Introduction

This week the Los Angeles Chargers headed over to Pittsburgh to face Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. The Chargers started off slow for the second straight week and found themselves down 23-7 at halftime. However, a questionable no-call, a slew of offsides, and many odd plays helped them overcome the 16-point deficit and beat the Steelers 33-30. The loss for the Steelers meant breaking their record of 174-0-1 in home games in which they held a 16-point lead at any point in the game.

Recap

The Chargers started the game off with a missed Michael badgley 52-yard field goal. It was then the Steelers turn to get things going and they sure did. On they’re third play of the game, Big Ben threw a 46-yard bomb to Antonio Brown for a TD. Unable to get going, the Chargers went three-and-out and punted the ball back to the Steelers. 6 plays and 48-yards later another TD. Things were not looking good early in the game for the Bolts until a certain missed call happened. The Chargers were at Pittsburgh’s 46-yard line when Rivers threw a TD pass to Travis Benjamin. What should’ve been called on the play, and this is coming from a Chargers fan, was a false start on right tackle Sam Tevi. A lot of backlash was thrown the referee’s way for this missed call, but I was pretty happy about it. Still, this play did not derail the Steelers train on offense because Big Ben ended up throwing another TD pass to Brown, this time for 28-yards. That play marked the end of scoring for the first half.

No one scored until late in the third quarter when Keenan Allen caught a 10-yard TD pass that was almost intercepted by Steelers cornerback Joe Haden. Haden collided with teammate Sean Davis and tipped the ball right into Allen’s hands for the touchdown. Rivers than threw to Antonio Gates who caught the two-point conversion to put them down 23-15. Next thing you know the score is 23-23! Desmond King had a 73-yard punt return for a TD. Talk about getting right back into the game. The Bolts kept it rolling form there, scoring on their next drive. Rookie running back Justin Jackson ran the ball in from 16-yards out. The games not over yet though, Big Ben rallied his team 78-yards down the field to end on a 10-yard TD pass to Jaylen Samuels. With around four minutes to go in the game, the Chargers could run the clock out and push down the field for a field-goal. Doing exactly that they were lined up to kick the game winning field-goal with three seconds left. Miss! Another Chargers missed field-goal, but wait there was a penalty. Offsides on the Steelers! With another shot at winning the game, Badgley kicked….BLOCK! Hold on, another flag down. Yes, another offsides on the Steelers. So on Badgely’s third kick attempt, he made it through the uprights. But there was another offsides that was declined. That’s the ballgame, 33-30 Los Angeles Chargers win.

What’s Next

Beating the Steelers is huge for the Chargers team. They are a top team in the league and the top team in their division. This game will help them prepare for next week against the Chiefs, their in-division leader. The Chargers are only one game behind and look to even things up with the Chiefs next week. So stay tuned, and come back to read next week’s blog when the Chargers take on the Chiefs

 

Ap. (2018, December 03). RECAP: Philip Rivers, Chargers rally to defeat Steelers on last-second field goal. Retrieved from https://www.foxsports.com/west/story/philip-rivers-los-angeles-chargers-defeat-pittsburgh-steelers-last-second-field-goal-michael-badgley-120318

Intro:

After an embarrassing loss to the 4-6 Broncos , Philip Rivers and the Chargers were looking to get back on track this week in an away game against the 2-8 Cardinals. The Chargers did exactly that and River’s had a record setting game. I’m going to talk about his big day, Joey Bosa’s second game, and what’s next for the Chargers.

Almost Perfect!

