Halfway through the season, the Chargers are 5-and-3, and in pretty good company in the A-F-C.
“There’s a big pack of us now with three losses,” said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. “We’ve been in worse positions, for sure. I think we’re in a great spot right now. We just need to stay there.”
That will not be easy. The Dolphins are one of those 3-loss teams (along with Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland and Indianapolis, which equals exactly half the conference). Last year they beat the Chargers in Miami and were in playoff contention right up until the last two games of the year, when they lost to a pair of teams with losing records and allowed the Chargers to take their spot in the post-season.
The Bolts have lost two straight games, to two good teams. Getting back in the win column against a quality opponent would not just be a benefit. It might be a necessity.
“Losing is contagious,” said Chargers safety Eric Weddle. “You don’t want to be accepting losing. Losing is not a part of me. I hate it. I despise it. I don’t want to be anywhere remotely near it.”
“We’ve gotta play the way we were playing when we were rolling,” said Rivers. “That’s what he’s referring to as being contagious is just, you start to get in this mode of, ‘Oh, no, are we gonna lose another one?’ I don’t think we’ve had that, but we need to make sure we don’t play with a lack of confidence. We’re a good team.”
Evidence of that is the fact the Bolts had a 5-game winning streak right before the recent lull, which shows us that, if losing is contagious, the opposite is also true.
“Winning is contagious, too,” said Rivers. “Contagious from a mind-set, from a feeling, it’s emotional, just a feel. When we were winning those five in a row, as y’all walked in the locker room it was kind of like, these guys can’t be stopped right now. It has a feel to it.”
Plus, it’s not like a team is incapable of getting its mojo back mid-season.
“I think about New England,” said Rivers, “going to Kansas City and getting killed, and everybody is saying New England is done and Brady is done … they were done! Then you watch them the last two weeks and they’re playing like the best team in the league. That’s what we have to do this week is create that same energy that we’ve had, that really should not be lost because we’re a good team.”
The Chargers have not won in Miami since Ronald Reagan’s first term in the White House. It will take very good team to snap that streak. And that brings us to this week’s players to watch:
Antonio Green, TE
OK, I’m cheating on this one. Antonio Gates is in the midst of another All-Pro year, but Ladarius Green has yet to have the impact many thought he would heading in to his third NFL season. Both of the main pass-catching tight ends will need to be effective against Miami. The Dolphins have a tremendous pass rush and talented cornerbacks, so throwing to wide receivers on the outside will be difficult. But, the Phins and vulnerable in the middle of the field, and that’s where Gates and Green can do serious damage. If San Diego’s offensive line continues to struggle against elite pass rushers (Cameron Wake certainly falls in to that category), Philip Rivers will be looking for his pair of big tight ends down the middle. Oh, and the last time the Bolts played a team with a superior secondary (the Seahawks), Gates caught three touchdown passes.
Donald Butler, ILB
After signing a big contract extension in the off-season, Butler has failed to live up to expectations. His coverage has been spotty, as has his tackling. That’s not going to fly against the Dolphins, who rank 6th in the league in rushing. They don’t have a big-name, marquis running back, but they have guys who run hard and break tackles. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is not going to hurt you throwing the ball down the field (much to the dismay of speedy wide receiver Mike Wallace). He likes to hit intermediate routes and let his guys make plays. Butler MUST tackle the running backs when he has a shot at them, and keep Miami’s tight ends from being open in the middle where Tannehill can find them to prolong drives.
Donald Brown, RB
Brown returns for his first game since sustaining a concussion in a Week 5 win over the Jets. While Branden Oliver has shown the ability to break off explosive plays, and does shed tacklers when he reaches the second level of the defense, he’s just not big enough to get away from linebackers near the line of scrimmage, something that was on display far too often against the Broncos in Denver. Although his yards-per-carry average does not show this, Brown does have the ability to get through a tackler or two. If Brown is able to average even three yards when he gets the ball, his presence will allow offensive coordinator Frank Reich to call more running plays and take more of a load off Rivers’ shoulders, getting that coveted balance on offense.
Derek’s Prediction
Getting time to heal after a nasty Thursday Night Football loss in Denver was crucial for the Chargers. They may not be getting all their starters back fully healthy, but a lot of the guys who have been dealing with nicks and sprains, those nagging little injuries, had a chance to get better. That alone will make the Chargers more effective than they’ve been the last two games.
Philip Rivers will get a boost from his running game and throw another touchdown or two to Antonio Gates. Eric Weddle will get his second interception of the season. The extra rest, plus the bye week looming, provides enough of a spark for the Chargers to snap their 31-year winless streak in South Florida.
Final score: Chargers 27, Dolphins 20
