Team Grades: Chargers Squeak By Rams, Gain Tie For 2nd Place In AFC West
By Dave Thomas
Remember back earlier in the season starting with the win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (30-21) when the San Diego Chargers (won five straight from Sept. 14 - Oct. 12) seemed to make winning look so much easier?
For the second weekend in a row, the Chargers (7-4) looked out of sync at times, yet still found a way to escape with a victory, topping the 4-7 St. Louis Rams 27-24. A week earlier, the Bolts struggled to put away a determined Oakland squad, finishing them Raiders off 13-6.
On this Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Chargers fell behind 10-3, before scoring 17 unanswered points to take what seemed like a rather safe 20-10 advantage in the second half.
That lead, however, became precarious as the Rams pulled within three points, and appeared to be moving in for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Enter one Marcus Gilchrist.
San Diego Survives Late St. Louis Rally
With one final shot to either tie the game and send it possibly to overtime or get the win outright, the Rams and backup quarterback Shaun Hill tried to force the ball into wide receiver Kenny Britt from the four yard line, but Gilchrist picked him off, allowing the Chargers to run out the clock and move into a second-place tie with Kansas City (Chiefs won the first meeting 23-20, the two teams meet in regular season finale Dec. 28 in Kansas City).
The game featured miscues from both teams, including ill-timed penalties, but it was the Chargers who captured what was essentially a must-win game before they head into a playoff-like gauntlet of five games against Baltimore, New England, Denver, San Francisco and Kansas City.
While the Chargers escaped on this late November day, the Rams showed that they have to be the best team in the league three games or more under .500.
If you have to meet the Rams in the final five games of the regular season, be prepared for a tussle to say the least.
TEAM GRADES:
Offense (B-) - After scoring a mere 13 points in their last two games (lost to Miami 37-0, beat Oakland 13-6), the Chargers "exploded" for 27 points on this day. In the first 30 minutes of play, however, San Diego's offense looked as explosive as a firecracker dud.
Among the bright notes on this day, oft-injured running back Ryan Mathews rushed for 105 yards on 12 carries, including a TD. On the down side, Mathews went off the field in the second half with an apparent shoulder injury. Could you imagine if this fifth-year product from Fresno State could stay healthy for an entire season?
Meantime, dinged up QB Philip Rivers went 29-of-35 for 291 yards and a TD (three sacks). Wide receiver Keenan Allen had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, though he coughed up two balls.
One of the common themes in the press box during the game was San Diego and offensive coordinator Frank Reich needs to open up the offense more. With a stern test next Sunday on the road against Baltimore's defense, it will be interesting to see what kind of offensive performance Rivers and his teammates can come up with.
Defense (C+) - To be honest, St. Louis is not exactly Green Bay or New England when it comes to offensive fireworks. With starting QB Sam Bradford done for the season early in the year, the Rams have had to throw both Austin Davis and Shaun Hill into the mix under center.
On this day, Hill had an 18-of-35 for 198 yards' performance. He also threw one TD, two interceptions, and accounted for one fumble. San Diego managed some decent pressure on the QB, forcing three turnovers. Eric Weddle led the way with six solo tackles, Gilchrist had five solo stops, not to mention the game-saving interception, while Andrew Gachkar had three solo stops and returned one of the Hill fumbles for 13 yards and a third quarter touchdown.
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on aExaminer.com.
