By Joe Messineo
Heading into week 7 of the NFL season, the San Diego Chargers can breathe easier after defending their home field in a 21-13 win over the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos. Sitting at 1-4 heading into the contest, they played with the kind of urgency one would expect from a team with its collective back against the wall. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but it got another mark in the win column as the team heads out of town to play the Atlanta Falcons.
After a decent defensive showing against the Broncos, the Chargers face the challenge of taking on the NFL’s top offensive team. The Falcons currently rank first in the league in scoring (33.2 PPG) and total yards (441.5) while also sitting at second in the league in passing yards (329.5 YPG).
The combination of Falcons QB Matt Ryan and All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones figures to give the Chargers’ secondary all it can handle. The secondary is giving up 279.7 YPG passing with only 7 interceptions and 14 sacks. If given plenty of time to throw the ball, Ryan (2,075 yards, 15 TDs) should be able to step back in the pocket and wait for his star receiver to come open. All Jones has done thus far in the season is catch 31 passes for 656 yards and 4 TDs.
Though theirs is not touted as one of the best in the league, the Chargers come into the game with an offense that has certainly shown the ability to move the ball and score points. Currently, the offense has scored at a rate of 28.3 PPG (3rd in the league) while averaging 355 YPG of total offense. The numbers were hurt by the team’s poor performance against the Broncos, but Atlanta’s defense will never be mistaken for one of the league’s top 10 defenses. In fact, the Falcons defense is ranked in the bottom third of the league in both scoring (27.7 PPG) and total yards (379.5 YPG).
One of the big challenges faced by the Chargers offense is trying to find a way to get RB Melvin Gordon going. Coming into the season, expectations were high that the second-year back could step up and become an elite asset in the NFL. While he has managed to lead the team in scoring with 7 TDs, he has only gained just over 65 yards per game on the ground. This is a far cry from what most, and especially Charger fans, would consider an elite asset.
This game is critical for both teams. The Falcons are sitting at 4-2 with a two-game lead in the NFC South Conference. If they can protect home field moving forward, there’s a solid chance they will make the playoffs. For the Chargers, they can ill-afford to fall to 2-5 with both the Broncos and Oakland Raiders sitting ahead of them at 4-2 in the AFC West. With a rematch scheduled next week against Denver in Denver, the Chargers have no more margin for error if they wish to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.
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