The San Diego Chargers were the much superior football team than the Kansas City Chiefs and they proved it Sunday.  Philip Rivers and the offense were able to build a big lead in the first half and were up 28-7 at the break.  Rivers had a very good day, passing for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21/28 attempts.  Rivers did not get too much help from the running game, although they did rack up 94 rushing yards as a team.  It was only a 2.8 average though, so Rivers and his receivers did most of the damage.  The Chiefs never really had a shot in this game though, so it wasn’t a cause for concern.

The Chargers defense did their job and kept the Chiefs out of the game.  They gave up one touchdown in each half, but the big number was the 4 turnovers they forced.  They picked off quarterback Matt Cassel once and recovered 3 fumbles.  Cassel was only able to get 178 yards and 1 touchdown on 19/31 attempts through the air.  They gave up too much on the ground though, with the Chiefs getting 114 yards on 24 carries as a team.  A very solid game overall for the Chargers defense, and if they they can force some turnovers like this more often they will really be a force to be reckoned with.

The San Diego Chargers (7-3) are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs (3-7) Sunday, a team they beat 37-7 earlier in the season.  The Chargers offense should be able to get pretty much whatever they want in this one.  I would like to see the Chargers go to their running game a lot, as it has been getting better lately and they could use this game to continue to improve it.  LaDainian Tomlinson has been looking more and more like his old self lately and a big game for him could help boost his confidence more.  Philip Rivers can still do his thing in the passing game, as the Chiefs give up 251 passing yards per game.  They can’t play down to their opponent though, or it could come back to hurt them.

The Chargers defense was able to pick Chiefs’ quarterback Matt Cassel three times in their last match-up, so it seems like they have Cassel figured out.  Cassel is a capable quarterback though and I am sure he will come in with some major adjustments.  Still, the Chiefs don’t have a very strong running game and I expect the Chargers to build an early lead anyway, so Cassel will be forced to air it out a lot.  That means more opportunities for turnovers, which gives Philip Rivers more opportunities.  I don’t think this will be close and the Chargers win easy.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Diego Chargers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 13

The Chargers have signed 35-year old OT Jon Runyan to a 1-year deal.  Runyan played in 16 games (all starts) for the Eagles last season.  He has now played in 202 games (192 starts) in his 13-year NFL career.  Runyan brings size (6’7″,330 pounds) and nastiness to the Chargers’ offensive line as this was a great signing for them.

The Chargers have placed starting RT Jeromey Clary on the Injured Reserve List with a ankle injury ending his season.  Clary played in 10 games (all starts) for the Chargers this season and he will be missed.  He has now played in 42 games (32 starts) in his 4 years in his career with the Chargers.  Here’s to hoping he has a full recovery because he’s an important part of the Chargers’ future.

24-year old fullback doesn’t play that much but when he does he makes his presence felt.  He looks like a bowling ball type of running back as he’s on the short side at 5’9″, but he is also a powerful 243 pounds.  He has played in all 10 games for the Chargers this season and he has carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards (6.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Tolbert has also caught 6 passes for 68 yards (11.3 avg) with a TD grab.  Tolbert is a good special teams player too as he has 13 tackles and a forced fumble so far this year.  Every team would love to have a player like Mike Tolbert and the Chargers are lucky to have him.

The San Diego Chargers (7-3) easily beat a depleted Denver Broncos (6-4) team on Sunday.  The Chargers defense completly shut down the Broncos and their two quarterbacks.  Kyle Orton did not start for the Broncos because of a sprained ankle, so Chris Simms got the start.  The Chargers rattled Simms early and he looked lost out there.  They sacked him two times and forced a fumble, which Steve Gregory recovered.  The Broncos realized very early that Simms was not going to be able to do much for them, so they put in the injured Orton.  Orton was not much better and ended up going 15/29 for 179 yards and an interception.  Antonio Cromartie got the pick and the Chargers defense only gave up one field goal the whole game.

