First thing’s first: The Chargers are AFC West Champions and, as a result, have clinched a spot in the playoffs. Their 4th consecutive AFC West title and 5th in six years! I have said it before…but when we were 2-3, most of us looked at our upcoming schedule and were left hoping for a wildcard spot. Now…we are going in the front door.
Nine straight wins…17-0 in December…late heroics…this season is beginning to take on mythic qualities. Yesterday’s win was nearly a carbon copy of previous wins against Dallas, the Giants, and the Eagles. Get the ball into Rivers’ hand last…make sure we have the last possession…and if this team is within a score...they will get there. Since when have we had such confidence in a Charger team? Answer: Never.
Here is an excerpt from last week’s ANALYIS (because it is always cool to quote yourself):
Look, lets be real, they gave up LONG drives and lots of yards….but no big plays. That is the recipe people. That is how this Charger team will need to beat good teams. Keep the play in front of you, make tackles, and don’t give up touchdowns. The ANALYSIS identified this recipe early and it is obvious that this is the game plan.
Uh….once again, this is the way it played out. The Bengals came in following the tragedy surrounding Chris Henry…and played an inspired game. Their passing game had been horrible in past weeks…yet, like all teams, they found the answers against a soft Charger defense. Carson Palmer was unmolested most of the day…threw for over 300 yards, and it was a darn good thing he did not get the ball back late in this game. Although we bottled up their good back Benson most of the game, the Bengals still got some big plays from Ochocinco and some of their other receivers. Once again, the Chargers made a no name tight end look awesome, giving some guy named Foschi 7 catches for a bunch of yards. Once again…we gave up way too many 3rd down conversions…some of them very long ones. Once again, no pressure on the QB all game long. Sigh….
But, what we did do (despite the long bomb to Ocho) is keep the play in front of us and force them into long drives. Recipe, baby. The Chargers lately are like going to Juanita’s taco shop; you look at the menu…you think about getting something new and exotic, but at the end of the day, you get the Carne Asada. Why not? It is always good and it always works.
I read an article that said outside of Rivers, Jackson, and Gates…the Chargers are an average team. I tend to agree. But, that is enough right now. If Gates is not having a big day…Jackson is. And Floyd and Sproles just always seem to come up big. Touch for touch…I would take these guys over any number 3 or 4 receiver out there. We are spreading the ball around and it is just great to watch. LT looked solid…in fact, I thought he should have got more touches.
The final score was 27-24, but lets be real…we had this game salted and let it go. Early in the 4th quarter, we were up by 11…had made a big stop…and had the ball and all the momentum. That interception off of Gates’ hands was brutal. Gave the Bengals life…and a short field. For them to tie us up was rough…after a 97 yard drive….but, you need to put the bullet in Phillip’s head. 54 seconds is plenty of time for this offense. There is just no panic in this team. Even with a 10 second runoff due to the injury to Mruckowski, we still made three big plays to get in range.
And Nate Kaeding. Give it up. That kick would have been good from 62 yards. Nate has the highest percentage of field goals made IN NFL HISTORY. This never gets mentioned. He is remembered for last second misses against the Jets and the Patriots in the playoffs early in his career. But this guy is money…and what a massive confidence builder for the team to know you have a guy like this on the sideline. He says in his post game quote that he is “motivated by fear of failure” and “still has problems with his head”. Wow….best percentage ever and he admits that? Awesome.
So, be proud today ANALYSIS FOLLOWERS! Be very proud. This team has overcome a lot. Injuries all year long (maybe more yesterday?) and some tough games. They have won the West…if they win one out of their last two they get a bye in the first round and a #2 seeding in the playoffs. They play on Christmas day next. Don’t be surprised if Norv rests some guys given the short week and the travel to a tough place to play. Remember…Norv is “managing” the team…and for my money he has done a great job. The Titans are hot….playing well…and they have the best running back in the League. This is a tough game. Incredibly, the Bolts don’t necessarily need to win this game. If they win their final game at home against the Redskins, they lock up the bye regardless of what happens this week. Any of us would have not thought that possible early on. The question we must now ask…at any point during this nine game winning streak, have we played our absolute best? Have we played a truly complete game? I still believe we have not….and that is a good feeling.
Happy Holidays!
Hey everyone, I have about 10 weeks of comments to fit in here...so where do I start?
ReplyDeleteIt is truly hard to believe that we are facing another 10 game winning streak with a win on Christmas. Even the biggest optimist in me wouldnt have dreamed up that one for this season. I applaud the Analysis for its "not too terrible/not too great" attitude during this up and down season and the continued insights each week.
Football, like craps, is a game of streaks. Even if it goes one snap, one play at a time. One roll, one bet at a time. You can tell in craps when the table is hot, when you "feel" it, when you know you're going to win a bet, make some money. You can tell in football when a team feels it, when a team knows it is going to make a play, get a win.
So right now the Chargers are on a huge roll. Every time Rivers walks up to center, you are anticipating a big play, the kind of play that makes you give high fives around the room. When LT gets the ball these days, you expect that he's going to get yards. On and on with different players, except of course Shawne Merriman, who I dont expect anything from anymore. But I digress.
The Chargers have emerged as "the hottest team in the AFC," which is of course surprising since there's a team that hasnt lost at all. They are finally back on the radar. I'm not going to quote myself, because only Jason can pull that off, but I said at the beginning of the season that the keys were the collective mindset of the players that this was their year, perhaps the last year with this core of guys, coaching, and injuries.
Rivers said in the interview the other day that no one freaked out when they were 2-3 and that Norv kept his cool. They fought back, focused on playing one game at a time, and here they are. Marty used to say that, one game at a time. Then after a 14-2 season, Norv comes in and everyone is talking about the Super Bowl in August. One game at a time, thats the mindset now, thats better coaching. And somewhere along the line this year, Norv really did start calling good games (although in the last game I did feel that the long bombs were being over-called; I'm still a fan of 10-12-15 yard passes and a nice RAC).
So that leaves us with the third key - injuries. It's been pretty bad. But the way the team has responded, its been pretty amazing. The offensive line has somehow held up, giving Rivers just enough time to get the ball downfield. Run blocking, as Jason has mentioned several times, has been suspect. But lets be honest - the running game is just a change of pace now (except for the recent drive to close out the game). The defense is bending, bending, bending, and then snapping back in the red zone. The goal line stand vs. the Cowboys! Somehow they are getting it done. Reserves are coming in and holding their own. Guys are getting signed mid-season and coming in and holding their own.
Anyway, these are exciting times and it is really fun watching football every week. Kudos again to Jason for keeping it real, and here's to a continued hot streak. Rivers is the best shooter this table has seen since, well, Dan Fouts.
Merry Christmas -
Jeff
Nice work Jeff. And yes, these are fun times. rather than watching games with a sick feeling of doubt and disbelief...I am watching games with optiimism. A new experience indeed. Finish strong and we have as good a chance as any. Next step...lets get that bye!
ReplyDeleteJust checked the power rankings and we are at #3! What a difference a season makes! At the beginning of the season we were somewhere in the teens or twenties!
ReplyDeleteNo one wants to play us and I think that is great!!!!!!!
All I want for Christmas is................