Seahawks @ Chargers

[BC 331]

(1-0) @ (0-1)

 

Week 2 | 1pmPST 4pmET

 

 

 

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

One week into the season, they remain the envy of the NFLafter a dominant victory over the promising Green Bay Packers. This week the Seattle Seahawks head to San Diego to take on a Chargers team that has been touted by some, such as Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz, as a Super Bowl contender (via ESPN Insider, subscription required).

The Seahawks have the opportunity to the season 2-0 in a division with two other 1-0 teams. Seattle heads into the game as the favorite up to 6.5 over San Diego, per Odds Shark. San Diego played theArizona Cardinals, but mistakes cost them the game.

On Defense...

The Chargers held the 12th-ranked offense in 2013 to 18 points, but they struggled offensively with keeping Philip Rivers upright. Rivers has a wealth of weapons at his disposal in Keenan Allen, Malcolm Floyd, Eddie Royal, Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green.

Notwithstanding, it was clear toward the end of the game that Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was willing to bet his guys could get to Rivers before Rivers could find a receiver. The gamble worked to perfection, even though they didn't record a single sack in the game.

While Bowles sent several five- and six-man blitzes to challenge Rivers, the Seahawks were able to pick up all three of their sacks rushing just four. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn sent an extra pass-rusher just three times against the Packers, according to Pro Football Focus(subscription required).

The Seahawks defensive-line rotation will need to generate consistent push to force the not-so-fleet-of-foot Rivers to move around in the pocket. The Chargers offensive line combined for a score of minus-25, per Pro Football Focus last season, so it is susceptible to being beaten.

USA TODAY Sports

Seattle will need to get in Rivers' face with four pass-rushers and force him to throw into last season's top pass defense.

An interesting stat fromESPN.com's Eric D. Williams: The Chargers went 9-2 last season when they rushed for 112 yards or more. The Seahawks came out and stopped Green Bay on the ground in Week 1, holding Eddie Lacy to 34 yards on 12 carries. The Packers finished the game with 80 yards on the ground.

Though they struggled against the Cardinals on Monday night, the Chargers will come out and try to establish the run early against Seattle. Do not expect the Chargers to avoid Richard Sherman's side of the field the way Aaron Rodgers did. Despite Green Bay's superior weapons, Rivers is bit more of a risk-taker.

On Offense...

What the Seahawks do best is run the football. The offensive line may not be the best at holding back opposing defenses trying to sack Russell Wilson, but they are very adept at opening running lanes. Seattle managed to blow out the high-flying Packers while throwing for just 191 yards.

One of Marshawn Lynch's greatest strengths is his ability to break tackles or make defenders miss. Last season, Lynch led the league in missed tackles with 75, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Adrian Peterson came in second with 58. After one game, Lynch already has eight missed tackles.

Lynch's ability to break tackles often results in setting the Seahawks up for success with better down and distances on second and third down. The Chargers allowed Arizona to rush for 109 yards last week, including 29 from Carson Palmer.

Wilson is going to be an absolute handful for the Chargers defense if it is not able to create some better containment of the quarterback. The Seahawks rushed for 207 yards against Green Bay, led by Lynch's 110 yards but aided by the voluminous use of a healthy Percy Harvin.

 

 

The Chargers seemed to not dismantle the O-line of the Cardinals too much so we shouldn't have too much of a problem rushing for more yards. They key to beating the Seahawks is to have a really strong run game showing and really run more than you pass on us, as well as have really quick D-ends that can take away Wilson's running lanes. I think our offense will be rather simple, and San Diego will attempt to move the ball on us through the air more which will inevitably lead to 3 & outs. The Chargers might hang around for a while but in the end 29-16 Seahawks.

Also, Jeron Johnson will be a new starter on defense replacing slot/nickel CB Jeremy Lane. Not sure what to expect there. That could be something to watch.

OUT: Christine Michael, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Jeremy Lane

Edited September 13, 2014 by BC

[Cherry 1,302]

Bro... Don't fuck with Vin on that game day posts.

[blotsfan 2,112]

I picked Seattle to win but I could definitely see San Diego pulling off the upset.

[KempBolt 498]

2013 week one, Chargers cough up a 4th Q league against the Houston Texans in the second game of MNF.

 

2013 week two, Chargers beat the Eagles in Philly as big time road dogs in a game no one picked them to win.

