Tag: San Diego Chargers (Page 33 of 40)

NFL Week 5 Quick Recaps: Ocho Cinco fails to kiss Dallas star

Chad Johnson– Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson said earlier this week that he would kiss the Dallas star if/when he scores a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sunday. But Dallas held him to only 43 yards on three catches in their 31-22 win over the Bengals, so the only kiss he got to plant was on head coach Marvin Lewis’s face. You know that kid at a birthday party who does a couple of funny things, gets people’s attention, but then eventually becomes annoying? That’s where I’m at right now with Ocho Cinco.

– After getting destroyed by the Jets last Sunday, the Cardinals had one hell of a bounce back this week, beating the previously undefeated Bills 41-17. But ‘Zona has got to do something about its secondary. They gave up 56 points and allowed Brett Favre to throw six touchdown passes last week, and then proceeded to allow J.P. Losman to complete 15 of 21 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown today. That’s brutal. Losman hasn’t played in over a year and even when he did he was downright atrocious in most of his games. When J.P. Losman shreds you through the air, something’s up.

– Seven carries, two yards. That’s what Carolina held Chiefs’ RB Larry Johnson to in its 34-0 win Sunday. This coming just one week after LJ rushed for nearly 200 yards against Denver. Rightfully so, everyone talks about the Vikings’ run defense being so good, but take a look at what the Panthers have done against some of the best running backs the past couple of weeks: LaDainian Tomlinson – 97 yards. Adrian Peterson – 77 yards. Michael Turner – 56 yards. Larry Johnson – 2 yards. Wow.

Jay Cutler– Out of their three victories this season, the Broncos can be most proud of their 16-13 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. They beat a quality opponent (unlike their Week 1 win over the Raiders), they didn’t need a controversial call to go in their favor (unlike their Week 2 win over the Chargers) and for the first time all year, they didn’t surrender 30-plus points defensively.

– So…who’s the real J.T. O’Sullivan? The one that threw for over 300 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a win over Seattle or the one that played Sunday and threw three picks against New England? (Although in O’Sullivan’s defense, he did throw three touchdowns in the Niners’ 30-21 loss to the Pats, too.)

– Did Laurence Maroney kick Bill Belichick’s cat one time at a team barbecue or something one time? For the life of me I can’t figure out why Sammy Morris continues to get more carries than Maroney.

– Gutsy, gutsy performance by Big Ben on Sunday night. The Jags couldn’t get any pressure on him early on, but when they started to get to him in second half, he hung in tough and delivered a huge win the Steelers. Just when you think Pittsburgh is going to crash with so many injuries in the backfield and along the offensive line, they step up and play a complete game like they did in Week 5. The final score wasn’t a good indicator of how much the Steelers actually dominated the Jaguars.

New regimes changing the culture in Miami, Atlanta

Ronnie BrownTwo of the worst teams in the NFL last year resided in Miami and Atlanta. So following the 2007 season, the two franchises decided to start fresh with new front office personal, new head coaches and a lot of new faces on their respective rosters.

The Dolphins hired Bill Parcells to run the football operations and former Cowboys’ assistant Tony Sparano to replace Cam Cameron as head coach. The Falcons tabbed former Patriots’ director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff as GM and ex-Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Mike Smith as head coach.

Few pundits figured that with all of the changes that were made, that the Dolphins and Falcons would compete right away. But that’s exactly what’s happening.

After beating the Patriots two weeks ago, the Dolphins pulled off another big upset on Sunday, knocking off the Chargers 17-10 in Miami. The team once again used the “Wildcat” formation with Ronnie Brown taking direct snaps and gashing San Diego for 125 yards and a touchdown. Chad Pennington (one of those new roster faces) was also solid, completing 22 of 29 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown.

Matt RyanMeanwhile, the Falcons and rookie QB Matt Ryan (one of the many new faces on the Falcons’ overhauled roster) waltz into Green Bay, mounted a 17-7 lead and eventually hung on for a 27-24 win. It was Ryan’s first win on the road as a starter, and the team’s third victory of the season. Not bad for a team that many prognosticators predicted would only have one or two wins total in 2008.

