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WIldcard round: Chargers vs Titans


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Chargers snuck out a win in Tennessee in week 14.

Tennessee played well for 3 quarters, then folded in the 4th and overtime.

Chargers won 23-17 in OT.

 

Key match-ups article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8...mp;confirm=true

 

Newsworthy:

 

Vince Young set to play, favorite receiver (Scaife) is out.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8...mp;confirm=true

 

Anything else newsworthy for this match-up?

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The Chargers have played much better football since their terrible start. Despite Norv, they've put together a very solid run lately. That said, there is still the Norv factor looming large in the playoffs, and they should consider themselves damn lucky they didn't catch JAX in the first round instead of TEN. Rivers has sure taken a step backwards in his devleopment.

 

I don't think TEN has enough on either side of the ball in this one to find a way to sneak by SD. I don't see this as a blowout, though.

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The Chargers have played much better football since their terrible start. Despite Norv, they've put together a very solid run lately. That said, there is still the Norv factor looming large in the playoffs, and they should consider themselves damn lucky they didn't catch JAX in the first round instead of TEN. Rivers has sure taken a step backwards in his devleopment.

 

I don't think TEN has enough on either side of the ball in this one to find a way to sneak by SD. I don't see this as a blowout, though.

 

And I'd be shocked if it wasn't. I think the Chargers wipe the floor with the Titans in a double digit victory.

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Good article on matchups. The battles in the trenches are going to be critical. McNeil vs. Vanden Bosch is indeed a key matchup as Vanden Bosch caused a lot of havoc against the Chargers in their last meeting (3 sacks, 7 QB pressures). McNeil must play alot better in this game and/or get some help if needed. Dielman vs. Haynesworth is also important as Haynesworth proved to be a disruptive force in the first game.

 

Weather may be a slight factor as rain is forecast Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sun in San Diego. The ball will be wet and the field may be a little slick.

 

The Titans have taken some injury hits on offense with Young ailing and Scaife and Roydell Williams out, but the strength of their offense is really the OLine and their runnning game, so they'll likely look to pound the rock and take some occasional shots downfield. The Chargers DLine will be bolstered by the return of Jamal Williams (JWall) and it'll be strength against strength in the trenches.

 

The Chargers have more impact players on offense with LT, Gates, and Chambers and should be able to score some points as long as their OLine performs up to par against a stingy Titans D. As indicated above, McNeil and Dielman will have to hold their own in their matchups against Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth. Rivers needs to manage the game, make some plays, and above all, stay away from the turnovers and stay in the game. He's hobbled by a sprained knee that I think is worse than the Chargers have let on. In the handful of times Volek came in to replace Rivers over the past three or four games, Volek has not looked good at all.

 

Nate Kaeding is also ailing with an injury sustained a few weeks ago against the Broncos. Although he made his 3 FGs and some PATs against the Raiders last week, a couple of the kicks didn't look too good. I don't think the Chargers want to have to rely on a game-winning field goal on a slick field.

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As expected… my :D , :D , :D

 

First. The Chargers were NOT ready for the “dirty tactics” and attempt to intimidate the Chargers off the field. They almost did, but instead, Rivers gutted out an injury most would have sat down for and won over the team as “the leader” (finally). He is playing MUCH better and is not making the bone head mistakes he did over the first half of the season. The knee is a concern, mobility in particular, but Haynsworth is not playing at a level with his inury to make the impact he did in the first game, Just like last year, "mocking" LT and Merriman in the endzone (different game, Cinci did it just before the nightmare started for them as well) was the WRONG thing to do. That in itself changed the Chargers mentality and attitutude. The game changed RIGHT THERE, and so did the rest of the season.

 

I also still think there is a HUGE advantage for east coast teams hosting west coast teams in the early games. The visitors have to start their day at about 3-4 a.m. “body clock time” I have linked many articles to this before, but in a nutshell, it is much harder to travel east than west. This has been shown statistically significant over the last two decades (a pretty good sample size!) The Chargers at both the JAX and Tenn games did not seem to “wake up” until half time! Since the second half of the JAX game, no defense has been any better than the Chargers.

 

Both of those games statistically were VERY different from half to half. The Chargers recent BIG D run started in the second half of the JAX game. Either of these games played in San Diego are very different.

 

The refs will be MUCH tighter on the crap that went down in the first game. It takes “two to tango” but three Titans were fined for incidents occurring BEFORE the horse collar fine on a showboat TD run.

 

The Chargers are healthier than when they played last time, the Titans are hurting more. Castillo, Williams and Merriman all play, and the Offense is having to worry about a Rivers’ knee. They seemed to get their blocking schemes fixed by the fourth quarter and the Bolts look to be a more athletic and more physically fit team. I heard a quote earlier in the week that the Titans threw a lot of stuff they hadn’t shown before, and obviously approached the game with a playoff mentality.

 

Despite all of this, the Chargers squeaked it out. There won’t be anywhere near the surprises that there were in the first game. When the Chargers went to a zone blocking scheme, LT broke his biggest runs. Chambers is clearly becoming the number 1B option in the passing game and has helped Gates “rest” and get over some of his booboos.

 

I see a close first half with the Chargers running away with the game in the second half.

