Vincent Jackson has given Philip Rivers the deep threat that he has been looking for.  He has caught 29 passes for 561 yards (19.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Jackson has nice size at WR which allows Rivers to essentially just throw the ball up in his direction and let him go get it.  It’s looking like Vincent Jackson is going to be a Pro Bowler this season if he can just keep up the pace he’s on and stay healthy.

In week #1 these two teams played on Monday Night Football in Oakland and the Chargers snuck out of town with a 24-20 win.  The teams look very different right now as the Raiders are only averaging 8.9 points per game and 227.6 yards of total offense per game.  The Raiders will come out running the football with Justin Fargas against the soft run defense of the Chargers which is allowing 137.7 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Raiders need to keep the ball on the ground to protect JaMarcus Russell who has turned the ball over 13 times already this season (5 lost fumbles, 8 interceptions).  The Chargers will be keying on stopping TE Zach Miller who is the best receiver the Raiders have to offer.

The Chargers will come out throwing the ball against the Raiders to get them out of their gamplan.  Philip Rivers will likely be aiming for Vincent Jackson deep and Antonio Gates on the short stuff.  The Raiders are allowing 169.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so the Chargers hope that LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles can give the team some balance on offense in this game. 

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 34, RAIDERS 13

24-year old Eric Weddle is playing well for the Chargers this season.   He has played in all six games this season and he has 38 tackles, he has defensed 2 passes, has 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and he has 1 interception (which he returned for a TD).  The Chargers really need to play better on run defense as it’s not good to have your safety making so many tackles.

The San Diego Chargers (3-3) dominated the Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) Sunday, getting a solid performance from the whole team.  Phillip Rivers had a very good game for the Chargers and got them off to a quick start.  Rivers went 18/30 for 268 yards and three touchdowns.  Two of those touchdowns came in the first quarter and the Chargers built a big early lead.  Rivers and receiver Vincent Jackson had a big day together, as they hooked up for a 51-yard reception not once, but twice.  Jackson finished the game with five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown.  The Chargers running game finally came alive, with LaDainian Tomlinson leading the attack.  LT had 71 yards on 23 carries (3.1 avg) and Darren Sproles did a lot of damage on only a few opportunities.  He had 41 yards on five carries (8.2 avg) and also caught three passes for 58 yards.  The Chargers need this type of productivity out of LT and Sproles, and if they can get them to play like this against the better teams, they will put themselves right back in the conversation of a Super Bowl appearance.

The Chargers defense did not have much of a challenge against this Chiefs offense.  They were able to pressure Chiefs’ quarterback Matt Cassel all game, sacking him four times and intercepting him three times.  Cassel finished the game 10/25 for 97 yards.  His injury plagued offensive line was no match for the Chargers pressure D.  Jacob Hester and the special teams gave a big contribution in the fourth quarter, when Hester blocked Dustin Colquitt’s punt and recovered it in the endzone for a touchdown.  The Chargers need an effort like this when they play the good teams, as the offense, defense, and special teams all contributed to this win.  They get to go against another weak opponent next week though, as they are at home against the Oakland Raiders next game.

The San Diego Chargers (2-3) are coming off two straight losses and need to get themselves back into AFC West contention.  They should be able to get their record back to .500 this week as they are taking on the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5).  The Chiefs have been improving each week and are coming off their first win of the year, so the Chargers cannot overlook their opponent.  Larry Johnson is the Chiefs’ biggest weapon, even though he is only averaging 2.7 yards per carry.  With the Chargers defense giving up 141 rushing yards per game Johnson may have a break out game.

The Chargers defense may have some difficulty slowing down the Chiefs running game, but the Chargers offense should be too much for the Chiefs defense to handle.  Phillip Rivers and the Chargers passing game is putting up nearly 300 yards per game (284 avg) and LaDainian Tomlinson started to look like the old LT last week with 100 total yards (70 rushing, 30 receiving).  They also have Darren Sproles, so they should not have a problem with a Chiefs defense that gives up 380 yards per game.  The Chiefs may be able to stick around in the first half, but the Chargers are too good for them to stay close the whole game.  I think the Chargers will win convincingly and show that they are still one of the top teams in the AFC despite their poor record.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Diego Chargers 34, Kansas City Chiefs 17

The Chargers have signed 24-year old cornerback Daymeion Hughes.  Hughes played in 14 games last season for the Colts and he made 20 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he had 1 interception.  Hughes has now played in 24 games in his NFL career and he has made 34 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he has 1 interception.  To make room on the roster for Hughes the Chargers have placed linebacker Antwan Applewhite on the Injured Reserve List with a hamstring injury.  Losing Applewhite won’t hurt the Chargers as he didn’t get in any games this season.

