Supercharged | Pt. II (2018-): The Return of the L.A. Chargers

[weddlesbeard]

Chapter One (2018): Preseason Week 3

Glenn Ponder shows off his strong arm, launching a 29-yard touchdown dart off his back foot.

In Championship Form
Chargers' defense flexes muscles in win over Vikings

AP - Last season, the Chargers rode their powerful defense all the way to a Superbowl title. Now, as the 2018 season inches closer, that defense already looks primed to lead another championship run. The Chargers' defense - both the first- and second-teams - held the Minnesota Vikings to only two field goals in a 30-6 win.

While the defense deserves the credit for the win that pushed the Bolts to 3-0 on the preseason, they did get some help, particularly from an awful offensive performance by the Vikings. With Adrian Peterson in the game, they were not bad: Peterson carried the ball six times on an opening drive that resulted in a field goal. But once their star back took a seat, the Vikings failed to get another first down until late in the third quarter. Rookie quarterback Gordon Durham and former first-round pick Blake Bortles both struggled mightly, while backup running back Ka'Deem Carey could not find any room to run. The Vikes had only 73 yards of offense entering the final quarter.

Meanwhile, the Chargers' defense also got help from a typical Mike McCoy offensive performance: methodical, efficient and clock-owning. Sophomore quarterback Glenn Ponder played the entire first half and easily played his best game of the preseason. Ponder finally showed glimpses of why the Bolts spent a first-round pick on the former UCLA Bruin and believe he can eventually take the reins from Philip Rivers. Ponder showed poise in the pocket, and displayed his arm strength and his big body, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third to lead the Chargers to a 24-3 halftime lead.

The second half was much of the same. While Bortles was able to muster some offense in the fourth quarter, the Vikings still only managed three more points. And while neither T.J. Yates and Deshawn Todd impressed at quarterback for the Chargers, they rode a powerful running game led by Cecil Faulk and preseason sensation Darrick Gonzalez to milk the clock.

The win, however, did come at a price for the Chargers. Second-year running back Ronell Haynes left the game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury. Haynes, who struggled in his rookie year, seemed primed for a breakout campaign and was battling Faulk and Gonzalez for touches behind Eddie Lacy. The 2017 third-round pick will undergo s-rays tomorrow and his status will be updated.

Minnesota Vikings at L.A. Chargers
Aug 21, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (1-2)	3	0	0	3	-	6
L.A. Chargers (3-0)	3	21	3	3	-	30

Team Stats Comparison
	MIN	LA
Total Offense	217	473
Rushing Yards	72	180
Passing Yards	145	293
First Downs	12	24
Punt Return Yards	8	6
Kick Return Yards	66	46
Total Yards	291	525
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	2/13	11/16
4th Down Conversion	0/0	1/1
2-Point Conversion	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0-2	2-3
Penalties	5-40	3-24
Posession Time	24:28	35:32

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	LA
8:24	(MIN) D. Hopkins 25 yard field goal	3	0
1:06	(LA) H. Ryan 22 yard field goal	3	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	LA
8:06	(LA) D. Mason 29 yard pass from G. Ponder (H. Ryan kick)	3	10
5:34	(LA) R. Nixon 8 yard pass from G. Ponder (H. Ryan kick)	3	17
0:04	(LA) G. Ponder 1 yard run (H. Ryan kick)	3	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	LA
9:35	(LA) H. Ryan 23 yard field goal	3	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	LA
7:06	(MIN) D. Hopkins 18 yard field goal	6	27
2:33	(LA) H. Ryan 31 yard field goal	6	30

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Blake Bortles 8/16 135 0 0 Gordon Durham (R) 3/5 37 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Adrian Peterson 8 36 4.5 0 Ka'Deem Carey 8 24 3.0 0 Blake Bortles 4 10 2.5 0 Neiron Burch (R) 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cedric Briggs (R) 3 42 14.0 0 Ka'Deem Carey 3 34 11.3 0 Adrian Peterson 1 32 32.0 0 Dietric Clarke 1 27 27.0 0 Scott Chandler 2 21 10.5 0 Danny Amendola 1 16 16.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jelan Shipley 8 0.0 0 0 Isikeli Baxter 7 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dustin Hopkins 2/2 0/0 6 25