Rivers tied the NFL record for consecutive completions and broke the record for the highest completion percentage in a game. Along with breaking these records, the Chargers dominated the Cardinals in 45-10 blow-out. The veteran QB completed each of his first 25 passes and finished 28 of 29. That’s 96.5% to go with 259 yards and three touchdowns. He tied Ryan Tannehill’s 25 straight completions from 2015. However, Tannehill accomplished his completions over the course of two games. Rivers was in awe of what he did, saying “There are far-off dreams where you wonder if you are going to have a game where you are never going to miss one and then you say, ‘Probably not.’ The fact that we were staying there in the fourth quarter says something,” The 15th-year quarterback is completing 69.5% of his passes, tying his career best. He threw the ball to seven different players, getting everyone one involved, making it tough for the defense to operate. His three TD passes were plays near the boundary, giving the receivers a chance to go up and get the ball. Rivers was not the only star player to make some noise, defensive end Joey Bosa made the NFL know that he’s back from injury. He had 3 tackles, 2 assists, and 2 sacks. He’s getting back into form at just the right time, let’s hope he stays healthy and on the field.

What’s Next

Next week the Chargers face the Steelers, a power-house franchise that always produces a playoff team. The Chargers sit at the top of the wild-card, one game behind the Chiefs. If they are able to beat the Steelers, they would face the Chiefs and have an opportunity to win their division. It is going to be a tough couple of weeks because Melvin Gordon is out with a sprained MCL. If the Chargers win a majority of their upcoming games, they will have Gordon back for the playoffs and ready to make a deep run. Get ready for my next blog on the Chargers tough AFC matchup and remember: Go Bolts!

Introduction

The Los Angeles Chargers are certainly living up to the hype that surrounded them pre-season. After beating the Oakland Raiders 20-6 this week for their sixth straight win, the Chargers sit at 7-2. That puts them in the top wild card position in the AFC. Before I talk about the Chargers playoff hopes, let’s take a look at their “dismantling” of the lowly Raiders.

Recap

I put dismantling in quotations because on the scoreboard the game was not close, but in reality, the Chargers played awful. Philip Rivers didn’t complete a pass until the second quarter and the team produced their lowest yards total of the year. Despite this slow start, the Chargers managed to win the game. “You have to win these games. Just find a way to win them. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care how pretty they are…”Rivers said about the ugly win. (Krause, 2018) The Raiders were the first on the board with a 46-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson. The Raiders then forced a 3 and out and got the ball back quickly. Driving the bolts defense down field, it did not look good, until Melvin Ingram had a hard hit on Derrick Carr and forced a fumble. The Chargers were able to take advantage of the fumble and hit a field goal, tying the game. After forcing a 3 and out, the bolts drove 77-yards up the field on four plays and finished with a 11-yard TD pass to Keenan Allen to take the lead going into halftime. The chargers got the ball back to start the third quarter and Melvin Gordon took right off. Juking multiple defenders for a 66-yard TD. To begin the fourth quarter the Raiders gained momentum but were stopped for a 30-yard field goal. On the next drive the Chargers were able to match that field goal to put them up 20-6. Oakland was unsuccessful in their comeback and they fell to a dismal 1-8.

What’s Next

The Chargers will head into their game against the Bronco’s next week as one of the hottest teams in the league. They rank fourth in the power ranking behind the Saints and the two teams that beat them; Chiefs and Rams. Right now, they are in wild card position, but there’s is still time to either fall out of the playoffs or move further into the picture. I’m still patiently waiting for the return of Joey Bosa, a preseason favorite for defensive player of the year. Bosa turns the Chargers from contenders to a Super Bowl team. So, keep an eye on the injury waiver and get ready for the Bronco’s.

 

References:

Dubow, J. (2018, November 12). Rivers leads Chargers to 6th straight win, 20-6 over Raiders. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/rivers-leads-chargers-6th-straight-win-20-6-000624922–spt.html

Krause, M. A. (2018, November 11). Oakland vs Los Angeles Recap, Final Score 20-6: Raiders can’t shock Chargers in Oakland. Retrieved from https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2018/11/11/18085984/oakland-vs-los-angeles-recap-final-score-20-6-raiders-cant-shock-chargers-in-oakland

Introduction

The Chargers headed up to Seattle for their week 9 game against the Seahawks. Playing in Seattle is always tough because of their fans, who are called the 12^thman. Not only will the Seahawks have the 12^thman, but they are also 4-1 in their last 5 games. The Chargers need to stop the Seahawks run game early on, because that is what they rely on. If they can figure out how to stop the run, they should have an easy win away from home

