The Redskin Report

The San Diego Chargers are a media darling team. Despite a rather pedestrian 6-4 record, you wouldn’t find many media reports that rank them out of the top 5. If you take away their 3-0 mark against the anemic AFC East, this is a team that has yet to earn such a lofty position. That aside this is a good team, with a very strong offense and an emerging defense.

Quarterback: In 2004, Drew Brees came from nowhere to establish himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. 2005 has been more of the same. He is an extremely accurate passer, completing over 66% of his passes. He’s passed for 2438 yards, good for 8th in the NFL. He’s turned the ball 10 times this year, with 8 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles (4 total fumbles). He’s been sacked 14 times this year, with 10 of those sacks coming in the Chargers losses. Pressure is once again going to be a big issue for the Redskins. Brees is not a runner, but does have decent mobility in the pocket. Brees really struggled in week one without Antonio Gates. Philip Rivers is the back up, with AJ Feeley also on the roster.

Running Back: LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the best backs in the NFL. His elusiveness brings back memories of Barry Sanders at times. The Redskins have had varying performances against this type of runner; shutting down Brian Westbrook and Cadillac Williams, but getting torched by Tiki Barber and Tatum Bell. Despite all his amazing moves, Tomlinson has surprisingly only had 3 runs over 20 yards. Tomlinson is also a very productive pass catcher, with 31 catches so far this year. He is 2nd in the league with 16 touchdowns (14 rushing, 2 receiving). Trick play alert: Tomlinson has passed 3 times this season with all three resulting in touchdowns. Expect fullback Lorenzo Neal to get 1 or 2 touches this week.

Receivers: Without question the top player of this group is Antonio Gates. He leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and is tied for the lead in touchdown catches. He is the best pass catching tight end in the league. The top wide receiver is veteran Keenan McCardell. McCardell, a former Redskin, has seven touchdown receptions. Eric Parker is the 2nd receiver and Reche Caldwell is the deep threat. The wide-outs are a middling group, and unless they allow Caldwell to make some deep plays, the Redskins should do fine. If Gates is unable to play Justin Peelle will get the start. Peelle has 9 receptions and 1 touchdown this year.

Offensive Line: As expected, the line ranks well as run blockers. They do very well on short yardage plays. The Chargers are most successful on runs to the right and struggle running up the middle. One other note is they do have a tendency to get stuffed behind the line of scrimmage a fair bit on run plays. In terms of pass blocking, the Chargers currently rank 12th in the league.

Defensive Front Seven: Despite the number one ranking against the run, when adjusted for opponents, the Chargers rank only 12th against the run (Redskins are #5). Rarely do they stuff runners behind the line of scrimmage. In terms of pass rush, the Chargers have on the leagues best. Shawne Merriman leads the attack with seven sacks in his rookie year. The Chargers play a 3-4 base set defense; the Redskins have faced 2 teams that play the 3-4 (Dallas and San Francisco) with varying results. The leading tackler for the Chargers is middle linebacker Donnie Edwards.

Secondary: Paging Antonio Brown and Jimmy Farris, the Chargers have struggled with 3rd and 4th wide receivers. Guys like Patrick Crayton, Tim Carter and Chris Horn have had good games against the Chargers. The Chargers have done very well against top wide receivers. Top tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Jeremy Shockey have had their way against the secondary; Chris Cooley will be a key. Terrence Kiel is the leading tackler in the secondary and Bhawoh Jue leads the team with 3 interceptions.

Special Teams: Kicker Nate Kaeding has been very good on field goals this year. His only miss this year was the blocked kick by the Eagles. On kickoffs he’s been average, and was pretty flimsy last week in Buffalo. The Punter is Mike Scifres. He is another in the line of very strong legged AFC West punters that the Redskins have seen this year. Little Darren Sproles is the return man. On kick returns he’s been very effective, while on punts, not so much.

Conclusion: It hard to believe that same coach, who led the prehistoric offense of the 2001 Washington Redskins, is the leader of the Chargers. Kudos to Schottenheimer for adjusting his scheme. This game is going to be a lot closer than most expect. The Redskins have lost 2 straight, but the losses are by a combined 4 points. The Chargers are on a three game winning streak, but the last 2 wins were against the pathetic Jets and Bills. A win here for the Redskins would be huge, but I see them falling just short.

Chargers 23 Redskins 21

On the Web: November 26, 2005

WP- Redskins Success Against Chargers is Up in the Air: Lots of injuries to receivers, need someone to step up. That’s true, but lets be honest, the injured guys weren’t exactly tearing it up.

WP- Redskins Notebook: Betts, Griffin Status still Uncertain: More injury news, and Portis on the lack of carries in the 2nd half last week.