L.A. Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Glenn Ponder 15/24 177 2 0 T.J. Yates 6/12 67 0 0 Deshawn Todd (R) 4/8 49 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darrick Gonzalez (R) 16 70 4.4 0 Cecil Faulk 8 43 5.4 0 Ronell Haynes 5 38 7.6 0 Eddie Lacy 3 14 4.7 0 Deshawn Todd (R) 2 13 6.5 0 Glenn Ponder 1 1 1.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cecil Shorts III 6 82 13.7 0 Jacoby Trammell 5 74 14.8 0 Justice Carter (R) 3 49 16.3 0 DeAndre Mason 3 42 14.0 1 Romel Nixon (R) 2 15 7.5 1 Darrick Gonzalez (R) 2 13 6.5 0 Ronell Haynes 2 9 4.5 0 Keenan Allen 1 5 5.0 0 Monte Landry 1 4 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Manti Te'o 7 0.0 0 0 Dex Hawkins 5 3.0 0 0 Sanchez Porter 4 1.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Henry Ryan 3/3 3/3 12 31

[weddlesbeard]

[johnstone1987]

Nice to see Ponder really getting a groove.

[weddlesbeard]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnstone1987

Nice to see Ponder really getting a groove.

Agreed. That was the rationale with leaving him in for a full half this time, and it seemed to pay off. I'd still like his completion percentage to be higher, but maybe I'm just accustomed to playing with Rivers and completing 7 of 10 throws. But that will come with time, hopefully.

Thanks for checking in.

[johnstone1987]

Quote: Originally Posted by weddlesbeard

7 of 10 throws. But that will come with time, hopefully. Thanks for checking in.

Just gotta give him time and he'll grow.

[weddlesbeard]

Chapter One (2018): Preseason Week 4

Colin Kaepernick breaks the contain of Jerry Attaochu and outruns Eric Weddle for a 60-yard first quarter touchdown run.

A Small Consolation
49ers' close out perfect preseason with win in Superbowl rematch

AP - Obviously, the San Francisco 49ers would have preferred a Superbowl win. They will still, however, happily take the small piece of vengeance: a thrilling 30-27 win over the L.A. Chargers in the preseason finale. Shaun Suisham kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to push the 49ers to 4-0 in the preseason.

In a match of two of the NFL's best defenses, the Chargers and 49ers combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense.

Though the final score was close, the 49ers will come away from this preseason match knowing their starters dominated the Chargers' first team. Reigning MVP Philip Rivers, in his first preseason action, looked rusty and tentative. Excluding a broken-coverage 59-yard completion to tight end Jacoby Trammell, Rivers only completed four of eight throws for 18 yards.

His counterpart, Colin Kaepernick, put on a first-quarter show for the San Francisco faithful. After throwing a pick on his first pass attempt, Kaepernick responded with an electrifying 60-yard touchdown run and a 42-yard touchdown bomb to Michael Crabtree. Kaepernick and the 49ers' starting offense was nearly untouchable, gaining 200 yards of offense in the first quarter en route to a 14-0 lead.

The Chargers' settled in, however, getting good quarterback play from Glenn Ponder and T.J. Yates and getting a lot of help from untimely 49er penalties. The Chargers even led 24-20 as the fourth quarter opened. But an ill-timed interception from Yates led to a Colt McCoy to Vernon Davis go-ahead touchdown. And though Yates recovered and led a game-tying drive, the 49ers made the last possession count, milking the clock and booting the winning field goal as the clock hit zero.

After the exciting finish to the preseason, both teams gear up for the regular season, both hoping to return to the Superbowl. The Chargers and 49ers will meet again this season, and given the talent they each field, could even run into each other a third time in the Superbowl. Based on the thrill-level of their preseason game, would that be such a bad thing?