Recap

The Seahawks started the game running the ball to exploit the Chargers poor run defense. They converted three 3^rd-and-1’s on their first drive and found themselves in the red zone. Russell Wilson then threw a touchdown pass to WR Jaron Brown to put the Seahawks up 7-0. On the next drive, Philip Rivers was in attack mode, taking the Chargers 94 yards for a touchdown. The Chargers kicker Caleb Sturgis missed the extra point, putting them down 7-6. Sturgis also missed a Field Goal this game which led to him being released after the game. The Chargers defense was able to hold the Seahawks to three-and-out on their ensuing drive. Rivers took advantage of this, throwing a 54-yard bomb to Keenan Allen. Melvin Gordon did the rest with a 34-yard touchdown run…wait for it…another missed Field Goal by Sturgis. As I said in my last blog, Mike Badgley should have got the start, but going with the veteran Sturgis was not a crazy decision. Badgley is now officially on the starting roster and no longer with the practice squad. After a couple of three-and-outs, Rivers regained form and found receiver Mike Williams on a hitch route that turned into a 30-yard TD with one-minute left. That one minute turned out to be enough time for the Seahawks to kick a 44-yard field goal, putting the game at 19-10 going into the second half.

Not much went on in the second half of the game. It stayed close until Chargers cornerback Desmond King picked off Wilson and took it home for a score. On the next drive, Wilson made some impressive passes and finished with a TD pass to tight end Nick Vannett. With under two-minutes to go and the game at 25-17, the Seahawks were desperate and attempted an onside kick. The ball landed right in the hands of Austin Ekeler. However, the Chargers went a quick three-and-out and gave the Seahawks one last chance. They were unable to get anything going.

On To Next Week

After another close victory, the Charger hope to continue their hot streak in Oakland next week. Oakland has been struggling this year under new head coach Jon Gruden, which should make this an easy win for the Chargers. Right now, the Chargers look like they are going to be a wild card in the playoffs, unless the Chiefs slip up or fall to the Chargers in week 15. Week 15 is a couple weeks away, so we have to worry about beating the lowly raiders. Stay tuned for my next blog and get ready to stomp on the Raiders

Introduction:

In week 8, the halfway point of the NFL season, the Chargers enjoyed a well-deserved bye. I say well-deserved because they are currently boasting a four-game winning streak and their only two losses are to the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs who have one combined loss this season. The Chargers offense has been spectacular, and their defense has been great for the most part, despite not having its best player (Joey Bosa) for the entire year thus far. With all this being said I am going to give out mid-season awards for the best rookie, biggest surprise, biggest disappointment and MVP.

Best Rookie: Derwin James

This pick doesn’t come as a surprise as he was the team’s first-round pick. James is a safety who is able to make plays all over the field. He has 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and six passes defended. The chargers have struggled to find a dynamic safety since getting rid of Eric Weddle, but it looks like they hit the lottery this time. James isn’t just the best defensive rookie for the Chargers, he will be in the talks for Defensive Rookie of the Year award across the whole league.

Biggest Surprise: Mike Badgley

It’s not the best thing in the world when you’re surprised that a kicker can make field goals, but after a group of kickers who couldn’t get it done, Badgley saved the day. He came in after an injury to Caleb Sturgis (not too sad about that) and has been perfect. While he has only played two games, he has made both his field goal attempts and all seven of his extra-point attempts. The Chargers tried out Younghoe Koo, Nick Novak, Travis Coons and Nick Rose last season, piling the stress onto their fans after an absurd amount of missed kicks. The trend continued this season when they signed Sturgis, who missed two extra points and 3 field goals before getting hurt. Sturgis should be ready for week 9 against the Seahawks, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Badgley got the start.

