Tag: San Diego Chargers (Page 37 of 40)

      Broncos shock Chargers after controversial call

      September 14, 2008 /

      Jay CutlerFor the second straight week, the Chargers lost in the final minute of the game as the Denver Broncos converted a 2-point conversion with 24 seconds left to play to edge San Diego 39-38.

      On the Broncos’ game-winning touchdown drive, QB Jay Cutler appeared to fumble while attempting a pass. The Chargers recovered, which would have given them the ball back with under a minute to play and up 38-31, but the officials had blown the whistle to signal an incomplete pass. The call upheld after replays, Denver got the ball back and on fourth down Cutler hit Eddie Royal in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown to make the game 38-37. One play later, the Broncos converted the eventual game-winning 2-point conversion, which was an incredibly gutsy call by head coach Mike Shanahan.

      It was a blown call. Replays clearly showed that Culter’s arm wasn’t coming forward and that it was an apparent fumble. San Diego should be 1-1 on the season, but the bottom line is they need to look in the mirror first and foremost. The Chargers took the lead on a 66-yard Darren Sproles touchdown reception and then the defense proceeded to allow the Cutler and the Broncos’ offense to march up the field on the ensuing series.

      The Chargers’ defense has looked disastrous in back to back weeks now. It also didn’t help that LaDainian Tomlinson was beat up all week and then could only muster 26 yards on 10 carries. It goes without saying – the Chargers are in trouble. And all of a sudden the Broncos are the best team in the AFC West.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 2: 5 Things to Watch

      September 14, 2008 /

      Matt Cassel1. Matt Cassel’s performance. There’s been a lot of positive talk coming out of New England this week about how Cassel can more than hold his own replacing Tom Brady, who is out for the year with a knee injury. Watch for Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini to use different defensive fronts on Sunday in efforts to confuse Cassel and properly welcome him into the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Pats’ head coach Bill Belichick changes his offensive approach (i.e. relying on the run more and playing conservative), or if he’ll keep things the same now that Cassel is under center.

      2. How Michael Turner, Matt Forte and Thomas Jones will fair against tougher defenses. All three of these backs were highly productive in Week 1, but they also faced suspect run defenses. This week, Turner takes on the Bucs, Forte faces the Panthers and Jones goes against the Patriots – all tough challenges. Which back(s) can be as productive as he was last week?

      3. How the Chargers, Colts, Vikings, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns fair. At the very least, all six of these teams were expected to make a run at the playoffs this year, if not the Super bowl in the cases of the Vikings, Colts and Jaguars. The Colts and Vikes square off in Minnesota, so one of those teams will still be winless on Monday. And the Chargers (Broncos), Jaguars (Bills) and Browns (Steelers) all have tough matchups this week, so one if not all of them could wind up 0-2 as well. The Seahawks catch a break by hosting the lowly 49ers, but even that game isn’t a guarantee with how banged up the Seattle offense is.

      Jake Delhomme4. How the Bears, Panthers, Bills, Falcons, Broncos and Cardinals play. The reverse of No. 3; none of these six teams were supposed to do much this season, but all had impressive Week 1 performances. The Bears and Panthers play in Carolina, while the Bills (Jaguars), Falcons (Bucs) and Broncos (Chargers) all have tougher tests this week than they did last Sunday. Only the Cardinals have it easy with the Dolphins, who didn’t play that bad last week against the Jets.

      5. Is the Bengals’ offense that bad? Last week Cincinnati put on one of the worst offensive performances of some time. Things don’t get easier this week, as Tennessee rolls into town after sacking Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard seven times and completely stuffing Jacksonville’s potent running game. We could see a repeat performance of last week if Chris Perry and the running game can’t get going to help keep the Titans’ defense honest.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Couch Potato Alert: 9/12

      September 12, 2008 /

      Kansas vs. South Florida
      Seeking a repeat of their 2007 season, Coach Mark Mangino leads the 13th-ranked Jayhawks into Miami’s Raymond James Stadium on Friday night, when they face-off against #19 South Florida. This will be the second meeting between the two schools, the other was in 2006, a 13-7 Jayhawk victory in Lawrence. (click here for Anthony Stalter’s game preview)

      Ohio State vs. USC
      This game is being billed as “The Collision at the Coliseum,” but the Jaws of Life might be needed to save the Buckeyes if they do not bring their “A” game to Los Angeles. The key to this matchup is for OSU’s offensive line to get physical with Southern Cal’s defensive front. If they do not win the battle at the line of scrimmage, it will not matter who is running the football for Ohio State (RB Chris “Beanie” Wells, ankle, is a game-time decision). Road wins against the Trojans are a scarce commodity in the Pete Carroll era, as they hold a 39-3 mark at the Coliseum. This contest will played on Saturday night in front of a nationally-televised audience on ABC at 8:00 PM EST.

      Wisconsin vs. Fresno State
      The Badgers will travel to Central Valley, California to play in the most important game in Bulldog football history. Fresno State dominated Rutgers in their season opener, but they will need a victory Saturday night to keep their hopes of a BCS bowl berth alive. Wisconsin just needs a win to stay in the national title hunt. Tune in Saturday night at 10:30 PM EST on ESPN2 for this pivotal non-conference game.

