Chargers face Falcons in week #13

Chargers face Matt Ryan and the high flyin' Falcons

It’s almost laughable to talk about a team with a 4-7 record as having a chance to make the playoffs, but nevertheless the Chargers still have a chance. San Diego started the season by losing their first two games and have lost four of their previous five but are only two games back of the Broncos with five more games to play. Denver is coming off an embarrassing 31-10 loss to the Raiders and will be pitted against the red hot Jets this Sunday. With this in mind the Chargers know that they could easily be within one game of first place by the end of the weekend. But they’ll have to take care of their own business first and stop the Atlanta Falcons who will be bringing a 7-4 record and rookie phenom, Matt Ryan, into Qualcomm Stadium.

Matt Ryan will be one of a number of concerns for the Chargers this Sunday. On the year Ryan has thrown for over 2400 yards with 11 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 60 percent. They may not be all star statistics, but Ryan has had a strong season for a rookie, and his knack for coming through in the clutch is what has defined him up to this point. He has quickly developed a good chemistry with his receivers and running backs in the passing game, and the Chargers will have to be prepared to be tested by Atlanta’s young QB. San Diego’s pass defense is still ranked last in the league and the Falcons will likely try to use that to their advantage.

Ryan’s play at quarterback has been one of their strengths on offense this year, but another key factor for Atlanta’s success has been the addition of running back Michael Turner. Turner signed with the Falcons in the off-season after playing for San Diego for several years, and has had a great season in his first year as a starter with Atlanta. Ladainian Tomlinson’s former back up has already rushed for over a thousand yard and scored 13 rushing touchdowns. The Chargers will have their hands full with trying to contain him and prevent the Falcons from establishing a well balanced attack of passing and rushing.

> Find great San Diego Chargers apparel & hats online through Pro Football Fans and check out the 2008 NFL scores!

With the way San Diego’s defense has played this year it has put a lot of pressure on the offense to score. It is not the type of football the team was built for, but the strategy these days is to try to outscore the opponent in order to win games. For the most part the offense has played well and much of that is due to the extraordinary season Phillip Rivers has put together. Rivers completion percentage is at 65.7 with 2800 yards and 23 touchdowns. He is still the league’s highest rated passer at 103.3 and leads all other quarterback with his 23 touchdown passes. The game plan for the Chargers probably won’t be any different than it has been recently, outscore the opponent. The Falcons, like the Chargers, have played poorly on pass defense. They are ranked 23 rd in the NFL.

With the number of weapons on offense that both teams have and the likewise weak passing defenses, this game has the potential to become a shootout. The Falcons will be looking for a win to stay alive in their hunt for the division as they trail the Buccaneers (8-3) and the Panthers (8-3) as well as trying to remain in a good position for a wild card berth. The Chargers on the other hand have only one route to the post season and that’s through a divisional title. Despite their disappointing season they could end up only one game behind the Broncos for first place with four games to play. One of those four games is against Denver on the final game of the season. Most likely they’ll have to run the table and win every game leading up to the showdown in Denver to have a chance to make that last game meaningful.

By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com San Diego Chargers Correspondent