The Chargers have won two games in a row, while the Broncos have lost two games in a row.  The Chargers lost their only road game this year while the Broncos are 1-1 at home.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to likely attack the Broncos through the air early in this game to try to get a quick lead, before trying to grind out a win on the ground with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert.  The Broncos’ D has been a little better against the run (3.7 ypc) than the pass (275.0 yards per game, so it makes sense to let Philip Rivers air things out a little bit.  The Chargers’ O-Line is going to have to keep rookie OLB Von Miller (4 sacks) away from Rivers.  If he has time to throw the ball, he is going to slice and dice the Broncos’ secondary by moving the ball around to Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Randy McMichael, Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews.

When the Broncos have the ball:  If the Broncos do a good job of giving Kyle Orton time to throw the ball, he should have some success in this game.  WRs Brandon Lloyd and Eric Decker give the Broncos a couple of nice weapons for Orton down the field.  They won’t just attack through the air though as Willis McGahee has taken over as the main man in the running game.  The front seven will need to handle him as the secondary might have their hands full with the Broncos’ WRs and TEs.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 23, BRONCOS 20

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 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 San Diego Chargers know that it won’t be easy tomorrow, but they have to be confident that they will score a lot of points on a Patriots’ D that gave up 488 total yards to the Dolphins last week.  The flip side of that though, is that the Patriots rolled up an amazing 622 yards on offense!  The Patriots have also won 28 straight regular season games at home, all with Tom Brady at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers likely won’t want to engage in a firefight unless they have to tomorrow.  That means that they are going to give the ball to Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews in both the running and passing games to keep the Patriots’ front seven honest.  Don’t think for a minute though that Philip Rivers isn’t going to be chucking the ball all over the field.  After all, the Patriots’ D gave up 390 yards passing last week!  WRs Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and TE Antonio Gates are going to be all over the Patriots’ secondary.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are likely going to want to give the ball to BenJarvus Green-Ellis a lot more tomorrow in an effort to keep their defense off the field.  Danny Woodhead will also be heavily involved both running and catching the ball out of the backfield in this game.  The front seven of the Chargers are going to have to deal with Green-Ellis and Woodhead, because the secondary is going to have to concentrate on dealing with Tom Brady and his WRs and TEs.  That will be easier said than done.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 41, CHARGERS 38

The San Diego Chargers are looking to get back to the playoffs in 2011 and the journey starts tomorrow against the Vikings.  The Chargers have an advantage on most of the matchups in this game.  Here’s a look at those matchups:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers should be able to move the ball really well tomorrow.  The Vikings will be without starting DT Kevin Williams due to league suspension, so the O-Line should be able to get a nice push in the running game.  The Chargers are going to get both Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert a lot of carries in this game, with a lot of them coming right up the gut.  The OTs are going to have to be able to hold DE Jared Allen and OLB Chad Greenway out of the backfield.  If Rivers has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big day.  WRs Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd have huge size advantages over Vikings’ corners Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin.  TE Antonio Gates should also have a nice game as the Vikings’ safeties don’t scare anyone.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Chargers will have to key on Adrian Peterson.  If they can stop him or at least slow him down, then they can come after Donovan McNabb.  Safeties Eric Weddle and Bob Sanders should be able to handle the Vikings’  TEs with little trouble.  Percy Harvin is a good weapon for the Vikings in the passing game and either Quentin Jammer or Antoine Cason will have to deal with his gamebreaking speed.  The Vikings other WRs (Michael Jenkins and Bernard Berrian) don’t scare anyone.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, VIKINGS 17

The San Diego Chargers picked 22-year old cornerback Marcus Gilchrist out of Clemson with the 50th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Gilchrist is 5’9″, 193 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Gilchrist is a good cover man but he doesn’t have much hands wise as he’s not a playmaker.  Gilchrist played in 13 games (all starts) for Clemson last year and he had 66 tackles, broke up 10 passes and he had 1 interception.  Gilchrist also returned 27 kickoffs for 639 yards (23.7 avg) and 23 punts for 233 yards (10.1 avg) last year. He played in 53 games (28 starts) in his four years with the Tigers and he had 211 tackles, 19 passes broken up, 1 interception, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Gilchrist will likely help out the Chargers on both defense and special teams, but he was still a reach pick as almost no one had him going this high.