      Milwaukee Brewers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
      The Brewers are trying to avoid another late-season collapse after coughing up an 8 ½ game lead in the NL Central last season. The Phillies will try to use this series as a springboard in getting back to the post-season. This is a key four-game series for both teams, with the Brewers three games ahead of the Phillies in the NL Wild Card race after losing the series opener last night 6-3 in Philadelphia.

      San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
      Too many injuries for the Chargers to overcome this week, with Shawne Merriman on the mend until 2009 and now LaDainan Tomlinson and Antonio Gates each nursing injured big toes. (But both are expected to play on Sunday.) The Broncos offense appeared to be in mid-season form in their opener on Monday night.. Were they that good or were the Raiders that dreadful? That question will not be answered for at least another month, but a victory in this game could go a long way in establishing the Broncos as an AFC contender. Check your local CBS affiliate to see if they are televising this game at 4:00 PM ET.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, College Football, Couch Potato Alert, General Sports, MLB, NFL, Television

      Week 2 NFL Primer

      September 12, 2008 /

      Matt CasselSunday’s Best: Patriots (1-0) at Jets (1-0), 4:15 PT ET CBS
      The best game on the Week 2 schedule is actually Monday night when the Cowboys host the Eagles, but there will be plenty of time to hype that game before kickoff. The best and arguably most intriguing matchup Sunday is the Patriots and the Jets. Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury opens the door for the Jets in the AFC East and a win Sunday would go a long way in proving that the power has shifted in the division. Pats’ backup Matt Cassel played well in New England’s victory over the Chiefs last week, but with a full week to prepare, expect Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini to use multiple defensive fronts in efforts to confuse the inexperienced signal caller. This will also be a great test for the Pats’ secondary (a unit that looks thin on paper), as Brett Favre will look to take chances downfield in the passing game. The Jets are currently 1-point favorites.

      Upset Watch: Chargers (0-1) at Broncos (1-0), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      San Diego is coming off a devastating last second loss to the Panthers at home, while Denver dismantled Oakland on Monday Night Football. The Chargers will be without linebacker Shawne Merriman (knee) for the rest of the season and now reports have surfaced that running back LaDainian Tomlinson (toe) might not be ready to play either. The Broncos did a tremendous job pressuring JaMarcus Russell on Monday night and if LT can’t go, look for Denver blitz early and often. The Broncos have two corners in Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly that can play one-on-one with any of the Chargers’ receivers, so expect them to send extra defenders on most plays to try and get QB Philip Rivers to make mistakes. Jay Cutler and the Broncos’ offense will also receive a boost with the return of receiver Brandon Marshall, who was serving a one-game suspension. San Diego is currently a 1-point favorite on the road.

      David GarrardIntriguing Matchup: Bills (1-0) at Jaguars (0-1), 1:00 PM ET CBS
      Many people figured these teams’ records would be flipped heading into this game. But the Titans absolutely flustered the Jaguars’ offense by taking away the run and sacking QB David Garrard seven times in a 17-10 win, while the Bills used a combination of outstanding special teams and solid defense to destroy the Seahawks in their home opener. The Jags were a perennial Super Bowl contender coming into the season, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to their Week 1 loss. And if Buffalo pulls out a win they now become instant contenders in the AFC East with Brady out for the year. Jacksonville is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

      Other Notable Games:
      Steelers (1-0) at Browns (0-1), 8:15 PM ET NBC
      These two teams are expected to battle all season for the AFC North crown, but with how bad the Browns looked last week against Dallas, the Steelers might still be the class of the division.

      Bears (1-0) at Panthers (1-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Both of these teams played inspired football in Week 1 and the winner of this game might prove to be a sleeper contender in the NFC.

      Colts (0-1) at Vikings (0-1), 1:00 PM CBS
      High expectations surrounded these teams entering the season, but both squads were embarrassed in last week. Which team will get back on track?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Tomlinson, Grant and McGahee iffy

      September 12, 2008 /

      – LaDainian Tomlinson said on Wednesday that he would “definitely” play this week, but Rotoworld refers to an Adam Schefter report that says that LT2 is in danger of missing the Denver game. The plan was for Tomlinson to start some work on Friday, so keep an eye on his status today. If he practices, he should be good to go. If he doesn’t, it might be time to get worried. Darren Sproles is listed as the top backup on the Chargers’ depth chart.

      – Ryan Grant will be the dreaded game-time decision against the Lions on Sunday. He is still bothered by a sore hamstring and it’s starting to look like this is going to go on for a while. If he can’t go, Brandon Jackson would be in line for the most work in a great matchup, but he’s dealing with a concussion and has been limited in practice this week. Kregg Lumpkin (yep, that’s his real name) is listed as the third RB on the Packers’ depth chart.

      – Willis McGahee has been limited in practice this week and it’s starting to look more and more that rookie Ray Rice will get the start in a nice matchup with the Houston Texans. Keep in mind that the game was backed up to Monday night (due to Hurricane Ike), which probably increases the chances that McGahee will be cleared to play, though I’m not optimistic.

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

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