Biggest Disappointment: Casey Hayward

Casey Hayward has been an All-Pro the last couple of years and in the conversation of best cornerback in the league. That is not the case this year. Hayward’s success rate for covering passes went up 7% in week 7 to put him at 50%. He’s lucky a couple of wide receivers dropped passes while he was covering them. A success rate of 50% puts him at 82^ndoverall in the league. Last year Hayward was top 10 in nearly every stat imaginable. He’s not just playing below his standards, he’s playing below the standards of an average cornerback. The Chargers need Hayward to find his form again for the Chargers to make it out of the AFC.

MVP: Philip Rivers

Did you expect to find a different name here? No. Philip Rivers has been the best player on the Chargers since LaDainian Tomlinson was on the team and Antonio Gates was in his prime. Rivers is 36 years old, having one of the best season of his career, and chasing that ring that he dearly desires. In seven games, Rivers is completing 69% of his passes for 2,008 yards with 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. He has a QBR of 117.8, ranking second in the league behind Drew Brees. His window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl is closing. So instead of relying on his teammates to pick up the slack, he’s picking it up and making everyone around him better. Rivers hasn’t been in the conversation for best QB in the league much, but only because he has been playing with QB;’s like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees his entire career. Everyone who has followed Rivers throughout his career knows he doesn’t want that recognition, but he deserves it. If Rivers continues to play like he currently is, and his team stays healthy, this could finally be the year he holds that Lombardi Trophy high in the air!

Introduction

The Los Angeles Chargers beat their division rival the Oakland Raiders 26-10 this past Sunday. The Chargers played well on both sides of the ball, keeping the Raiders to only 10 points a week after they put up 45 last week. Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Melvin Ingram, Keenan Allen, and Austin Ekeler continue to fill up the stat sheet, but it was several other players that had a key impact on the game.

Unsung Hero’s

With the Chargers Pro-Bowl cornerback, Jason Verret, out for the season they needed someone to step up this year. That someone has been second year player Michael Davis. He was put in this week after Jatavis Brown left with an injury. Yes, another injury for the Chargers, a reoccurring theme for them each year. Davis has taken his game to the next level this year, putting his 6-3 frame to work. He finished the game with only one tackle, but he did a good job shutting down the receivers opposite to him. In addition to Davis, Isaac Rochell made himself known recording his first sack of the year. He also had two tackles and an QB hit.

On the offensive side of the ball the Chargers were missing both of their tackles, Joe Barksdale and Russell Okung. They were replaced by Sam Tevi and Trent Scott. Tevi has started the past couple of games at right tackle but was switched over to the left to make Scott feel more comfortable. Scott is an undrafted free agent who was promoted from the practice squad and made his first start. These players are proving just how deep and well rounded the Chargers are this year.

Recap

The Chargers started the game off with a field goal from Caleb Sturgis on their first drive, but after that their offense slowed down. The Raiders tied the game with a 24-yd field goal by Matt McCrane in the second quarter. The Chargers finally got their offense rolling with 4 minutes left before halftime, when Austin Ekeler caught a 44-yd TD pass from Philip Rivers. After showing his versatility on a 34-yd catch, Melvin Gordon slammed in a 1-yd run to put the Chargers up 17-3 right before half. In the second half, the Chargers made a field goal and a 13-yd TD from Rivers to Virgil Green on a screen-pass to put the game out of reach.

Up Next

The Chargers face the Cleveland Browns next week, so it should be an easy win! The Chargers still should go in to this week prepared and ready to play. The Browns are riding a two-game winning streak and have a young gunner, Baker Mayfield, who is showing potential to become the Browns best QB in a while. Thank you for reading and get ready for a fun math-up next week!

