This week’s matchup of the 6-7 San Diego Chargers and the 10-3 Baltimore Ravens is much closer than their records would dictate. Philip Rivers has been having an off year, but he is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks when his game is on, and the last two games, he has looked like the Philip Rivers of old (534 yards, 6 TDs, no INTs over the last two games). Baltimore is a solid team with an elite defense full of superstars, and when the Chargers high powered offense and one of the league’s elite defenses meet this Sunday Night, fans are in for a treat.
The Chargers are not your typical 6-7 team. They started very hot with a 4-1 record and then went on a 6 game losing streak falling to 4-7. Although some teams would throw in the towel after a 6 game losing streak, the Chargers have bounced back and won their last two games convincingly, by a combined score of 75-24, improving to 6-7 and hanging on by a thread to their playoff hopes. Although the Chargers remain a long shot to make the playoffs, don’t count them out. Chargers coach Norv Turner has an impeccable record in the Month of December, only losing once in the last 5 years.
The Chargers have a solid lineup on both sides of the ball, even if their record does not show it. On the offensive side, the Chargers are in the top 10 in the NFL in almost all major statistical categories such as points per game with 24.9 and yards per game averaging 388.1 yards a game.
Although most think of quarterback Philip Rivers, standout wide receiver Vincent Jackson and tight end Antonio Gates, people outside of San Diego don’t realize that they have a good defense as well. On average they give up 23 points a game but this is swayed from a couple games where they got torched. They are in the top 10 in the league in total yards allowed and passing yards allowed and free safety Eric Weddle is having a breakout year with 7 interceptions and 59 solo tackles. The Chargers have also gotten production from inside linebacker’s Donald Butler and Takeo Spikes combining for 115 solo tackles and 57 assists.
Like the Chargers defense, the Baltimore Ravens offense doesn’t get enough credit considering they are in the top half of the league in all major statistical categories. The Ravens can put up points, averaging over 24 a game, and when you combine that with a defense like theirs they are a hard team to beat. Running back Ray Rice has already surpassed the 1000-yard mark rushing this season with 3 weeks left. Rice is averaging 4.4 yards a carry and has 10 touchdowns on the ground but his success doesn’t stop there. Rice leads the Ravens in receptions with 62 and is very important to not only the Ravens rushing attack but their passing game as well. Quarterback Joe Flacco has not put up flashy numbers this year but he’s a solid player, with only 9 interceptions and a quarterback rating around 80.
Even though the Ravens offense is above average, there is no denying that their bread and butter is their defense. The stats speak for themselves regarding the Ravens defense, 15.5 points allowed per game (3rd in league), 278.1 yards allowed (3rd in league) and 85.5 rush yards allowed per game (2nd in league).
One of the reason’s the Ravens defense is so tough is their exceptional open field tacking. Whether it’s Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs or Lardarius Webb, offensive players find it hard to break off big plays and accumulate yards after contact against this Ravens defense. Although it’s hard to imagine the Ravens defense getting better, this week legendary linebacker Ray Lewis is expected to play for the first time in 4 weeks. Lewis is the motivational leader of the team and is a phenomenal player so his return should make this already stout defense even tougher.
The Ravens are having a great season, but this year their losses have come to some pretty underwhelming teams, such as Seattle, Tennessee and Jacksonville. If the Chargers want to be the fourth team to knock off the Ravens this year, they will have to get their offense going, which is a tall order, considering what they’re up against.
Antonio Gates should get a lot of targets this week after an impressive game last week against the Bills. The Ravens defensive backs are very good, so stretching the field could be quite a challenge for Rivers. If the Chargers plan on having long successful drives they need to have a steady passing attack utilizing their running backs and tight ends and a good mixture of running. The Chargers combo of Mike Tolbert in short yardage situations and Ryan Matthews as an elusive shifty back will have the difficult task of running against the Ravens linebackers. If the Chargers have any chance, the running game will have to click and they will need to sustain long drives to tire out the Ravens older defense.
There is a reason this game has been flexed into a primetime showdown by NBC Sunday. It is a must win game for the Chargers so they won’t be holding anything back this week, and will play their hearts out. Although the question for Ravens fans isn’t if they will make the playoffs, it is whether they will have home field advantage in the playoffs and the last thing a team wants is a bad performance this late in the year. Earlier this season a lot of experts thought this was a potential AFC championship matchup, but right now that is a long shot. If there is a chance of those predictions coming true, the Chargers will have to win this weekend in front of their home crowd to keep their playoff hopes alive.