One thing that both of these teams lacked in prior years was toughness and neither franchise was very physical. But Sparano and Smith have changed that in just a short period of time and it’s amazing how much of a difference a year can make. Especially in Atlanta’s case, which was left in complete disarray following Michael Vick’s arrest and Bobby Petrino’s spinelessness.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 4: Sunday’s Games

Everything you need to know (and some stuff you don’t) about the fantasy implications of Week 4.

Eagles 20 @ Bears 24
Matt Forte (24 touches, 85 yards) continues to be the Bears’ workhorse back, even though he failed to score…Kyle Orton (199 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) has his second straight high-scoring fantasy game, throwing scores to Greg Olsen (4-35-1), Devin Hester (3-27-1) and Marty Booker (1-23-1)…Brandon Lloyd was injured this week but finished with two catches for 33 yards…Donovan McNabb (262, TD, INT) had a decent game, but DeSean Jackson (receving: 5-71-1, rushing: 2-35) was the Eagles’ offensive star…Correll Buckhalter (18 touches, 90 yards, TD) filled in admirably for the injured Brian Westbrook, but failed to score on a 4th and goal that would have given Philly the late lead…Reggie Brown (6-79) looks like he’ll be the guy targeted most aside from Jackson.

Chargers 28 @ Raiders 18
LaDainian Tomlinson (22 touches, 115 yards, 2 TD) had his second consecutive multiple TD game and looks to be almost 100% healthy…Phillip Rivers (180 yards, TD, 2 INT) didn’t have a great day throwing the ball against what should be a pretty solid Oakland secondary…Antonio Gates (5-58-1) had a nice game, but both Vincent Jackson (3-52) and Chris Chambers (2-42) were relatively quiet…JaMarcus Russell (277 yards, TD, INT) finished with pretty good passing stats, but he still seems to be struggling with his accuracy at times…Michael Bush (21 touches, 128 yards) filled in for Darren McFadden (9 touches, 37 yards) who was hobbled with an injury…Zach Miller (5-95-1) finally broke out with a big game. It’s not clear if he’s worth picking up, though if you’re hurting at TE, you could do worse. It seems like the entire Oakland passing game will be pretty spotty week to week.

Bills 31 @ Rams 14
Marshawn Lynch (23 touches, 81 yards) had a relatively quiet game and failed to score…Fred Jackson turned 10 touches into 55 yards and a TD…Trent Edwards (197 yards, TD, INT) yet again posted solid numbers, hooking up with Lee Evans (2-88-1) on a 49-yard TD late in the game…Josh Reed (4-47) might be worth a pickup in large PPR leagues…The Buffalo defense (4 sacks, INT return for a TD) continues to play well…Trent Green (236 yards, INT) wasn’t the answer at QB. With Scott Linehan reportedly out after the loss, it will be interesting to see if Marc Bulger is reinstated as the starter…The Rams wisely featured Steven Jackson (29 touches, 188 yards, TD) but Torry Holt (4-65) just had a so-so day. Linehan’s possible departure should be good news for Holt since the two reportedly don’t get along…Donnie Avery (3-22) also had a 37-yard TD scamper.

Redskins 26 @ Cowboys 24
Jason Campbell (231 yards, 2 TD) and the entire Washington offense was impressive in the win…Santana Moss (8-145) continues to be the main threat in the passing game, with Antwaan Randle El (4-36-1) and Chris Cooley (4-28) chipping in with the occasional strong game…Clinton Portis (23 touches 135 yards) racked up some major yards, but didn’t score…Tony Romo (300 yards, 3 TD, INT) continues to put up stud numbers in the passing game…Jason Witten (7-90-1) scored a TD and continues to post solid stats as the league’s best tight end…Patrick Crayton (7-87) had a good game and Terrell Owens (7-71-1) posted decent numbers despite a couple of drops…Miles Austin (3-45-1) had another nice game out of the Cowboys’ WR3 position…It was a very quiet day for Marion Barber (10 touches, 37 yards) who failed to score…Felix Jones didn’t get a touch offensively.

Falcons 9 @ Panthers 24
The Carolina passing game looked great. Jake Delhomme (294 yard, 2 TD) hooked up with Muhsin Muhammad (8-147-1) and Steve Smith (6-96-1) all day. Muhammad should be owned in all leagues…DeAngelo Williams (18 touches, 66 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (14 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD) split the backfield duties again, though Stewart looks like the Panthers’ goal line back so he carries more value…Donte Rosario (2-18) and D.J. Hackett (2-24) were minor factors…Roddy White (7-90) was the lone bright spot for the Falcons’ offense…Matt Ryan (158 yards) didn’t throw a TD or a pick, and Michael Turner (18 carries, 56 yards) is starting to look like a back that you bench against good defenses and start against bad ones.