Chargers Go from Favorites to Down Double-Digits

Heading into their game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Chargers were 10-point favorites. Everyone thought they would win easily against a team who just lost their franchise QB to injury. Well everything doesn’t always go as planned. On the first drive of the game Philip Rivers threw a pick-6 to Antone Exum Jr. The Chargers had their first shot at putting points on the board with a 54-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis. Wide Right. The 49ers then took the ball 56-yds down the field on 6 plays for a touchdown. Now down 14-0, it didn’t look good for the Chargers. However, they rallied back on the next drive and Philip Rivers found his longtime favorite weapon Antonio Gates for a 5-yd TD pass. PAT attempt Wide Right. This time Sturgis misses an extra point, his second miss of the season. After a 49ers Field Goal, Rivers threw a 22-yd strike to Austin Ekeler. To make up for the missed extra point, the Chargers went for two. Rivers hit Melvin Gordon to make the score 17-14. With time running out in the second quarter, the 49ers punted to Chargers cornerback Desmond King who went 56-rds to the 49ers 33-yd line. Sturgis was finally able to get the ball through the uprights from 48-yds out.
The Chargers started the second half strong with a TD pass to Gordon on their first drive to go up 23-17. ANOTHER MISS! Sturgis missed his second extra point of the game. Helped by a pair of roughing-the-passer penalties, a penalty under scrutiny by players, the 49ers were poised to score at the Chargers 8-yd line. INTERCEPTION! Cornerback Trevor Williams took the interception to the 49ers 12-yd line. The 49ers held the Chargers to a field goal that put them up 26-17. Late in the third quarter C.J. Beathard, Jimmy Garoppolo’s replacement, hit tight end George Kittle for an 82-yd TD to go down 2. Both teams exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter with the Chargers eventually winning 29-27.
Despite throwing a pick-6, missing a field goal and 2 extra point, the Chargers survived. Philip Rivers threw for 250 and 3 TD passes, continuing his hot start to the year. Melvin Gordon also carried his workload adding 104 rushing yards and 55 receiving. Coach Anthony Lynn will almost definitely have a talk with Caleb Sturgis about moving forward. Hopefully Sturgis can figure everything out and be ready for next week against the Raiders.

Thank you for reading! Get ready for week 5 against the Oakland Raiders and remember to check for my blog on October 9th.

Tiger Woods Wins First PGA Tour Tournament in 5 Years

What many thought would never happen again, finally came true; Tiger Woods captured his 80^thPGA Tour win. Heading into the Final Round at the Tour Championship in East Lake, Atlanta, Woods was 12 under and in first place. When Sunday came, Woods was ready for action wearing his classic red polo shirt. Woods has always worn red on Sunday’s because his mother told him it was his “power color”. He started the day off right, shooting a birdie on hole 1 and positioning himself 4-shots above the next golfer. Woods didn’t play spectacular in the final round, shooting 1-over par, but that was all he needed to win. He finished two shots over Billy Horschel.

The Journey

Not too long ago, Tiger Woods had trouble getting out of his bed. His golf career was put on pause because of back injuries and he was about to have his fourth operation, his last chance to try and make a comeback. Woods’ injuries have not been the only troubling part of his life, in 2009 he was involved in a sex scandal that led to his divorce, sponsors to drop him, and tarnished his clean image. The scandal didn’t stop him from winning, but his back did in 2013. Woods again slipped up soon after his fourth operation when he received a DUI, the toxicology reports found five drugs in his system. After cleaning up, woods got back to golf and was performing exceptionally. He had posted six top ten finishes going into the Tour Championship, but there were still people doubting whether he could win or not. Even Tiger doubted himself, saying “I don’t know what my future holds” just under a year ago. Now the doubters are silenced, and Wood looks like his old self.

The Aftermath

The world went wild when Tiger Woods secured his 80^thPGA Tour win, celebrities and fellow athletes were tweeting all about it. The final round of the Tour Championship was the most-watched final round of a non-major in 2018 and the most-watched round at the event ever. When Tiger plays well, golf shines as bright as any other sport. Woods had to fight back tears after he hit a bunker shot onto the green; “I was pretty emotional when Rory [McIlroy] was tapping out, he was finishing out, I looked around, and the tournament was over because I’d already put the bunker shot on the green, and I’d won 80. 80 is a big number. I’ve been sitting on 79 for about five years now, and to get 80 is a pretty damned good feeling.” Despite dropping to as low as 1,199^thin the world late last year, Woods is now expected to be ranked 13^thin the world and is now the favorite to win the upcoming Master’s Tournament. The Tour Championship marks Woods’ 19^thPGA Tour win since 2008, tying Dustin Johnson for the most victories among active players. That stat depicts how good he was considering he went the past five years without winning and is still at the top in wins. Hopefully Woods can keep his composure because he brings an element to golf that no other player can bring. Golf needs Tiger Woods!