The San Diego Chargers are banged up right now and they have been lousy on the road this season going 2-5.  It will be interesting to see if the Chargers get up for this game or if they lay an egg.  Ivesco Field is a hard place to play because of the altitude.  The Chargers did punish the Broncos 35-14 in San Diego earlier this year but both teams look a lot different right now.  Rookie QB Tim Tebow has breathed some life into the Denver Broncos.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will come out throwing the ball, as usual, with Philip Rivers taking aim at a Broncos’ secondary that is giving up 233.1 yards passing per game.  The Broncos only have 18 sacks this year so Rivers should have a lot of time to throw the ball meaning that he will have a big game.  With Antonio Gates out of action, look for Rivers to throw the ball a lot to Vincent Jackson this weekend.  Mike Tolbert is also out of this game due to injury so look for Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles to carry the bulk of the work in the running game.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Chargers are going to have to put pressure on Tim Tebow and while doing that they need to contain him in the pocket.  If not, Tebow is going to make some big plays with both his legs and his arm as he has a nice set of WRs.  The Broncos might let Tebow wing the ball around the field because the RBs just have not added much to the offense as of late.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 24, BRONCOS 20

The Chargers are on a 2-game winning streak in which they outscored the competition by a combined score of 65-7!  The Chargers have won six of their last seven games and they can’t afford any more losses if they want to have a legit shot at the playoffs.  The Bengals broke a 10-game losing streak by beating the Browns at home last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will be without Antonio Gates & Malcolm Floyd this weekend against the Bengals.  That shouldn’t stop Philip Rivers from throwing the ball as someone has always stepped up this year.  Vincent Jackson broke loose last week for 3 TD grabs and I don’t see any of the Bengals’ CBs matching up with him due to his size.  TE Randy McMichael has also turned into a dependable target for Rivers while Gates was out of action.  The Chargers will also use Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles to attack the Bengals’ D which is allowing 120.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year. 

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are likely going to come out running the ball with Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott against a Chargers’ D that is allowing only 89.4 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  The Chargers will be all up in Carson Palmer’s grill as they have 44 sacks already this year.  They figure they can force Palmer into making some big game altering mistakes in this game. 

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, BENGALS 10

The Chargers have won 5 of their last 6 games to pull within 1 game of the Chiefs in the AFC West.  The 49ers pounded the Seahawks 40-21 last weekend to pull within one game of the Rams & Seahawks in the NFC West.  So this sets up for a “must win” game for both teams and here is a look at the matchups:

When the Chargers have the ball:  Even without Antonio Gates (foot injury) due to injury, the Chargers are going to come out throwing the football.  Philip Rivers is likely going to have a lot of success against a Niners’ D that is allowing 227.3 yards passing per game.  It’s up in the air as far as who will be Rivers’ favorite WR tonight but he has had success no matter who he is throwing to so far this year.  Mike Tolbert, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews will likely split up the carries in the running game tonight but the Niners are tough against the run.

When the Niners have the ball:  The Chargers will likely try to stop the running game first making the 49ers a one dimensional offense.  The 49ers don’t have the type of WRs to beat the Chargers deep so they would likely feed the ball to TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker on the short stuff.  They also would target Brian Westbrook a lot out of the backfield in the passing game.  The Chargers hope that the pressure they put on Alex Smith will force him into throwing some picks.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, 49ERS 17

The Chargers have won four of their last five games to pull within two games of the Chiefs in the AFC West.  But, the Chargers got pushed around by the Raiders last weekend and the Chiefs will likely have the same blueprint tomorrow.  The Chiefs have won three games in a row but they will be without their starting QB (Matt Cassel) tomorrow due to injury.  The Chiefs beat the Chargers 21-14 in the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will come out throwing the ball in this game.  The Chargers will try to jump on the Chiefs right away in this game to try to take the Chiefs out of their offensive game plan.  If Rivers has time to throw the ball (and I think he will), he should have a good game.  With Antonio Gates & Malcolm Floyd back, Rivers should be able to have a good short and long passing game.  Mike Tolbert will handle all of the dirty work for the Chargers in this game.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The front seven of the Chargers is going to have to step up this weekend.  That is because the Chiefs will be without starting QB Matt Cassel.  With Brodie Croyle at QB, the Chiefs are likely going to be very conservative on offense.  That means the the Chargers are going to be ready to deal with Jamaal Charles & Thomas Jones who are going to be running right at them.

PREDICTION:  CHIEFS 23, CHARGERS 21