Browns 20 @ Bengals 12
Since he got the win, Derek Anderson (138 yards, TD, INT) may live to start another day…Jamal Lewis (27 touches, 94 yards, TD) had a very solid game…Kellen Winslow (5-54) and Braylon Edwards (3-22-1) were the only major players in the Browns’ passing game…Carson Palmer was the team’s third QB this week with elbow problems; Ryan Fitzpatrick (156 yards, TD, 3 INT) didn’t play very well in his place…Chris Perry (17 touches, 43 yards) had a disappointing day against a suspect defense…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (6-50) and Chad Johnson (3-28-1) had decent days.

Texans 27 @ Jaguars 30
David Garrard broke out with a nice game (236 yards, pass TD, rush TD) and threw a TD to Matt Jones (5-71-1) who is developing into the Jags’ best receiving threat…Maurice Jones-Drew (9 touches, 49 yards) and Fred Taylor (13 touches, 46 yards) both had surprisingly quiet days against a mediocre (at best) Texans defense…Steve Slaton (18 touches, 116 yards, TD) continues to be the main main in the Houston backfield…Matt Schaub (307 yards, 3 TD) had a great day throwing the ball to Slaton (8-83-1), Owen Daniels (7-87) and Kevin Walter (8-76-2)…Unfortunately for Andre Johnson (3-38) owners, he continues to struggle.

Broncos 19 @ Chiefs 33
Larry Johnson (28 carries, 198 yards, 2 TD) had a huge game against a bad Denver rush defense. He also had five catches for zero yards…Damon Huard (160 yards, TD) was efficient in the win…Dwayne Bowe (7-85) continues to shine and is a must-start in PPR leagues…Tony Gonzalez (3-47-1) had another solid game…Jay Cutler (361 yards, TD, 2 INT) finished with pretty good fantasy numbers but struggled against the Chiefs defense…Eddie Royal (9-104), Brandon Stokley (7-80) and Brandon Marshall (7-77-1) split the receiving duties…Selvin Young led the Broncos in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries, and it doesn’t look like any of the Denver RBs are solid starts right now…Matt Prater (4/5 FG, including a 56-yarder) continues to shine.

49ers 17 @ Saints 31
Drew Brees had a great day (363 yards, 3 TD, INT) throwing to Lance Moore (7-101-2) and Robert Meachem (2-99-1). Moore looks to be a fantasy starter as long as Marques Colston is out…Reggie Bush (15 touches, 37 yards) had a quiet day but Deuce McAllister (20 carries, 73 yards, TD) took over for Pierre Thomas as the Saints’ between-the-tackles back…Frank Gore (18 touches, 113 yards) had a relatively quiet day…J.T. O’Sullivan (257 yards, TD, 2 INT) finished with decent fantasy numbers, but was sacked six times…Arnaz Battle (7-120) and Isaac bruce (5-54-1) were the only big players in the passing game…Vernon Davis (1-19) continues to disappoint.

Cardinals 35 @ Jets 56
Rumors of bad weather didn’t really affect this game…Brett Favre (289 yards, 6 TD, INT) had a huge game throwing to Laveranues Coles (8-105-3) and Jerricho Cotchery (4-67-2)…Favre also threw a TD to Dustin Keller (1-24-1)…Chanci Stuckey (2-12) was a non-factor for the first time this season…Thomas Jones (20 touches, 69 yards) had a quiet day…Kurt Warner (472 passing yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) had a good fantasy day but turned the ball over six times (3 INT, 3 fumbles)…Larry Fitzgerald (8-122), Anquan Boldin (10-119-1) and Steve Breaston (9-122-0) led the way in the receiving game. Boldin left with a scary neck injury but apparently was just knocked out and should be fine…Edgerrin James had a solid game, rushing for two TD and catching five passes for 37 yards…Tim Hightower vultured a TD again.