Thank you all for reading this week! Make sure to keep a lookout for my next post on October 2^nd.

This week in my blog I’m going to talk about the Los Angeles Chargers week 2 win against the Buffalo Bills and who shined throughout the game. Heading into the game the Chargers were favored to win the game by 7.5 points, so it came as no surprise to me when they won the game easily¹. The final score was 31-20, but the game wasn’t as close as the score presents. At halftime the Chargers led 28-6, giving the Bills little hope they could comeback. After the half the bolts seemed to slow down, which is not something anyone likes to see. They couldn’t get their offense going again and were only able to score on a field goal in the second half. Luckily their defense stopped a comeback from happening. Aside from the slow second half, nothing looked bad about the team. Defensive rookies shined, Rivers isn’t showing signs of decline, and the Chargers have plenty of weapons on Offense.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIES SHINE

Chargers rookies Derwin James, Uchenna Nwosu and Kyzir White had a huge impact in their win over the Bills. It was their second game, but I think all three have the potential to be stars in the league. Head Coach Anthony Lynn saw all three players growth in the practices leading up to the game; “I thought this week in practice, all three of those guys looked better. They looked faster, and just learning our system is what they’re doing. This is about the time you see those rookies come on. They understand the speed of the NFL game right about now. You saw it in practice and it showed up in the game².” Nwosu was the first of the three to shine when he had his first career sack on Josh Allen. White’s impact play came in the fourth quarter when he made a diving interception against fellow rookie Josh Allen. Along with the pick, he had three passes defended and four tackles. However, the rookie that gets me fired up the most is safety Derwin James. He has been electric and has already notched a single sack in his first two games. As a safety! Against the bills he recorded a game high 8 tackles (two for a loss and one sack), one pass defended and a hit on Josh Allen². I can’t wait to see wait to see them play together for the rest of the season!

RIVERS AND HIS MANY WEAPONS

Philip Rivers didn’t put up the biggest numbers this week because he didn’t have too. The talent surrounding him is starting to make teams worry. Rivers threw 27 times for only 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he completed 23 of those passes. “Only four times in the history of the NFL has a team lost a game when throwing for more than 250 yards with fewer than five incompletions³.” Even though Rivers didn’t put up any gaudy numbers, he was still brilliant on the field. As for his weapons, Austin Ekeler rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries while being the second-string back, Melvin Gordon had 3 TD’s and six players caught at least 2 passes. Keenan Allen and Gordon were expected to be studs this year, but not many people expected Ekeler to play this well or Mike Williams to be the same after his injury. With all of these threats, the Chargers are a team to be feared.

A BIG TEST AHEAD

Next week the Chargers play the Los Angeles Rams, one of the top teams in the league. This will be the first time the teams will face each other since they were relocated. The Chargers are a 7-point underdog, but I see an upset happening if the Chargers are able to stop Todd Gurley. Rivers isn’t afraid of a challenge and he knows the Rams have one of the best defenses in the League, that’s why he’ll be ready for them. Look out for my next post to keep up with the Chargers and everything they have going for them this season!

 

References

[1]Staff, A. N. (2018, September 14). Chargers-Bills Betting Preview: Should You Back Josh Allen In His First Start? | The Action Network. Retrieved from https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/los-angeles-chargers-buffalo-bills-picks-betting-odds-preview-week-2-2018

²Defensive Rookies Show Out in Win. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chargers.com/news/defensive-rookies-show-out-in-win

³What we learned from the Chargers’ 31-20 road win over the Bills. (2018, September 17). Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/la-sp-chargers-what-we-learned-20180917-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: BoosterShots (Booster Shots)#