Preview: Jets (9-7) at Chargers (13-3)
Preview: Jets (9-7) at Chargers (13-3)
Preview: Jets (9-7) at Chargers (13-3)
Date: January 17, 2010 4:40 PM EDT
Yet again, the San Diego Chargers are surging entering the postseason. They shouldn't be surprised to find a top defense in their way.
Winners of 11 straight and fresh off a bye, the Chargers find themselves in familiar circumstances in the playoffs as they host the New York Jets and their top-ranked defense in a divisional matchup Sunday afternoon.
San Diego (13-3) is the NFL's hottest team, riding a streak that gave it a fourth straight AFC West title and the conference's No. 2 seed. With Philip Rivers firmly established as one of the league's top quarterbacks, the Chargers have a good opportunity to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons.
However, this isn't new territory for San Diego. The Chargers won 10 straight entering the postseason in 2006 only to lose at home to New England in the divisional round, then won eight in a row before losing to the Patriots again the following season in the conference title game.
Last year, San Diego's four-game winning streak got it into the playoffs and it upset Indianapolis in a wild-card matchup before losing to Pittsburgh.
"We've been there before. We've been the popular pick to win the Super Bowl before and haven't," linebacker Shawne Merriman said. "Our whole mentality this year is completely different, in not looking too far ahead down the road. That's been the big key this year altogether, is not looking too far down the road."
Each of San Diego's last three playoff defeats have been against teams that were ranked in the top five in scoring defense, and it's 1-1 in such games this season. The Jets (10-7) are No. 1 in that category (14.8 points per game), first in total defense (252.3 yards a contest) and feeling confident following a 24-14 wild-card victory over Cincinnati last Saturday.
"I think they're the best defense we're going to play," running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "They do a lot of things well. But they've got the winning formula. They run the ball well and they play good defense. You look at teams throughout history that have done well, those are the teams that had that winning formula."
Tomlinson and San Diego have to hope experience will serve them well as they try to avoid the mistakes made by what were younger teams. This was Tomlinson's first sub-1,000-yard season, though, and the Chargers posted an NFL-low 3.3 yards per rush.
Still, Tomlinson has remained effective inside the 20-yard line, scoring 12 touchdowns. That, however, may be more of a product of the Chargers' potent passing game keeping defenses honest in the red zone.
Rivers ranked third in the NFL with a 104.4 passer rating, completing 65.2 percent of his attempts for 4,254 yards and 28 TDs while getting picked off nine times. He relies on a trio of big targets in Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates.
Jackson, San Diego's top wide receiver, will likely be matched up with Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis for most of this game. Revis, who finished second in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting to Green Bay's Charles Woodson, routinely plays man-to-man and has shut down several of the league's top receivers.
Revis and New York's defense complement the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack. The Jets average 172.2 yards and had 171 against a strong Bengals run defense.
Thomas Jones ran for 1,402 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season for New York, but a banged-up knee limited him to 34 yards on 15 carries against the Bengals. Rookie Shonn Greene got most of the carries, running for 135 yards.
San Diego has had trouble defending the run, allowing 117.8 yards per game. No team, though, has held the Jets to fewer yards on the ground over the past two seasons than the Chargers have.
San Diego limited New York to 41 yards rushing in a 49-29 win at home Sept. 22, 2008. Jones was held to 37 yards on 10 carries.
If the Chargers find a way to shut down the run again, they'll put rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez in a position the Jets might not be comfortable with. Sanchez threw 20 interceptions during the regular season, but he's been turnover-free over the last three weeks as New York has relied even more on its running game.
Against Cincinnati, Sanchez had perhaps the best game of his career, going 12 for 15 for 182 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 139.4, taking advantage of a defense that loaded up against the run.
"We've improved as an offense ... taking care of the football and making the right decisions, which is sometimes a conservative one and just playing smart," Sanchez said. "I have plenty of room to improve. I haven't arrived. I've still got a long way to go."
With Sanchez taking care of the ball and the running game showing no signs of slowing down, New York believes it will be tough to beat regardless of the opponent.
"We've won six out of seven and we feel pretty good about ourselves," coach Rex Ryan said. "San Diego has won 11 straight, so both teams are carrying a lot of momentum going into this game. It's just going to be who can out-execute the other."
New York won its only playoff matchup with San Diego in overtime, 20-17 on the road in a wild-card game Jan. 8, 2005.
