San Diego Chargers performance report – NFL Special Part 1
San Diego Chargers are tied on top of the American Football Conference (AFC) West alongside Denver Broncos as they prepare themselves to return to field in Week 8 after going through bye week.
In this special report, we will look into Chargers’ performance in the first seven weeks of the 2012 season.
Even though Chargers got to a winning start to the season, they struggled against quality opponents which led to immense criticism. The offence has been blamed for giving away lots of turnovers.
Week 1: Oakland Raiders
It was a game where Oakland Raiders made too many mistakes that led to opportunities for Chargers to win by 22-14.
Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding scored five field goals in the game and helped the offence which failed to deliver good performance.
Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 24 out of 33 passes for 231 yards and scored the only touchdown of the game for Chargers.
Chargers offence managed to run well despite playing without their star running back Ryan Mathews, who missed the game due to an injury he had received in the preseason.
Tight end Antonio Gates had a good start to the season as he received four passes for 43 yards.
Chargers defence did not have much problem in stopping Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer and his young receiving corp.
Also, the Raiders special teams looked miserable in absence of Pro Bowl kicker Jon Condo. He was replaced by snapper Travis Goethel who fumbled twice during the game.
Week 2: Tennessee Titans
Chargers extended their winning start to two games with a 38-10 thrashing of Tennessee Titans.
In absence of Gates, tight end Dante Rosario stepped up his game and gave his career-best performance. He received four passes during the game and converted three of them into touchdowns.
Wide receiver Malcolm Floyd caught six passes for 109 yards and Rivers finished with 24 of 32 for 284 yards.
Chargers’ backup guys played an important role in the team’s second win of the season. Running back Jackie Battle, who was playing as backup for Mathews, scored two touchdowns in the final quarter to take the game away from Titans.
The defence was able to limit the output of Titans quarterback Jake Locker, who failed to score even a single touchdown in the game.
Week 3: Atlanta Falcons
It was an eye-opening game for Chargers as they were thrashed 3-27 by Atlanta Falcons. Philip Rivers had one of the worst games of his career as he was intercepted twice and was also sacked once.
Mathews played his first game of the season and although he started the game very well, he fumbled the ball later.
Kicker Nate Kaeding’s field goal in the third quarter was the only scoring play Chargers had in the entire game. Chargers gave away too many turnovers which led to their misery in this game.
Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud got two interceptions and recovered a fumble which led to a touchdown. Quarterback Matt Ryan scored three touchdowns for Falcons and covered 275 passing yards.
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