Vs. Philadelphia

Allow me to begin with an apology to all readers out there who have been trying to access the site unsuccessfully over the last week as we have been having some trouble with the domain but that all appears to be resolved. Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time to talk about some football! After a huge win on the road over a game NFC East opponent in the New York Giants last week, the Bolts head home to prepare for another showdown with an equally stout Philadelphia Eagles team with some emerging offensive weapons. Rookie wideout Jeremy Maclin and second year sensation DeSean Jackson have both been having a stellar year to this point and the Charger will have to keep an eye on them at all times as the Eagles utilize those two in many different ways motioning them around the formation and confusing defenses. The Chargers have been riding a bit of a streak since their debacle at home against Denver a few weeks ago reeling off three straight wins coupled with a few Denver losses and this race has tightened up significantly in recent weeks. The only thing the Bolts can do is take care of the opponent in front of them and this week that is Andy’s Reid’s bunch from Philly. The atmosphere is rowdy at Qualcomm and kickoff is near so it’s time to get the ball in the air.

San Diego opens up the game with the football but they are unable to do anything of consequence on offense and are forced to kick it away. A masterful punt by Mike Scifres pins Philadelphia inside of their own 20 to begin their opening drive of the game. After a three and out, the two teams have harmlessly exchanged punts to start things off with the only difference being the quality of the kicks as Sav Rocca hits a bad punt that only travels 30 yards and sets up the Bolts with great field possession. On their second possession of the game the Chargers mount a much better looking drive as Philip Rivers dissects the Philly defense with a pass to Antonio Gates and a creative play on a direct snap to Legedu Naanee. The money play of the drive is a well executed screen pass over the middle to fullback Mike Tolbert who takes advantage of a rare opportunity to touch the ball and takes it 20 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 San Diego lead. Another exchange of punts as the 1st quarter nears its end and the Bolts defense continues to keep everything in front of them and tackle well to prevent the Eagles from making the big plays over the top of the defense.

The opening quarter comes to a close with the ball and the lead still in the hands of the Bolts s they take a 7-0 lead and a drive with already two first downs into the 2nd quarter. The Wild Frog makes an appearance as Tomlinson gets his hands on the ball up the middle of the Philly defense. An explosive play from Darren Sproles gets the Chargers offense near the red zone for the second time on the day. Malcom Floyd is really emerging as a viable option on the outside showing some phenomenal body control to haul in a first down catch at the Philly 3 yard line. After trying to go up the middle on first and goal, San Diego spreads the Eagles out on second down and goal to run an inside handoff with LaDainian Tomlinson who finds the end zone to extend the Bolts lead to 14-0. That score puts him into some elite company tying him for third most touchdowns all-time with 145 behind only Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. Some intermediate passes from Donovan McNabb and company get the Eagles into the red zone for a scoring opportunity. The Bolts defense slams the door shut after a pass interference call set them up a first and goal at the one yard line forcing Philly to settle for a field goal.

The Chargers defense can’t feel great about giving up points at the end of the half, but they can take pride in the fact that they made two red zone stands to hold the Eagles to just two field goals. With a 14-6 lead, the Chargers get the ball back after an Eagles drive ends fruitlessly and San Diego’s offensive line has been opening up some substantial holes for the running game here in the early 2nd half as Tomlinson has been able to gash the Eagles for a few rushes of 7 or 8 yards to keep Philly’s defense honest. The running game has been successful of setting up the pass for Rivers and company. A phenomenal run by Tomlinson brings back some memories of seasons past as he splits the defense and scampers 22 yards to paydirt and stretches the San Diego lead to 21-6 midway through quarter number three. The bend but don’t break philosophy continues to succeed for the Chargers as their defense has tightened up in the red zone for the third time in the game forcing Philadelphia to settle for three after mounting a get drive inside the San Diego 10 yard line. A critical penalty on the Eagles on a third down and short stop gives the Chargers a first down and they immediately take advantage as Philip Rivers finds Legedu Naanee wide open in the corner of the end zone for his first career score. With a 28-9 lead heading into the waning seconds of the 3rd quarter, the Chargers have to be thrilled with the play on both sides of the ball today. Even though the Eagles have moved the ball between the twenties, the defense has hardened in the red zone to only surrender a trio of field goals.

Kevin Burnett’s return has been noticeable today as he has been in on a number of tackles and broken up a handful of pass plays as well on the day. The Eagles finally break the Bolts defense as McNabb is afforded with tons of time to allow Jeremy Maclin to get open and he catches the ball effortlessly to close the gap to 28-16. Some stout defending from the Eagles forces Mike Scifres onto the field and the campaign for his MVP candidacy continues as he booms a kick deep and keeps Philly to modest starting field position. After throwing the ball short picking up small chunks to enter the red zone, San Diego’s interior defensive line really needs to stiffen up against the run as they have been pushed around by the Eagles offensive line for much of this game. On inside rushing plays the Chargers have relied on the outside linebackers to come around and pursue the play to get the ballcarrier to the ground which has given up way more yardage than necessary. The Eagles don’t deviate from their game plan as McNabb finds Brent Celek in the end zone to narrow the gap to less than one score at 28-23. Fans have to be biting their nails a bit as the Chargers have become a cardiac health hazard over the last two weeks taking games down to the wire. With about six minutes left in the game, Norv Turner and the Chargers return to their initial gameplan and put the ball back in the hands of Philip Rivers who escorts the team down the field with the help of some big catches by Antonio Gates. The clock continues to grind away as Tomlinson runs the ball two times and a vital third down conversion to from Rivers to Naanee gives the Bolts another first down into the Philadelphia red zone nearing the two minute mark. Classic execution by Rivers running the clock down as Nate Kaeding ultimately adds a field goal to increase the lead to 31-23 with under thirty seconds left in the game.

The Eagles had a few seconds remaining for some desperation heaves, but the Chargers were able to prevent the unthinkable from happening holding on for a 31-23 victory. A large portion of the credit for this win has to go to the gameplan of the Chargers defense keeping everything in front of them and not allowing the big plays to beat them. Continued improvement from this unit has really been paramount for this four game winning streak. With the unexpected Denver loss earlier in the day at Washington, next Sunday’s game is going to be enormous when the Bolts visit Denver and try to return the favor by beating the Donkeys in their house. This one is going to have some boisterous buildup so stay tuned for updates throughout the week on emerging storylines.

Tags: Andy Reid, Antonio Gates, Brent Celek, Darren Sproles, Denver Broncos, DeSean Jackson, Donovan McNabb, Emmitt Smith, Jeremy Maclin, Jerry Rice, Kevin Burnett, LaDainian Tomlinson, Legedu Naanee, Malcom Floyd, Mike Scifres, Mike Tolbert, Nate Kaeding, Norv Turner, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, Qualcomm Stadium, Sav Rocca, Washington Redskins