BOLT ANALYSIS: WEEK 15 -- A SIGNATURE WIN, WHEN NOBODY NEEDS YOUR SIGNATURE

As this bizarre and painful season rolls on, we all need to acknowledge that we saw something like this coming. You just kind of believed that this team would put it together at some point. Facile wins over the struggling Jaguars and Bills at least planted the seed that something like this was possible.  Last night’s nationally televised beatdown (on a game that avoided being blacked out by inches by the way) was just the final cherry on top of our sour sundae this season. A teasing glimpse into what might have been….not unlike Ebenezer Scrooge looking at his own headstone with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Be. But, unlike Scrooge, we cannot undue what has been done. We have come to expect the unexpected…us Charger fans…good and bad. And all the good that came out of last night is likely to mean nothing, or at least very little. But man, that was cool while it lasted.

If someone had told me that a team in last night’s game would score on their first 5 possessions (should have been 6 if not for a missed field goal) and that same team would have SEVEN sacks, I would have said, yep…looks like the Ravens dominated.  The fact that it was the powder blues administering a world class demolition on a team heralded as the “most balanced team in the AFC” was simply stunning. Folks, this was not just a case of a team playing above themselves, making big plays, and getting a clunker from the opposition…this was systematic and complete domination of a good team. Especially of a good defense;  the  #1 defense in the League just got absolutely crushed.  Speaking for myself…I like drives…I like long, time consuming, scoring drives. They turn me on. They make me happy. Nothing smacks another team in the head better than a 6 or 7 minute drive that ends in a Touchdown or Field Goal. Last night…the first 6 times the Chargers had the ball…this happened. And that, folks, was beautiful (and a little bit sexy) to watch.  Let’s get right to it.

The Ravens started fast…first play from scrimmage a big run by Rice…and then a nice, balanced drive on the Bolts. However, when that easy field goal sailed just wide…you kind of sat up and said…”huh”. A little bit of luck perhaps..and a little hope. The Chargers first drive was brilliant. A great mix of pass and run that had the Ravens guessing and grabbing.  A Tolbert TD run on 3^rd down put an exclamation point on it. Us seasoned viewers said to ourselves…”at least we are going to fight in this one”. After the Ravens tied it by virtue of the undersized Strong Safety Steve Gregory getting blown up, the Chargers answered right back with a nice drive and another score. When the Ravens were forced to punt back to the Boyz, the resulting long drive and Ryan Mathews TD was nothing short of wonderful.  Where has this been all year? This balance…execution…and play calling. How many times did this team blow chances to make a statement…throw interceptions in the redzone…get called for horrendous penalties?. Suddenly, when Mathews hit the stick and we went up 17-7, that feeling crept back in. Damn…we could have been good.

The second half started even better. The Bolts taking the opening kickoff and cruising downfield. Rivers to Floyd for a 24-7 lead. Say what? Rivers was on fire all game. Absolutely awesome. This is the guy we expected. Standing up to blitzers…stepping into throws…delivering with authority. Not one pass CAME CLOSE to being picked off. This was about as good as a QB can play and it just makes the six game losing streak and all his awful play that much harder to understand. Floyd, VJ, Gates, and others making catches. And how about the offensive line? The pick up of Jared Gaither to play left tackle has been almost impossible to believe. The guy has just dominated everyone he has lined up against. He was crushing them last night. Same can be said of the rest of the line…to a man their finest game of the season. With Marcus McNeil and Dielman out for the year and hurt pretty bad, this is going to make for an interesting off season for the line. But that is for another post.

Once the game got to 24-7, the Ravens started making the mistakes. Flacco looked lost, throwing two picks. Getting sacked repeatedly as the Chargers started bringing the dogs after him. Another Touchdown by Mathews…this one a launch through the air from the 4 yard line…and we could call this one a rout. But, my favorite part of the game came later. With a 31-7 lead, the Chargers stopped the Ravens again and forced a punt that went out of bounds at their 1 yard line. What happened after that was just amazing. The Chargers cooly and calmly embarked on a 9 MINUTE DRIVE!  Almost all running plays through the confused and demoralized Ravens Defense. Guys like Ray Lewis, Suggs, and Ed Reed could not handle Mathews and Tolbert as they went through and around them for first down after first down. The best being Tolbert…spinning away from Mr. Lewis in the backfield and blasting his way for another first down. It was mercy that the Chargers settled for a field goal on that drive. But it was without question the biggest statement this team has made all year.

But what does it mean? Is it all for naught? Followers, the answer is almost certainly yes. Even if the Chargers win out against Detroit and Oakland..they are not likely to advance. Denver just needs to win one…and the Jets and or Bengals are also on top looking down. But, should we even be talking like this? I have already seen the “save Norv” language rattling around. Is that what we want? I hate to be Debbie Downer, but before we all get too excited…think of the way we all felt in that pathetic, moribund loss to the Broncos. That cannot be tolerated. Think about how you felt when we were helpless to stop the Raiders…and we gave up an 11 point lead against the Jets. Think about how you felt when the Bears spanked us and we fell to the Chiefs. We are 7-7. This fantastic win counts for just 1. It is probably not enough. We must stay resolute, followers.

Last week I spoke of Ryan Mathews and the importance of having Floyd-Gates-and Jackson all healthy and on the field. Man, last night showed us all that this group of players…guided by Rivers….is a powerful combination. And, despite the softness of our defense for most of the year….who would have thought we would sack the QB 7 times…that Weddle would look powerful…that our tackling would be crisp and excellent…that our outside pass rushers like Antwan Barnes would get the job done..and our secondary would cover the long ball so well?  I guess we can take from this game that we have our Quarterback back…and that we have some weapons. But that wistful feeling you all have right now? That feeling of hope? What should you do with it? Don’t hope too much followers. Just try to enjoy the last two games of the season. Maybe we will see some fun stuff. But if you start hoping now…it is only going to hurt worse when you see teams like Denver or the Jets playing in the postseason. No, don’t hope. Just enjoy the moment. Savor this excellent win, and leave it at that.