Packers 21 @ Bucs 30
Brian Griese (149 yards, TD, 3 INT) was shaky but got the win…Earnest Graham finished with 111 yards on 20 carries and a TD, but doesn’t seem to get regular carries unless the Bucs are ahead late in the game. For that reason, he’s sometimes a questionable fantasy start…Warrick Dunn turned 18 touches for 86 yards…Alex Smith (2-26-1) caught the Bucs only passing TD, while Antonio Bryant (4-39) led all TB receivers in yards and catches…Ike Hilliard (2-21) was basically a non-factor…Aaron Rodgers (165 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT) had a rough day. He looked great on the opening drive, but for the rest of the game, the Packer offense never got in synch…Greg Jennings (6-109-2) had a huge day and has officially taken over WR1 duties from Donald Driver (1-8)…Jordy Nelson (4-31) was the next best threat in the Green Bay passing game…Ryan Grant (15 carries, 20 yards) once again struggled in the running game, though he looked a lot better than he did two weeks ago against the Lions. The holes just weren’t there…

Vikings 17 @ Titans 30
Chris Johnson (20 touches, 75 yards, 2 TD) continues to thrive in the Titans run-heavy attack…LenDale White (11 carries, 13 yards, TD) scored but struggled rushing between the tackles…Kerry Collins (199 yards) had a quiet game, but Justin Gage (5-92) returned from injury to post a solid game. He should be owned in most PPR leagues as long as Collins is under center…Adrian Peterson (22 touches, 101 yards, 2 TD) was listed as questionable, but had a nice game…Chester Taylor (1 carry, 0 yards) was a non-factor…Gus Frerotte (266 yards, INT) finished with good yardage, but failed to throw a TD…Bernard Berrian (5-78) and Bobby Wade (7-75) were decent, and TE Visanthe Shiancoe (4-47) had his second consecutive solid game.

NFL Week 4 Recaps

Below are snippets of all the Week 4 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

Brett Favre– Brett Favre threw six touchdown passes as the Jets routed the Cardinals 56-35 in New York.

– The Jaguars won their second game in a row, edging out the Texans 30-27 in overtime.

– The Panthers dominated the Falcons 24-9 to improve to 3-1 on the year and share the NFC South lead with the Bucs.

– Larry Johnson nearly rushed for 200 yards on the ground as the Chiefs upset the Broncos 33-19 to notch their first win of the year.

– The Browns beat their AFC North division rivals the Bengals 20-12 to earn their first victory of the season.

– The Bucs bruised and battered Aaron Rodgers in a 30-21 win over the Packers. Tampa is now 3-1 to start the year.

– Drew Brees threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints crushed the 49ers 31-17 in New Orleans.

– The Titans are one of only two teams still undefeated in the AFC as they beat the Vikings 30-17 on Sunday.

– It wasn’t pretty, but the Chargers earned their second win of the season, beating the Raiders 21-18. San Diego scored 18 fourth quarter points.

– With Scott Linehan’s job on the line, the Rams still couldn’t muster a win, falling to 0-4 after losing to the Bills 31-14.

– One of the more impressive wins of the day was in Dallas, but it wasn’t by the Cowboys. The Redskins are now 3-1 on the year after pulling off an upset, beating the ‘Boys 26-24 at Texas Stadium.

Chargers sneak past Raiders 28-18

The Chargers scored 18 25 fourth quarter points to beat the Raiders 21-18 28-18. San Diego was still able to win despite training 15-0 in the second half and turning the ball over four times.

LaDainian Tomlinson’s toe must be feeling better, because the back rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard run to ice the game with just over a minute to play. LT essentially saved a poor passing day by Philip Rivers, who struggled to throw for only 180 yards and two picks.

Raiders’ second-year QB JaMarcus Russell looked better today, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown, but once San Diego’s defense clamped down in the fourth quarter, Oakland could do nothing offensively. Michael Bush was their leading rusher, gaining only 48 yards on 14 carries. Rookie Darren McFadden did play, but was limited to only 20 yards on seven carries due to injury.

So what happens to head coach Lane Kiffin now? I’m sure by tonight a report will surface that he’ll be fired on Monday, but who knows what Al Davis will do. He obviously doesn’t have a replacement ready for Kiffin, so maybe this charade will go on for another week.

The following edits were made to this post: In the first paragrah, the score was changed from 21-18 to the correct final score, 28-18. Also in the first pargraph, the number 18 was changed to 25.

« Older posts Newer posts »