It was only the first quarter and things already looked incredibly bad for the San Diego Chargers.
After forcing the Jets to punt on the first possession of the game, Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers lined up in the shotgun formation on a 3rd and 5 from San Diego’s 20-yard line. Then he handled the snap poorly, rushed a pass and threw a strike to Jets’ DB David Barrett, who returned the miscue 25 yards for a touchdown. Just like that it was Jets 7, Chargers 0.
But Rivers and the Chargers eventually settled down, got the offense rolling and harassed Jets’ QB Brett Favre. The end result was a 48-29 beat down in which the Chargers scored 31 points in the first half alone. Rivers finished 19 of 25 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, while LaDainian Tomlinson bounced back from a poor outing last week to rush for 67 yards and two scores. It was obviously a huge win for the Bolts because not only was it their first of the season, but it also showed that they have some fight left in them after two emotionally-draining losses in previous weeks.
As for Favre, his final numbers (30 for 42, 271 yards, 3 TDs) weren’t bad, but he threw two interceptions (one was returned for a touchdown by Antonio Cromartie, who had two INTs on the night) and could have been picked off at least twice more. He also often held on to the ball too long and took sacks because his receivers either couldn’t get open or he wasn’t making quick enough reads. At one during the first half, the ESPN commentators mentioned that Favre’s poor play was partly due to him still being unfamiliar with the Jets’ offense. Considering it might be his last season and Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini’s job is on the line, Favre better become real familiar with the offense, real quick.
Side Note:
Check out these Monday Night scores so far this year:
Packers 24, Vikings 19
Broncos 41, Raiders 14
Cowboys 41, Eagles 37
Chargers 48, Jets 29
Does that not scream for bettors to take the “over” next week or what? (And now that I’ve poured a big cup of jinx on the over bet for next week, I’d like to release my early prediction for next Monday night’s game: Steelers 3, Ravens 2.)
