The Chargers begin a 3-game homestand this weekend against the Oakland Raiders.  The Chargers are on a roll having won their last four games by a combined score of 133-76!  The Raiders beat the Chargers in Oakland earlier this year 35-27 but they have been awful lately, losing their last two games by a combined score of 68-20!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will come out passing like usual as Philip Rivers has to be happy to have Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd back in action.  The Raiders have 32 sacks this season so Rivers will have to get rid of the ball fast but that has never been a problem for him.  I look for Darren Sproles to have a big game catching the ball out of the backfield and I think Mike Tolbert is going to get a lot of rushing yards against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 133.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are averaging 139.7 yards rushing per game this year and 4.7 yards per carry so they want to get the ball back into Darren McFadden and Michael Bush’s hands this weekend.  It won’t be easy as the Chargers are only allowing 81.1 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry.  The Chargers are going to get after Jason Campbell because if he has time to throw the ball, he has the deep threats (Jacoby Ford & Louis Murphy) to hurt any team.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 34, RAIDERS 13

This should be a great game on Sunday Night Football.  The Chargers are only 1-4 on the road this year but they have won 4 of their last 5 games against the Colts.  The Colts are a different team at Lucas Oil Stadium where they are 4-0 this year outscoring their opponents 110-57.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to come out passing in this game with Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson both back in action.  If Rivers has time to throw the ball (and I think he will) I look for him to attack the Colts’ secondary deep.  Mike Tolbert will also likely get in on the action as the Colts don’t stop anyone on the ground where they are allowing 136.7 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Chargers have 32 sacks already this year so I look for them to come after Peyton Manning.  The Chargers are only allowing 183.9 yards passing per game this year so Peyton Manning might have a rough time against them.  If Manning isn’t his usual self in this game the Chargers are going to roll because the running game of the Colts doesn’t scare anyone.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, COLTS 23

The Chargers have won 2 games in a row and they are coming off their bye week.  The Broncos snapped a four game losing streak last week punishing the Chiefs 49-29 in Denver.  This is a big game for both teams as the Raiders & Chiefs are both sitting atop the AFC West with 5-4 records.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely getting Malcolm Floyd back for this game which is bad news for the Broncos.  The Chargers have a lot of WRs and TEs who have stepped up due to injuries which will give Philip Rivers a lot of options when he drops back to pass against a Broncos’ D that is allowing 229.8 yards passing per game.  The Broncos are also giving up 143.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so look for the Chargers to also try to get the running game going.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos love to air it out and they might have to again if they want to keep this game close.  Kyle Orton  will make some plays if he has time to throw the ball as the Chargers have 27 sacks this year already.  Orton has a lot of solid targets to throw to in Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas.  Knowshon Moreno woke up last week against the Chiefs but he’s going to find tough sledding against a Chargers’ D that is allowing only 89.4 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, BRONCOS 21

This could turn out to be a shootout at the O.K. Corral tomorrow in Houston.  The last six weeks the Texans have alternated wins and losses and they lost last week so that could be good news.  The Chargers won a hard fought battle against the Titans last weekend but the Chargers don’t travel well as they are 0-4 on the road.  Here’s 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 Texans’ D that is allowing 299.4 yards passing per game this year.  The Chargers are down to Seyi Ajirotutu & Patrick Crayton at WR and Antonio Gates is gimpy.  That won’t stop Rivers from throwing the ball as he finds whoever goes out for a pass.  Rivers has been sacked 21 times this year so they will have to keep Mario Williams away from him so that he can find his WRs and TEs.  Look for Darren Sproles to also get a lot of action in the passing game tomorrow.  Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews and Sproles will take aim at a Texans’ run D that is allowing 104.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to try to mix it up on offense tomorrow.  They will try to run Arian Foster against the Chargers who are only allowing 83.1 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this season.  The Chargers will probably be sending a lot of blitzes Matt Schaub’s way as he has been sacked 19 times already this year.  The Chargers will also likely double cover Andre Johnson and make Schaub beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 30, CHARGERS 27

This will be a very interesting game.  The Titans always seem to take their A-Game on the road as they are 3-0 there outscoring opposing teams 93-40.  The Chargers have played better at home than on the road this year as they are 2-1 at home outscoring opponents 99-46.  So something has to give in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the football:  The biggest thing for the Chargers this Sunday is that they have to protect the football.  They already have 18 turnovers on fumbles & interceptions this year.  They can’t afford to help the Titans’ offense by giving them short fields to work with.  Philip Rivers will have to get rid of the ball quick this Sunday as the Titans have 25 sacks already this year but he will at the same time have to be careful as the Titans have 12 interceptions this year.  To slow down the pass rush in this game, Rivers would be smart to throw to his backs a little more than usual.  That likely means that Darren Sproles will have a big role in the offense this Sunday.  Rivers will also likely target Antonio Gates and Patrick Crayton a lot in this game.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to have Vince Young back at QB this weekend so they will likely try to grind it out on the ground.  Chris Johnson might have a tough time finding running room against a Chargers’ D that is only allowing 85.7 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Chargers have 25 sacks and 7 interceptions so far this year so Vince Young will have to get rid of the ball quick and be smart with the football.  Kenny Britt will likely be his top target in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 26, CHARGERS 23

