Chargers at 49ers : Who To Watch For

Three Players To Watch Saturday In San Francisco

Remember that scene from the movie Speed when Keanu Reeves goes under the bus to see if he can get a closer look at the bomb that Dennis Hopper rigged up, but something goes awry, so to keep from getting run over he sticks an ice pick in the gas tank, then when he gets back on the bus the other passengers say he smells like gas, so he says they’re leaking gas, and Sandra Bullock says, “What, you thought you needed another challenge or something?”

Remember that?

That’s the Chargers right now.

As if they didn’t have enough problems with injuries, plus two road games against teams with winning records, both of which they have to win to have even a chance at a playoff spot … now they’re handicapping their recently punchless offense even more.

Ryan Mathews (ankle) and Keenan Allen (shoulder) are both out of Saturday night’s game against the 49ers in Santa Clara. That means 24-percent of their receiving yards and 60-percent of their rushing touchdowns are unavailable. The Bolts have gotten used to not having Mathews, but they also can’t hide how much better they are with him on the field.

The Chargers are 4-2 in games Mathews starts (4-4 without him). That record would be better if we could find a stat for games he finishes. San Diego looked at least somewhat effective with Mathews against the Patriots. But, when he got hurt and missed the second half, the Bolts did not score again.

They only mustered 10 points the following week against the Broncos without Mathews. Keep in mind, this group rolled up 34 points (21 in the fourth quarter) against the Ravens just three weeks ago, the last time Ryan got a carry in the final 15 minutes.

Without an effective running game, or even the threat of one, quarterback Philip Rivers has had to pick up far too much of the slack, and the passing game has suffered as opposing defenses have loaded up to stop it. Now, the Chargers don’t have their leading receiver in Allen. And that brings us to this week’s players to watch.

Dontrelle Inman, WR

After breaking out in the pre-season and earning a roster spot, Inman has been active for a handful of games, seeing action on special teams, but has not had a single regular season pass thrown his way. That is going to change at Levi’s Stadium. Inman becomes the 4th wideout, behind Malcom Floyd, Eddie Royal and Seyi Ajirotutu. During his two seasons in the CFL, Inman flashed big-play ability. He showed that again with a long TD catch against Dallas back in August. Now the Chargers need him to put it on the field during the playoff hunt.

Donald Brown, RB

Brown will likely get the start with Mathews out (although Branden Oliver could be the guy if the Chargers like that matchup better). Brown is only averaging 2.4 yards per carry this season, but he looked at least serviceable with a couple of nice plays against Denver. I look back at the Bills game, when Danny Woodhead got hurt and Brown came in to rush 31 times. He only had 62 yards, but it was early in the season and Buffalo had to treat his presence as if it was a threat. That’s what the Chargers need. If Brown can pull off just a couple of decent gains early in the game and force the 49ers to account for the run, Rivers will have the passing game open up exponentially.

Manti Te’o, LB

Donald Butler is out for the season with an elbow injury, so it’ll be Te’o and Kavell Conner in the middle of the Chargers defense. Te’o had his first NFL interception two weeks ago against Tom Brady and has played well lately. With Butler gone, Manti will handle the defensive play calls and have a big hand in keeping Colin Kaepernick from running around like crazy. The 49ers quarterback’s passing ability has regressed dramatically in 2014, but he’s still a dangerous runner when plays break down. Te’o will probably be one of the first guys to have a shot at him. A missed tackle will very likely mean a big play allowed.

Derek’s Prediction

The 49ers are a complete disaster. Their head coach is looking at other jobs, and the players are picking up on the dysfunction. They also have even more guys injured than the Chargers do. If the Bolts can’t win this game, they don’t deserve to go to the playoffs anyway.

So, it’s a good thing they’ll win.

Final score: Chargers 23, 49ers 13

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