The San Diego Chargers are somehow 2-1 but they have not played well so far this year.  The Dolphins played their best game of the year so far in Cleveland lasst weekend before falling just a tad short.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely going to be without Antonio Gates (for sure), Malcom Floyd (maybe) and Vincent Jackson (maybe), but that isn’t going to stop them from passing the ball against a Fins’ D that is giving up 311.0 yards passing per game so far this year.  Randy McMichael, Patrick Crayton, Ryan Mathews and Michael Tolbert could all have expanded roles in the passing game this weekend for the Chargers.  Philip Rivers should have time to throw the ball as the Dolphins only have 4 sacks so far this year.  Ryan Mathews and Michael Tolbert will try to give the offense some balance in this game with their running.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins could be without rookie RB Donald Thomas (hamstring), so they might be throwing the ball a lot this weekend.  Chad Henne has already been sacked 11 times so far this year, so the Chargers are going to have to blitz more than usual.  The Chargers’ secondary is going to have their hands full with WRs Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline.  The safeties and linebackers better also be ready for TE Anthony Fasano and RB Reggie Bush in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 23, DOLPHINS 21

The Chargers traded up to pick 23-year old RB Ryan Mathews in the 2010 NFL Draft, but his rookie season didn’t go as well as planned.  He played in 12 games for the Chargers last year and he carried the ball 158 times for 678 yards (4.3 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 22 passes for 145 yards (6.6 avg) last year.  This year though, Mathews is running the ball and catching it a lot better.  He has played in all 3 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has carried the ball 45 times for 207 yards (4.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Mathews has also already caught 14 passes for 186 yards (13.3 avg) so far this year.  He is starting to take over at RB for the Chargers.

The Chargers must not have done their homework on 30-year old safety Bob Sanders before signing him.  They have placed the very injury prone Sanders on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a knee injury.  Sanders played in 2 games for the Chargers this year and he had 12 tackles.  He has now played in 49 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 303 tackles, 15 passes defensed, 6 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 8 tackles for a loss.  The Chargers should have known better then to sign Bob Sanders.

The Chargers have signed 28-year old DT Tommie Harris.  Harris played in 15 games for the Bears last year and he had 13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 pass defensed.  Harris has now played in 104 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 213 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, 28.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 5 passes defensed and 1 interception.  With the Chargers losing so many defensive linemen due to injury, this signing makes perfect sense for them.

31-year old starting TE Antonio Gates might elect to sit out the next 3-5 weeks due to his foot injury.  He has played in 2 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has caught 8 passes for 74 yards (9.3 avg).  32-year old Randy McMichael will continue to start at TE until Gates is ready to return to action.  McMichael has played in all three games for the Chargers so far this year and he has caught 8 passes for 77 yards (9.6 avg).  The Chargers know that McMichael is a solid receiver but they are going to miss Antonio Gates, who is one of the very best TEs in all of football.

The Chargers will be without 31-year old DE Jacques Cesaire until at least week #6 due to a knee injury.  He has played in all 3 games for the Chargers this year and he has 6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  25-year old Vaughn Martin is the next man up as he will likely step into the starting lineup in place of Cesaire.  Martin has played in all 3 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has 10 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  In his first two years with the Chargers (2009 and 2010), Martin played in 20 games in which he had 12 tackles and 1 sack.

The Chargers had to hold off a pesky Chiefs team that came to California to fight yesterday.  Philip Rivers completed 24 of 38 passes for 266 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Ryan Mathews looked great yesterday for the Chargers as he carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards (4.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 4 passes for 51 yards (12.8 avg).  Mike Tolbert carried the ball 4 times for 19 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 24 yards (8.0 avg).  WR Vincent Jackson (5 rec, 63 yards), TE Randy McMichael (4 rec, 51 yards) and WR Patrick Crayton (5 rec, 47 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers.  The Chargers rushed for 117 yards on 30 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 38 passes (63.2%) for 258 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:43.

LB Donald Butler (8 tackles), CB Antoine Cason (6 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and LB Takeo Spikes (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Chargers in this game on D.  Safety Eric Weddle pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception in this game.  The Chiefs finished up with 81 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 24 passes (70.8%) for 171 yards.  The Chargers are now 2-1 on the year.

The Chargers are looking to rebound after a tough 35-21 loss at New England last weekend.  They will look to take their frustration out on the Chiefs, who have been outscored 89-10 so far this year!  The Chargers split with the Chiefs last year despite outyarding them 823-264!  The second matchup last year resulted in a 31-0 win in San Diego in which the Chargers held the Chiefs to an amazing 67 total yards!  Here is a look at the matchup in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to be ready to rumble this weekend against the Chiefs.  I look for Philip Rivers to take to the air this Sunday.  The Chiefs only have 1 sack so far this year, so Rivers should have plenty of time to throw the ball.  WR Vincent Jackson and TE Antonio Gates are going to be his top two targets against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 261.5 yards passing per game and a 114.3 QB Rating!  Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are going to get a lot of touches in both the running and passing game this weekend.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to likely come out running the ball against a Chargers’ D that is allowing 126.5 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Thomas Jones will likely be the main ballcarrier with speedy Dexter McCluster getting some carries and a lot of throws out of the backfield on screens.  CB Quentin Jammer held the Chiefs’ top receiver (Dwayne Bowe) to two catches for 16 yards (8.0 avg) last year, and he will try to make him a non-factor again this weekend.  Matt Cassel already has 4 INTs against 1 TD pass, so the Chargers look to blitz him a lot this Sunday and force him into making a lot of mistakes.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 34, CHIEFS 10

The Chargers have signed 27-year old safety Paul Oliver.  Oliver was just let go by the Saints with an injury settlement but he appears to be o.k. physically.  Oliver played in all 16 games for the Chargers last year and he had 62 tackles, 3 passes defensed, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 tackle for a loss.  Oliver has now played in 44 games in his first three years in the NFL (all with the Chargers) and he has 126 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 tackles for a loss.  This was a smart pickup for the Chargers as Oliver can step right in if needed because he knows the system.

29-year old QB Philip Rivers is off to a good start for the Chargers so far this year.  He has played in both of the Chargers games so far this year and he has completed 62 of 88 passes (70.5%) for 713 yards with 4 TD passes and 4 INTs (90.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 9 yards (1.8 ypc) so far this year.  Rivers will need to cut down on his pickoffs and I think he will do that starting this weekend against the woeful Kansas City Chiefs.