 

Chargers 34-16. The Bolts at home are 7-1 and have outscored their opponents in the first quarter, 81-0 at the Murph.

 

Everyone talks about JAX as the “Dark Horse” that “nobody wants to play", but the Chargers are looking about as good as any but Indy and NE. and IMHO are a much more balanced team than JAX (no disrespect, I love the way they play the game!). This could work to their advantage and hopefully “sneak up” on their next opponent, assuming they beat the Titans.

 

Rivers is the key to how far this team advances this year. Is he ready as a second year starter, with his second HC and OC in his second year as a starter to be a SB QB? I don’t think this year, They may beat Indy, but unless the PATS are upset at home, I don’t see the Chargers putting back-to-back wins, on the road against these two teams this year, to advance. But, I am not as concerned about Norv as much as I used to overall. I am MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE with Norv taking this team into the playoffs than Marty Snottyovercoachandloseyourcomposureandmindinthebiggameheimer.

 

BTW

 

0 = Fumbles this season by LaDainian Tomlinson, making him the first NFL player in 13 seasons to complete a season with at least 300 touches (he had 375) and no fumbles. :wacko:

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At least local Charger fans will be able to see it.......

 

Update: Blackout lifted

Chargers fans can relax: The team announced today that enough tickets had been sold to lift the local blackout for Sunday's AFC wild-card playoff game between the Chargers and Tennessee Titans. The game will be televised live on KFMB Channel 8 at 1:30 p.m.

 

A limited number of Club Level and other single seats remain for sale at the Chargers' ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, at Chargers.com or through Ticketmaster.

 

– UNION-TRIBUNE

The game was in danger of being the first playoff game to be blacked out since 2002. :D

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At least local Charger fans will be able to see it.......

The game was in danger of being the first playoff game to be blacked out since 2002. :D

As astonishing as this is to report, we are expecting a bad-ass storm at about game-time. I think it kept people away.

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As astonishing as this is to report, we are expecting a bad-ass storm at about game-time. I think it kept people away.

 

Not only that, but the seats the NFL forced San Diego to put in for the last SB and playoff games SUCK and nobody wants to buy/sit in them. They are usually sold to some company at the last muniute that uses them as a taxwrite-off. :D

 

NFLTeams demamnd ing new statdiums usually get no sympathy from me, but it is time to blow that dump and give the city a quality venue! :D

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Not only that, but the seats the NFL forced San Diego to put in for the last SB and playoff games SUCK and nobody wants to buy/sit in them. They are usually sold to some company at the last muniute that uses them as a taxwrite-off. :D

 

NFLTeams demamnd ing new statdiums usually get no sympathy from me, but it is time to blow that dump and give the city a quality venue! :D

When I checked for seats this morning, the only ones left were Club seats. Surely Club seats don't suck. Are the NFL forced seats Club level? They were section C7, or something like that. They appeared to be 35 yrd line.

 

They were going for $405 a piece btw.

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I don't think this game is such a foregone conclusion.

 

They're both very flawed teams.

About SD being on a roll and finishing strong, they can thank the last 6 teams on their schedule... a combined .385 win %.

 

I think it's a coin flip with SD eeking it out based on home field advantage. But because I think it'll be a close game, I would not be surprised if Fischer out-coaches and out-prepares Norv for this game.

Edited by kingfish247
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But Vince can't run, all his WR's stink or are hurt . . .

 

It doesn't take a genius to play the run and dare Vince to beat you with his arm.

 

As long as the Chargers offense doesn't have a ton of turnovers, they'll be fine.

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:D

 

This is why California doesn't deserve NFL teams. Buncha' candy-ass wine drinking ghey-baits.

 

:D

 

Spent much time there??? Too Funny!

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When all the predictable players are taken out of the equation, that opens up a whole lot of unpredictability.

This scares me as a Charger fan.

 

I can definitely see this as a trap game.

 

Ummm :D IF this is a trap game, DURING THE PLAYOFS, against a team they almost lost too... they don't belong there! There are no "trap games" in the tournament!

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I don't think this game is such a foregone conclusion.

 

They're both very flawed teams.

About SD being on a roll and finishing strong, they can thank the last 6 teams on their schedule... a combined .385 win %.

 

I think it's a coin flip with SD eeking it out based on home field advantage. But because I think it'll be a close game, I would not be surprised if Fischer out-coaches and out-prepares Norv for this game.

 

This is the only, and I mean THE ONLY, advantage the Titans have in this game. This game should not even be close. You know what they say though, Any Gven Sunday... however I doubt it'll be this Sunday.

 

Ummm :D IF this is a trap game, DURING THE PLAYOFS, against a team they almost lost too... they don't belong there! There are no "trap games" in the tournament!

 

Great statement!! I agree.

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:D

 

This is why California doesn't deserve NFL teams. Buncha' candy-ass wine drinking ghey-baits.

 

 

That's very universal.

 

This is why Seattle doesn't deserve NFL teams. Buncha' candy-ass latte' drinking ghey-baits.

 

This is why Wisconsin doesn't deserve NFL teams. Buncha' candy-ass sausage eatin' ghey-baits. :D

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