravens offense. However, the first passing play for Smith resulted in an interception (user pick) by Steven Cooper. the Chargers closed the gap to 21-17 following a 9 yard pass to Gates for his second TD. 2 plays earlier Rivers found Jackson on a 32 yard pass to the endzone but Jackson failed to get both feet in. On the Ravens next drive, Shawne Merriman put a huge hit (HIT STICK!!) on Ray Rice, forcing a fumble. Cesaire was able to recover the fumble at the bottom of the pile giving the Chargers the chance to take the lead with a short field. They took advantage of it, Chris Chambers catching a 10 yard pass from Rivers to make it 24-21 Chargers going into the final quarter. Following a slow start to the last quarter the action returned at the 2 minute mark. The Chargers had the ball and needed a successfu 2 minute drill from Philip Rivers. The first play of the Chargers 2 minute drill however resulted in a Dominique Foxworth interception. With 30 seconds left and on 4^th down the Ravens had the ball on the 34 yard line. Attempting a FG, lineman Tony Moll false started pushing the Ravens back 5 yards. On the next attempt, Moll again gave up a penalty, this time holding which pushed the Ravens to the 49 yard line. Needing a big play they went for it on 4^th and 20. And they made it, second year player Justin Harper finding a HUGE hole in the zone coverage and getting the 1^st. The Ravens had the ball on the 26 yard line with 25 seconds to go and 1 timeout left. Down by 3 they elected to run. Only gaining 6 yards they called a timeout with 5 seconds left to try and tie it up. And sure enough they made it. 24-24. Overtime.


In overtime, the Ravens again lost the coin toss giving the ball to the Chargers. A huge 3^rd down sack by Haloti Ngata forced the Chargers to punt following their unsuccessful drive. Starting from their own 45 yard line, Ray Rice ran the ball to the Chargers 26. Not moving anywhere on the next 3 plays, the Ravens went for the game winner. Tony Moll once again got called for holding but it didn’t matter as the FG attempt missed. 10 minutes to go, the Chargers had to take the chance. Malcolm Floyd came up huge, making a 28 yard catch despite double coverage. LT then had a 14 yard run to pick up a fresh set of downs. He strained his pectoral muscle in the play however and sat out the next play which allowed Darren Sproles to enter. Sproles, having only picked up 2 yards on his 4 rushes before this one, received a toss to the weak side. Thanks to some great blocking he took it 22 yards to the endzone for the game winner. Final score 30-24 Chargers.

.................Team Stats.................
...........San Diego | Baltimore...........
Total Offense .357 | 452
Pass Yards.....254 | 254
Rush Yards.....103 | 198
First Downs.....15 | 19
Turnovers.........3 | 2
3rd Downs....8/14 | 7/14
Penalties......5-45 | 6-60
T.O.P.........34:49 | 36:31

Individual Stats
Passing
P. Rivers (75.4 rating) 19/33, 261 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
J. Flacco (140.5) 12/17, 165 yds, 2 TD

T. Smith (68.4) 10/12, 105 yds, INT

Rushing
L. Tomlinson 26 carries, 79 yds
P.Rivers 5 carries, 24 yds, TD
R. Rice 29 carries, 166 yds, TD, FUMB

Recieving
A. Gates 8/141, 2 TD
L. Tomlinson 5/36, drop
V. Jackson 3/40
T. Heap 6/85, TD
K. Washington 4/59, drop
M. Clayton 4/34, TD

Defense
J. Williams 12 tackles (9/3), 2 TFL, sack
S. Merriman 8 Tackles (6/2), FF
S. Cooper 7 tackles (5/2), INT, pass def
J. Cesaire 6 tackles (2/4), FR
H. Ngata 7 tackles (6/1), 3 TFL, sack
S. Rolle 3 tackels (2/1), INT, 2 pass def
T. Gooden 3 tackels (2/1), INT
D. Foxworth 2 tackles (0/2), INT, pass def

Kicking
N. Kaeding 1/1 FG (34 long), 3/3 XP
S. Hauschka 1/4 FG (38 long), 3/3 XP

Punting
M. Scifres 5/223, 2 in 20
S. Koch 4/158, 2 in 20

Returns
D. Sproles 4 KO return/112yds, 3 PR/43 yds
C. Carr 4 KO return/98 yds, 1 PR/3 yds

Player of the Game: Antonio Gates (8 rec, 141 yards, 2 TD)

Next week the Ravens (1-1)host Cleveland (2-0) while the Chargers (1-1) look for back-to-back wins, hosting the Dolphins (0-2).

[T_RAV]

I think I might have to make my game recaps a little bit smaller.

