The San Diego Chargers looked pretty awesome last Monday Night against the Jaguars as everything seemed to click.  Rivers always plays well late in the year, so I expect him to have a big game against the Bills this Sunday.  The Bills have lost five games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to come out throwing the ball against a secondary that is especially weak at cornerback right now.  Philip Rivers should have time to throw the ball, so look for WRs Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd to have big games this Sunday.  TE Antonio Gates is going to work over the middle for the Chargers this Sunday, and Rivers will have to be careful throwing to him as the Bills’ have ball hawking safeties.  RBs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews are going to also get a lot of work both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Chargers are going to have to try to shut down C.J. Spiller.  If Spiller gets a running game going for the Bills, the secondary is going to be in for a very long day.  The Chargers need to get a good pass rush on Ryan Fitzpatrick, because if he has time to throw the ball…he’s in for a big day.  WRs Steve Johnson, David Nelson and Brad Smith are all playing well right now and the Chargers are giving up 202.9 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 34, BILLS 24

The Chargers have signed 24-year old LB Nate Triplett.  Triplett played in 3 games for the Colts earlier this year but he didn’t have any tackles.  Triplett has now played in 8 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 4 tackles.  This was a signing to add depth to the linebacking unit and probably special teams.  I don’t see Triplett making much of an impact for the Chargers this year.

24-year old RB Ryan Mathews is really picking up the pace lately.  In Mathews’ last two games, he has carried the ball 35 times for 249 yards (7.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 7 yards (1.8 avg).  Mathews has now played in 11 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has carried the ball 165 times for 829 yards (5.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also has caught 39 passes for 386 yards (9.9 avg) so far this season.  Mathews has now played in 23 games in his first two years with the Chargers and he has carried the ball 323 times for 1,507 yards (4.7 ypc) with 11 TD carries.  He has also caught 61 passes for 531 yards (8.7 avg) in his first two years.  Mathews is starting to gain traction over Mike Tolbert as the main back for the Chargers.

The Chargers dominated the Jaguars last night on Monday Night Football in Jacksonville.  Philip Rivers was on his game last night as he completed 22 of 28 passes for 294 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Ryan Mathews was also outstanding as he carried the ball 13 times for 112 yards (8.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Mike Tolbert also had a solid game with 6 carries for 24 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Malcom Floyd (4 rec, 108 yards, TD), Vincent Jackson (4 rec, 72 yards, TD) and Vincent Brown (1 rec, 22 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers last night.  TE Antonio Gates pitched in with 6 grabs for 70 yards last night.  The Chargers finished up with 139 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 28 passes (78.6%) for 294 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:17.

The defense had issues stopping Maurice Jones-Drew, but they did well with stopping everyone else on the Jaguars.  LBs Takeo Spikes (9 tackles) and Donald Butler (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Chargers on D in this game.  CB Antoine Cason (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and safety Eric Weddle (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also helped out on D last night for the Chargers.  The Jaguars finished up with 129 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 177 yards.  The Chargers are now 5-7 on the season.

The Chargers have lost six games in a row now, and they have not looked too good doing it.  The Jaguars have lost two games in a row, costing head coach Jack Del Rio his job.  Mel Tucker will be making his head coaching debut on Monday Night Football for the Jaguars.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are still a pass first team and I don’t look for that to change any time soon.  The Chargers are going to need to give Philip Rivers time to throw the ball if he’s going to have some success in this game.  He has been pretty awful this year for the Chargers, as he seems to be playing hurt.  He will likely keep the passing game short to TE Antonio Gates and RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert.  Rivers will try to get the Jaguars’ secondary to move up a couple of steps before throwing bombs to Vincent Jackson.  Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert should also give the Chargers a decent running game on Monday Night.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are going to feed the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Chargers are giving up 131.9 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry, so they might not even be able to stop Jones-Drew despite keying on him.  WR Mike Thomas and TE Marcedes Lewis are rookie QB Blaine Gabbert’s top targets in the passing game, which doesn’t scare the Chargers’ D too much.  The Chargers will try to jump start the pass rush against Gabbert, who has been already sacked 28 times this year.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 17, CHARGERS 13