The Chargers offense was sharp, and they knew they didn’t need big stat lines to win this one.  Philip Rivers only threw for 145 yards, but he took care of the ball and easily led the Chargers to the win.  He also was very accurate, completing 17/22 passes and throwing one touchdown and no interceptions.  LaDainian Tomlinson had another good game, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.  The Chargers’ running game also got a nice boost from Mike Tolbert, who gained a career high 58 yards on 7 carries and scored the first touchdown of his career.  The Chargers were up 13-0 at halftime and it was pretty much over by then.

The San Diego Chargers (6-3) have been improving each week while the Denver Broncos (6-3) have been on steady decline after starting the season 6-0.  The Chargers defense has had to prepare for two quarterbacks all week since Broncos’ starting quarterback Kyle Orton is still battling a sprained ankle and has been listed as a “game time decision.”  If Orton cannot go, which is likely, then Chris Simms will start for the Broncos.  This is very good news for the Chargers as Simms looked awful last week when he came in for the injured quarterback.  He only completed 3 of 13 passes and threw an interception.  If Simms is the starter the Broncos will probably run the ball even more, and the Chargers are giving up too many yards on the ground (119 yard avg.) so they need to be ready to stop Knowshown Moreno and Correll Buckhalter.  Moreno is the better back lately, and rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries last game.

The Chargers offense has been looking very good lately, but the Broncos do have a good defense.  They do a great job defending the passing game, only giving up 186 passing yards per game.  That doesn’t mean Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ receivers can’t find success against the Broncos.  Rivers is due for a big game, so I think he may be able to find receiver Vincent Jackson for some big plays.  Also, LaDainian Tomlinson looked like his old self last week, rushing for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries.  If LT has another game like that, things will be a lot easier for Rivers and the passing game and they should be able to get the win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  San Diego Chargers 24, Denver Broncos 17

The Chargers have lost 26-year old OLB Jyles Tucker for the year due to a ankle injury.  He played in 7 games this season for the Chargers finishing with 4 tackles.  He has now played three years for the Chargers appearing in 26 games in which he has 53 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 9 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  This injury hurts the linebacker depth and the special teams of the Chargers.

LaDainian Tomlinson looked like his old self as the San Diego Chargers (6-3) took down the Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) on Sunday.  LT had his best game of the season, going for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries.  He helped the Chargers build a 28-9 lead heading into the 4th quarter, and his touchdowns proved to be vital as the Eagles made a nice comeback effort in the 4th quarter.  Philip Rivers had a very good game for the Chargers too.  He completed 20/25 passes and did not turn the ball over while passing for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns.  It was a good all-around game for the Chargers offense, and if they can LT to play like this every game they will be very tough to beat.

The Chargers defense did a great job keeping McNabb and the Eagles’ offense out of the endzone throughout the first three quarters.  McNabb and the Eagles settled for three field goals, which allowed the Chargers offense to build that lead.  McNabb racked up a ton of yards through the air, getting 450 passing yards on 35/55 attempts.  He was able to lead the Eagles to two touchdowns in the 4th quarter and bring them within five points.  Antonio Cromartrie was able to pick off one of McNabb’s passes though, which proved to be huge as McNabb and the Eagles put up a good fight.  The defense needs to make sure quarterbacks’ don’t put 450 passing yards on them though.  He was able to put up that many yards because the Chargers shut down the running game and he passed it so much.  The Chargers defense held the Eagles to 29 rushing yards.

The San Diego Chargers (5-3) are looking for their fourth straight win, but it will be a challenge as they host the Philadelphia Eagles (5-3).  The Eagles are coming off a close loss where they held the high-powered Cowboys’ offense to 21 points.  The Chargers have a very good offense, but if the Eagles play defense like they did last week then the Chargers defense better be ready as well.  Donovan McNabb can put up some big numbers, and he has a big player receiver to go to in DeSean Jackson.  The Chargers cannot let Jackson beat them deep as he can really burn a defense.

The Chargers running game is still getting almost nothing, but LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles can still make an impact.  First off, if they can get something going on the ground then I think the Chargers will win for sure.  That hasn’t been happening though, so Sproles and LT can make things happen from short passes and screens.  They only had 30 yards combined in the passing game last week, so they will need more than that if the running game continues to get nothing.  Still, I think the Chargers have a very talented offense and I think Rivers will lead them to a close win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 28, San Diego Chargers 31