L.A. Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
Aug 27, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
L.A. Chargers (3-1)	0	17	7	3	-	27
San Francisco 49ers (4-0)	14	3	3	10	-	30

Team Stats Comparison
	LA	SFO
Total Offense	436	502
Rushing Yards	94	182
Passing Yards	342	320
First Downs	23	22
Punt Return Yards	3	9
Kick Return Yards	100	40
Total Yards	539	551
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	7/13	4/9
4th Down Conversion	0/0	0/0
2-Point Conversion	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-2	0-3
Penalties	5-60	5-54
Posession Time	34:20	25:40

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		LA	SFO
8:45	(SFO) C. Kaepernick 60 yard run (S. Suisham kick)	0	7
2:24	(SFO) M. Crabtree 42 yard pass from C. Kaepernick (S. Suisham kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LA	SFO
14:14	(LA) J. Carter 4 yard pass from G. Ponder (H. Ryan kick)	7	14
10:36	(LA) H. Ryan 25 yard field goal	10	14
1:13	(LA) R. Nixon 6 yard pass from G. Ponder (H. Ryan kick)	17	14
0:00	(SFO) S. Suisham 32 yard field goal	17	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LA	SFO
9:36	(LA) C. Shorts III 14 yard pass from T. Yates (H. Ryan kick)	24	17
4:48	(SFO) S. Suisham 27 yard field goal	24	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LA	SFO
8:44	(SFO) V. Davis 30 yard pass from C. McCoy (S. Suisham kick)	24	27
4:14	(LA) H. Ryan 35 yard field goal	27	27
0:00	(SFO) S. Suisham 37 yard field goal	27	30

L.A. Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T.J. Yates 16/25 201 1 1 Philip Rivers 5/9 77 0 0 Glenn Ponder 7/10 73 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cecil Faulk 9 35 3.8 0 Darrick Gonzalez (R) 13 30 2.3 0 Eddie Lacy 5 29 5.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Romel Nixon (R) 5 80 16.0 1 Justice Carter (R) 6 77 12.8 1 Jacoby Trammell 2 70 35.0 0 Dontravious Bruton 2 34 17.0 0 Cecil Shorts III 2 33 16.5 1 DeAndre Mason 3 26 8.6 0 Darrick Gonzalez (R) 3 12 4.0 0 Kameron Agurs 1 8 8.0 0 Keenan Allen 2 7 3.5 0 Mason Landry 1 4 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Manti Te'o 8 0.0 0 0 Dex Hawkins 2 1.0 0 0 Charly Ford 2 1.0 0 0 Corey Liuget 2 1.0 0 0 Stanley Bell 1 0.0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Henry Ryan 2/2 3/3 9 35

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Colt McCoy 14/23 206 1 0 Colin Kaepernick 5/6 113 1 1 Alex Doughty (R) 1/2 20 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Colin Kaepernick 2 61 30.5 1 Knile Davis 12 53 4.4 0 Colt McCoy 4 37 9.2 0 Carlos Hyde 4 26 6.5 0 Delone Carter 3 5 1.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Michael Crabtree 3 73 24.3 1 Vernon Davis 3 68 22.6 1 Terrence Toliver 3 49 16.3 0 Morris Holland (R) 2 41 20.5 0 Chrishon Dixon 1 29 29.0 0 Knile Davis 4 28 7.0 0 Justin Hunter 2 23 11.5 0 Trayvon Carr (R) 1 18 18.0 0 Delone Carter 1 10 10.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD NaVarro Bowman 8 1.0 0 0 Eric Reid 4 0.0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Shaun Suisham 3/4 3/3 12 37

[weddlesbeard]

[weddlesbeard]

Los Angeles Chargers 2018 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 6	vs Denver Broncos (TNF)
Sep 16	at San Francisco 49ers
Sep 23	at Seattle Seahawks
Sep 27	vs Oakland Raiders (TNF)
Oct 8	vs Kansas City Chiefs (MNF)
Oct 14	at Oakland Raiders
Oct 21	vs Bye Week
Oct 28	at Baltimore Ravens
Nov 4	vs New England Patriots
Nov 12	at Cleveland Browns (MNF)
Nov 18	vs St. Louis Rams
Nov 25	at Kansas City Chiefs
Dec 2	vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Dec 9	vs Arizona Cardinals
Dec 16	vs Cincinnati Bengals
Dec 23	at Tennessee Titans
Dec 30	at Denver Broncos

Analysis: The Chargers' title defense begins and ends with a bang. The Bolts start the year with three tough games, first kicking off the 2018 season against their biggest AFC West rival before heading on the road for a Week 2 Superbowl rematch and a Week 3 trip to the Pacific Northwest and the 12th man. To finish the season, the Chargers again have back-to-back tough road games: an AFC Championship rematch in Tennessee before heading to Mile High to take on the Broncos. While those five games could make or break the Chargers' season, the biggest circle on everyone's calendar comes in Week 13 when Peyton Manning and the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town.