[T_RAV]

AROUND THE LEAGUE: WEEK 2

~Week 2 Results~

Raiders (13) @ Cheifs (17)
Cardinals (37) @ Jaguars (17)
Vikings (24) @ Lions (28)
Bengals (6) @ Packers (19)
Texans (21) @ Titans (14)
Rams (9) @ Redskins (21)
Panthers (24) @ Falcons (30)
Patriots (21) @ Jets (26)
Saints (24) @ Eagles (17)
Seahawks (3) @ 49ers (21)
Bucs (21) @ Bills (35)
Browns (20) @ Broncos (17) OT
Ravens (24) @ Chargers (30) OT
Steelers (30) @ Bears (6)
Giants (21) @ Cowboys (31)
Colts (19) @ Dolphins (14)

~Divisional Standings~

.....AFC West....|....AFC East....|....AFC North....|...AFC South...
1] Chiefs.....1-1| Patriots.....2-0| Steelers....2-0|Colts......2-0
2] Raiders...1-1 | Jets.........1-1| Browns......2-0| Texans...1-1
3] Chargers.1-1 | Bills..........1-1| Ravens.....1-1| Jaguars...0-2
4] Broncos..0-2 | Dolphins....0-2| Bengals.....1-1| Titans....0-2

.....NFC West....|....NFC East....|....NFC North....|...NFC South...
1] 49ers......2-0| Redskins....2-0| Bears........1-1|Falcons....2-0
2] Rams......1-1 | Cowboys...1-1| Lions........1-1| Saints.....1-1
3] Cardinals.1-1 | Eagles......1-1| Packers.....1-1| Bucs.......0-2
4] Seahawks0-2 | Giants......0-2| Vikings......0-2| Panthers..0-2

~Players of the Week~

Offensive Player of the Week__|__Defensive Player of the Week
Trent Edwards (BUF) - 21/33, 345 yds, 4 TD | DeMeco Ryans (HOU) - 13 tackles, INT, FF

~League Leaders~

Passing
1] D. Brees (NO) - 57/89, 694 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
2] P. Manning (IND) - 43/83, 591 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
3] D. McNabb (PHI) - 52/78, 589 yds, 4 TD, 4 INT

Rushing
1] D. McFadden (OAK) - 36/246 yds, TD, FUMB
2] M. Turner (ATL) - 42/244 yds, 2 TD, 2 FUMB
3] R. Rice (BAL) - 55/241 yds, TD, FUMB

Recieving
1] T. Owens (BUF) - 12/242 yds, TD
2] D. Bowe (KC) - 15/223 yds, TD, 2 drops
3] R. Williams (DAL) - 15/217 yds, 4 TD, 3 drops

Tackles
1] P. Wilis (SF) - 30 (27 solo/3 assisted)
2] D. Ryans (HOU) - 29 (26/)
3] K. Dansby (ARI) - 22 (16/6)

Sacks
1] R. McBean (DEN) - 5.0
2] D. Freeney (IND) - 3.5
2] M. Vrabel (KC) - 3.5

Interceptions
1] D. Foxworth (BAL) - 3
2] 9 players

Will add return stats later in the season, any other stats that shoud be reported?

~Injury Report~

QB J. Campbell (WAS) - Broken ankle (OUT FOR SEASON)
DT M. Stroud (BUF) - Compound stress fracture (SEASON)
HB R. Bush (NO) - Broken fibula (SEASON)
SS J. Leonhard (NYJ) - Broken tibia (SEASON)
RE A. Schobel (BUF) - Herniated disk (10 weeks)
MLB B. Scott (NYJ) - Dislocated hip (10 weeks)
LE J. Kearse (PHI) - Fractured toe (9 weeks)
FS K. Hamlin (DAL) - Fractured foot (8 weeks)

[T_RAV]

~Week 3 Preview~

Miami (0-2) @ San Diego (1-1), 4:15pm, Qualcomm Stadium
Weather: 77 degrees and clear

Lets take a look at the Chargers Week 3 matchup vs Miami:

Team Stats
.........................OFFENSE...........|...... ........DEFENSE...........
.........................SD | MIA...........|..............SD | MIA...........
Total Yards.708 (6th) | 636 (16)....|........857 (32)| 571 (11)....
Pass Yards.....508 (9) | 361 (27)....|.......423 (15)| 409 (13).....
Rush Yards...200 (14) | 275 (5)......|.......434 (32)| 162 (14).....
PPG.............26.5 (7) | 15.0 (27)....|....26.5 (T24)| 18.5 (T12)..

The Chargers will look to make it two from two at home when the Miami Dolphins come to town on Sunday afternoon. The Dolphins have a few key players out (see injury report below) and this could help the Chargers. The main thing for San Diego is they need to play some defense. After two games the Chargers are allowing over 400 yards/game, and have also allowed more rushing yards than passing yards. Coach Norv Turner said during the week "When you have given up twice as many yards on the ground than you have gained yourself, you have to think about what is going wrong. Right now we just need to make sure of our tackles". If the Chargers are to have any chance at winning this one, they must shutdown the run of Ronnie Williams and control the ball.

Injury Report:
MIAMI - CB V. Davis - torn hamstring (10 weeks) | RG S. Murphy - broken wrist (8 weeks) | FS G. Wilson - dislocated ankle (1 week)
SAN DIEGO - LE R. Bingham - torn tricep (SEASON)

Keys to San Diego winning:

1] Play run defense. 2 weeks down and the Chargers have already given up over 400 yards on the ground. It wont get any easier this week going against Miami's 5th ranked rush offense led by RB Ronnie Brown who already has 233 yards (at an average of 6.6/carry) and 2 TDs this season. They MUST stop the run.

2] Take advantage of a weak secondary. The Dolphins come into the game without starting FS Gibril Wilson and rookie CB Vontae Davis. Philip Rivers should look to take advantage of this and expect a big game through the air from the Chargers. The Dolphins do have the pass rushing ability to worry Rivers however.

3] Less turnovers. Rivers threw 3 interceptions last week. Luckily they escaped with the win but this cannot happen week in, week out if the Chargers want to be a playoff caliber team.

Prediction: Chargers 30, Dolphins 17