Preview: Jets (9-7) at Chargers (13-3)
Preview: Jets (9-7) at Chargers (13-3)
Date: January 17, 2010 4:40 PM EDT
Yet again, the San Diego Chargers are surging entering the postseason. They shouldn't be surprised to find a top defense in their way.
Winners of 11 straight and fresh off a bye, the Chargers find themselves in familiar circumstances in the playoffs as they host the New York Jets and their top-ranked defense in a divisional matchup Sunday afternoon.
San Diego (13-3) is the NFL's hottest team, riding a streak that gave it a fourth straight AFC West title and the conference's No. 2 seed. With Philip Rivers firmly established as one of the league's top quarterbacks, the Chargers have a good opportunity to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 seasons.
However, this isn't new territory for San Diego. The Chargers won 10 straight entering the postseason in 2006 only to lose at home to New England in the divisional round, then won eight in a row before losing to the Patriots again the following season in the conference title game.
Last year, San Diego's four-game winning streak got it into the playoffs and it upset Indianapolis in a wild-card matchup before losing to Pittsburgh.
"We've been there before. We've been the popular pick to win the Super Bowl before and haven't," linebacker Shawne Merriman said. "Our whole mentality this year is completely different, in not looking too far ahead down the road. That's been the big key this year altogether, is not looking too far down the road."
Each of San Diego's last three playoff defeats have been against teams that were ranked in the top five in scoring defense, and it's 1-1 in such games this season. The Jets (10-7) are No. 1 in that category (14.8 points per game), first in total defense (252.3 yards a contest) and feeling confident following a 24-14 wild-card victory over Cincinnati last Saturday.
"I think they're the best defense we're going to play," running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. "They do a lot of things well. But they've got the winning formula. They run the ball well and they play good defense. You look at teams throughout history that have done well, those are the teams that had that winning formula."
Tomlinson and San Diego have to hope experience will serve them well as they try to avoid the mistakes made by what were younger teams. This was Tomlinson's first sub-1,000-yard season, though, and the Chargers posted an NFL-low 3.3 yards per rush.
Still, Tomlinson has remained effective inside the 20-yard line, scoring 12 touchdowns. That, however, may be more of a product of the Chargers' potent passing game keeping defenses honest in the red zone.
Rivers ranked third in the NFL with a 104.4 passer rating, completing 65.2 percent of his attempts for 4,254 yards and 28 TDs while getting picked off nine times. He relies on a trio of big targets in Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates.
Jackson, San Diego's top wide receiver, will likely be matched up with Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis for most of this game. Revis, who finished second in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting to Green Bay's Charles Woodson, routinely plays man-to-man and has shut down several of the league's top receivers.
Revis and New York's defense complement the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack. The Jets average 172.2 yards and had 171 against a strong Bengals run defense.
Thomas Jones ran for 1,402 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season for New York, but a banged-up knee limited him to 34 yards on 15 carries against the Bengals. Rookie Shonn Greene got most of the carries, running for 135 yards.
San Diego has had trouble defending the run, allowing 117.8 yards per game. No team, though, has held the Jets to fewer yards on the ground over the past two seasons than the Chargers have.
San Diego limited New York to 41 yards rushing in a 49-29 win at home Sept. 22, 2008. Jones was held to 37 yards on 10 carries.
If the Chargers find a way to shut down the run again, they'll put rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez in a position the Jets might not be comfortable with. Sanchez threw 20 interceptions during the regular season, but he's been turnover-free over the last three weeks as New York has relied even more on its running game.
Against Cincinnati, Sanchez had perhaps the best game of his career, going 12 for 15 for 182 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 139.4, taking advantage of a defense that loaded up against the run.
"We've improved as an offense ... taking care of the football and making the right decisions, which is sometimes a conservative one and just playing smart," Sanchez said. "I have plenty of room to improve. I haven't arrived. I've still got a long way to go."
With Sanchez taking care of the ball and the running game showing no signs of slowing down, New York believes it will be tough to beat regardless of the opponent.
"We've won six out of seven and we feel pretty good about ourselves," coach Rex Ryan said. "San Diego has won 11 straight, so both teams are carrying a lot of momentum going into this game. It's just going to be who can out-execute the other."
New York won its only playoff matchup with San Diego in overtime, 20-17 on the road in a wild-card game Jan. 8, 2005.
