After last Sunday’s drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers took a page out of Aaron Rodgers’ playbook at his post game press conference and asked everyone to relax. The loss dropped the Chargers to 1-2 on the season. In the process of losing to the Vikings, the team also saw more key offensive linemen leave due to injury as the offense struggled to find consistency. On defense, the Chargers had trouble dealing with a Viking offense that featured Adrian Peterson rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
This Sunday, the Chargers return home to face the Cleveland Browns at 4:05 PM ET. Cleveland also comes into the game with a 1-2 record. The Browns are expected to once again go with Josh McCown at quarterback over Johnny Manziel. McCown was injured in the team’s season opener and Manziel came on in relief and started Cleveland’s week two win over the Tennessee Titans. The Cleveland offense has seen the emergence of wide receiver Travis Benjamin with his big play ability.
Much has been made about the Chargers struggles against the run this season. In the first half against Minnesota, there was improvement, but it did not translate to the rest of the game. Cleveland comes in with the 28th ranked rushing offense in the NFL, and defensive coordinator John Pagano is expecting his team to get back to the basics. In his weekly press conference, Pagano was asked for his thoughts about the run defense thus far:
“I think the biggest thing it comes down to is technique and fundamentals. I thought we did an excellent job last week of first half run defense of limiting to 3.8 or 3.9 a carry, and just doing those things, we’ve got to carry it over to the second half. That was probably the most disappointing thing.”
As for the offensive side of the ball, the state of the offensive line is a huge focal point. Currently, four of the five starters are dealing with some sort of injury. During Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, the Chargers lost center Chris Watt, guard Orlando Franklin, and tackle King Dunlap to injury. The Chargers finished the game with only five offensive linemen suited up that could play. On Thursday, Dunlap, Watt and Franklin did not practice for the second day in a row, while tackle D.J. Fluker was limited. Fluker returned to the lineup last week after missing the second game of a season.
No matter who suits up on the offensive line, protecting Philip Rivers and establishing a running game will be a priority. Rivers was sacked four times in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota. So far this season, San Diego seems to be in a pass first mentality. Getting rookie running back Melvin Gordon more touches also should take some pressure off of Rivers. Gordon only has 190 yards rushing through three games and has only five carries so far in the fourth quarter this season. Gordon, the Chargers’ first-round draft choice, is anxious to get in the end zone but doesn’t seem to be forcing anything. Gordon figures to be a focal point this week against a Cleveland rushing defense that has given up the most yards on the ground in the NFL this season.
In the passing game, Rivers will still be missing tight end Antonio Gates who is serving the final game of his four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Tight end Ladarius Green, who the team hopes will eventually take over for Gates as the tight end of the future, was limited in practice this week after sitting out of the Minnesota game. The super-athletic Green suffered two concussions in as many weeks to start the season and has not been able to completely fill the void left by Gates.
A key matchup that is drawing a lot of attention this week will feature San Diego Chargers star wide receiver Keenan Allen against Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden. Haden, one of the NFL’s best cover corners, will be matched up against Allen who has set a franchise record with 29 receptions through three games.
In a tough division like the AFC West, getting back to .500 is of the utmost importance for the San Diego Chargers. With the Denver Broncos still undefeated, the Kansas City Chiefs expected to be contending for a playoff spot and an Oakland Raiders team that is trending upward, falling to 1-3 would put San Diego in a difficult position. Philip Rivers said there was a lot of football left to be played and to not panic, but a game like Sunday against the Cleveland Browns is a must win.