The Patriots are on a roll right now as they have won three games in a row.  The Chargers are 2-0 at home this year having outscored the Jaguars & Cardinals by a combined score of 79-23 so something has to give tomorrow.  Here is how I see the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the football:  Even with Malcolm Floyd out and TE Antonio Gates gimpy, I see Philip Rivers throwing early and often in this football game.  The Patriots are giving up 273.4 yards passing per game so Rivers should have no problem throwing on them as long as he has time to throw the ball (he has been sacked 18 times already this year).  The Chargers will be looking for Patrick Crayton and Buster Davis to step up in this game.  Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert will likely get a few carries each in this game against a Patriots’ D that is allowing 109.6 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots have been mixing in the running game more than they have in the past in an attempt to keep the opposing offense off the field.  BenJarvus Green-Ellis & Danny Woodhead will likely get a few carries apiece against a Chargers’ D that is allowing 91.5 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  The Chargers have 21 sacks on the year and they will be coming after Tom Brady.  Brady will keep the passing game of the shorter variety in this game using Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Danny Woodhead quite a bit.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, PATRIOTS 27

The Chargers are favored by 8.5 points this weekend despite having not won a game on the road this year.  The Chargers are 0-3 on the road as they have been outscored 83-61!  The Rams however have played pretty decent ball at home this year as they are 2-1 outscoring the opposition 63-36!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers easily have the best offense in the NFL right now as they are averaging 461.8 total yards per game.  The Chargers would probably like to throw to get the lead and then grind out a win on the ground.  For that to work the O-Line is going to have to keep Philip Rivers clean and it won’t be easy as the Rams have 10 sacks already this year.  If Rivers has time to throw the ball he should have a field day throwing the ball to Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates as the Rams are giving up 231.2 yards passing per game this year.  Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will likely also have decent games as they will likely find a lot of running room against a Rams’ D that is allowing 110.8 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to likely try to play keepaway from the Chargers with Steven Jackson’s running.  The Chargers are only allowing 86.4 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry so Jackson’s going to have to earn every yard he gets.  The Chargers have 18 sacks and 7 interceptions this year so look for them to try to blitz rookie QB Sam Bradford into making some big mistakes. 

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, RAMS 13

The Raiders always seem to play the Chargers tough so it won’t be an easy task to beat them this Sunday.  The Raiders might be 1-3 on the year but they could just as easily be 2-2 or 3-1 on the year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will likely mix the run in more than usual this week against a Raiders’ D that is allowing 162.0 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry.  Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will likely do the heavy lifting in the running game for the Chargers tomorrow.  The Raiders are only giving up 143.8 yards passing per game so far this year but that is misleading as opposing teams prefer to run the ball against them.  After all QBs have a 95.5 Rating against the Raiders this year and they have 8 TD passes and 2 INTs.  That means that Philip Rivers is going to be looking down the field to Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates and Legedu Naanee.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Chargers are only giving up 80.3 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry so look for the Raiders to throw more than usual especially with Darren McFadden out of action.  Michael Bush is a power back and those are the kind the Chargers can handle.  The Chargers have 15 sacks and 7 interceptions this season so don’t look for the Raiders to be throwing deep a lot in this game.  That means TE Zach Miller could be in for a huge game for the Raiders.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 24, RAIDERS 13

The Cardinals are the luckiest team in the NFL as they probably should be 0-3 on the year instead of 2-1.  The Chargers on the other hand are averaging 461.3 yards per game while giving up only 272.7 yards per game.  Things are about to change starting this weekend and here’s a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to come out throwing the ball against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 231.3 yards passing per game.  Philip Rivers will slice and dice the Cardinals’ secondary as long as he has time to throw the ball.  He will spread the ball around to Antonio Gates, Malcolm Floyd, Legedu Naanee, Buster Davis and Darren Sproles in the passing game.  If the Chargers build a big lead then look for them to grind the game out on the ground with Mike Tolbert.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Chargers will likely double Larry Fitzgerald the whole game with Steve Breaston out of action on the other side.  This will force Derek Anderson into throwing the ball into tight places which will result in pickoffs.  The Chargers must go all out to stop Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower as running the ball is likely the only shot the Cardinals have of keeping this game close.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 41, CARDINALS 13

The Chargers got back on the right track in blowing out the Jaguars at home last weekend.  But, they need to watch out for this Seahawks team that won it’s season opener at home 31-6 over the 49ers who have more talent than them.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Seahawks are only giving up 57.0 yards rushing per game and 2.0 yards per carry so I see the Chargers starting out this game throwing the ball.  If Philip Rivers has time to throw (which is very likely) he should have little problem picking apart a Seahawks team that is allowing 259.0 yards passing per game so far this year.  Antonio Gates and Buster Davis will work the short stuff while Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee are going deep.  Mike Tolbert will be the thunder and Darren Sproles will be the lightning in the running game for the Chargers this week.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  If the Seahawks were smart they would come out running the ball against the Chargers.  The Chargers are giving up 103.0 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.  But, I’m not so sure they trust Justin Forsett, Leon Washington and Julius Jones enough to make them the focal point of the offense.  Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t have a go-to receiver and that might be a good thing this week as the Chargers will likely play a lot of man to man D because of that.  If Hasselbeck has time to throw the ball he might have another solid game like he had in the season opener against the Niners.  But, if the Chargers can pressure Hasselbeck he might make some big mistakes as he already has 4 INTs this year.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, SEAHAWKS 17