UPDATE:  The Chargers have released Daymeion Hughes after just getting a quick look-see at him.  The Chargers have activated CB Simeon Castille off the practice squad and he will serve as the dime back.

UPDATE II:  The Chargers have re-signed Daymeion Hughes and they have released Simeon Castille. 

The San Diego Chargers (2-3) special teams failed them in this game, as the Denver Broncos (6-0) had a kick return and a punt return for a touchdown, both from Eddie Royal.  The Chargers only scored one offensive touchdown and it came in the first quarter.  The special teams did get a little redemption when Darren Sproles returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown late in the first half, which gave the Chargers a 20-17 halftime lead.  That lead would not last though, especially since the Chargers only got three points in the entire second half.

The Chargers defense was able to keep Kyle Orton quiet in the first half, but the Broncos’ quarterback found the endzone twice in the second half, including a 5-yard touchdown to Brandon Stokley with under three minutes to play.  That touchdown basically sealed the victory for the Broncos, putting them up 11 with 2:55 to play.  The Broncos defense was too much for the Chargers to handle.  They sacked Philip Rivers five times, with three of them coming in the  fourth quarter.  They also forced and recovered a fumble from Rivers in the fourth quarter, which led to a field goal for the Broncos.  Rivers finished the game with one touchdown and 274 yards on 20/33 (61%) attempts.  I put more of the blame on Rivers than the offensive line when it comes to all of the sacks.  Rivers held on to the ball way too long, looking for the deep pass too often, making it easy for the Broncos talented front line to attack him.  LaDainian Tomlinson finally had a good game, racking up 100 total yards.  He had 70 rushing yards on 18 carries (3.9 avg) and caught three passes for 30 yards.  He was not enough to bring the Chargers to a victory, but it is a great sign if LT can get back to his old self as the Chargers desperately need more out of their running game.  They are on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The running game of the Chargers this season has been pathetic as they have rushed for only 53.8 yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry.  LaDainian Tomlinson missed a few games this season but he has not run the ball well when healthy as he has carried the ball 20 times for 70 yards (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He is looking like and old man with the ball in his hands this season.  Darren Sproles has only rushed for 90 yards on 37 carries (2.4 ypc) with 1 TD run this season as teams are cutting off the corner for him and he’s simply to small to get yards up the middle.  Veteran Michael Bennett hasn’t gotten the ball much this season carrying the ball 12 times for 37 yards (3.1 ypc).  Maybe the Chargers should give Bennett the ball more as they need to find someone who can give the offense some balance or teams are going to start playing nickel and dime defenses the whole game to deal with Philip Rivers and the passing game of the Chargers.

The San Diego Chargers (2-2) have their hands full this week against the undefeated Denver Broncos (5-0).  The Broncos have been pretty much good at everything this year, while the Chargers have been inconsistent.  The Chargers offense is explosive, with Phillip Rivers leading the passing game and LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles leading their run game.  The Broncos hold teams to 81 rush yards per game though, so LT and Sproles should not be a problem.  The Broncos are coming off a huge win over the Patriots, and I think they will carry that momentum into this game.

The Chargers are terrible at stopping the run, giving up 151 rushing yards per game, so the Broncos should be able to run all over them.  They average 139 rushing yards, so Moreno and Buckhalter (who is probable) should have a big game.  Kyle Orton had 330 yards against the Patriots, so he should not have a problem with the Chargers secondary.  The Chargers will be able to score some against the Broncos even with their great defense, but the Broncos are the better all-around football team so they should win this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Denver Broncos 31, San Diego Chargers 27

The Chargers have released 32-year old strong safety Clinton Hart.  Hart had 16 tackles in four games this season for the Chargers.  He played six years with the Chargers in which he played in 80 games and made 282 tackles, he defensed 32 passes, had 1 sack, forced 2 fumbles and he intercepted 10 passes (2 returned for TDs).  Hart will be replaced in the starting lineup by Steven Gregory who has 16 tackles this season.  Rookie Kevin Ellison who hasn’t played in a game this season will be elevated to the #2 spot at strong safety for the Chargers.