That's why I rarely make predictions. If Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson don't put together a brilliant two-minute drill to pull out a 21-20 victory over the New York Giants Sunday, then my prediction of a Chargers win becomes a big-time dud.
I'll be honest. I really thought the Chargers were going to manhandle them, and was surprised to see U-T beat writer Kevin Acee pick the Giants to beat the Bolts handily. Must have been a lonely flight home for him.
As it was, it took some mistakes by the Giants for the Chargers to even be in a position for the late rally, including a mishandled field goal and an offensive holding call at the Bolts 4-yard line late in the fourth quarter -- a drive that ended with a FG, not a TD that could have put the game away.
A couple of things were disquieting:
-- the Chargers gained just 34 yards on the ground. They run about as well as SDSU.
-- Eli Manning was allowed to complete all but 8 of his 33 passes, though his yardage total wasn't too exciting.
-- The Giants controlled the ball for nearly 38 minutes.
At 5-3, the Bolts are still in pretty decent shape for the playoffs. Check the current standings in the AFC. They would be the second wildcard team if the season ended today. If Denver stumbles Monday night, the deficit in the AFC West will close to just one game with a contest still to be played between the teams. Look at the Broncos remaining schedule and you'll think, as I do, that the Chargers still have a strong shot to win the division.
---
Less than a week after being released by the Chargers, Chris Chambers caught 2 TD passes for Kansas City in a 24-21 loss to Jacksonville. One went for 54 yards. He had three receptions total.
---
Darned if Alex Smith, the former Helix HS quarterback, just can't avoid the killer mistake. Just a couple games after reclaiming the starting job, he goes and throws three picks and fumbles twice in a loss to Tennessee. Two INTs were late in the fourth quarter. This has happened a couple times now. I really want to see the kid succeed, but this just might be his last chance.
---
I'd also like to see former USD signal-caller Josh Johnson do well, but after an ineffective couple of starts for Tampa Bay, he lost his job to rookie Josh Freeman, who merely led the Bucs to 38 points in a win over Green Bay. That doesn't bode well. Sad how the two ballyhooed local QBs of the 2008 NFL draft, Johnson and Kevin O'Connell of San Diego State, are both struggling to hang on in The League.
No comments:
Post a Comment