 

2014 week one was on script. Will week two be as well?

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

I'd be more worried if this game was in the middle of the season. It's too early to be a trap game.

 

The biggest match up will be Attaochu and Okung IMO. I loved Attaochu coming out as his burst off the line was eye popping in college. One of the best I'd seen since Von Miller and better than Vic Beasley. He was my expected choice for Seattle at #32 overall. It looks like he's progressing nicely with the other aspects of his game. I am definitely envious that SD picked up what looks like the best pass rusher in the 2014 draft. Okung is still rounding to form and had some dominant plays against Matthews/Peppers and some poor plays.

 

I expect Britt to completely neutralize Ingram in a similar fashion to what he did in the preseason. I did a play analysis for Britt on his first two preseason games expecting to see the same struggling rookie I saw in TC, and about halfway through the 2nd quarter of the SD game in my notes I jotted down, "Ingram is either complete garbage or Britt is going to be an unmitigated success". Thus far, Britt has been absolutely wonderful and his play in week 1 against Peppers/Matthews was absolutely fantastic.

 

It's a road game, and while conventional wisdom says Seattle isn't as good of a team on the road, the fact is no team is as good on the road. And Seattle still managed to tie for the best road record in the league last year. So that ship has most definitely sailed. It's funny that people still consider this a weakness for the team. If you're clinging on to that misconception at this point -- well I wouldn't put your money where your mouth is.

 

Seattle has a ton of speed on offense. Far more than Arizona. SD doesn't have the speed to match pretty much at every position defensively maybe except Verrett. Their LBs are very slow afoot and also seem slow at diagnosing plays and that's going to be a huge issue since Seattle puts a lot of stress on the LBs with their misdirection. I want to like Weddle -- lots of people do. But I watch him and I don't see him even cracking our 2 deep roster at safety. He looks like a small SS playing FS. Maybe it's the smaller sample size of having watched him. But what I have seen of him I don't see a player who is going to be effective against the power of Lynch or the speed of Baldwin/Richardson/Harvin.

 

The Chargers have great TE receiving options with Green and Gates. But Seattle is one of the best teams at neutralizing the TE. And they do it with their base LBs/SS. So I wouldn't expect a whole lot out of those two this week.

 

I don't anticipate Seattle blitzing much. They were the most reluctant team to blitz in the league last year. This bodes well for SD if that continues, as they struggled mightily against the Cardinals sell out blitz happy scheme. This should mitigate the impact of losing Hardwick for the year. Our interior pass rush at DT is not what it was last year having lost McDonald in the middle. SD's tackles, particularly Fluker, has shown impressive quality and growth. Seattle could well have difficulty getting pressure with our ends in a 4 man rush. This concerns me greatly, because Rivers is a world beater if he can stand in a clean pocket. He's like a much better version of Marc Bulger. With no pressure -- Rivers can pin 30 on any defense. But Seattle is also the most versatile defense in the league. This looks like a perfect opportunity for them to game plan a deviation from their norm and attack an opponent's positional weakness. It bears watching as the game unfolds.

 

It's too early to hope for a letdown in focus for Seattle. They are still laser locked on winning each week. This team has far too much poise to allow for a fast home team start to affect them. They will absorb the emotional fast start, go on a run, and allow the Chargers to wilt in response.

 

27

17

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

Yeah I got the 'Hawks.

 

30

17

[theMileHighGuy 656]

I would definitely pick the Chargers for the upset if this was a November/December game and the Chargers needed to win to stay in the playoff hunt. There is still a chance though, I think the bolts are a better team than Green Bay was last week.

 

- 24

- 21

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Chargers win because Seattle sucks on the road

 

Not even gonna be close boys

 

30

10

Edited September 14, 2014 by ATL

[Cherry 1,302]

27

17

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Seahawks declared RB Christine Michael, WR Jordan Norwood, CB Tharold Simon, TE Cooper Helfet, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, DE Greg Scruggs and OT Andrew McDonald inactive for Week 2 against the Chargers.

It's nearly identical to Seattle's Week 1 list. Michael remains week to week with a hamstring injury, leaving Robert Turbin as Marshawn Lynch's clear-cut backup.

 

 

 

Antonio Gates (hamstring) is active for Week 2 against the Seahawks.

As is Keenan Allen (ribs). Both players were probable on the injury report. Inactive for the Chargers are CB Brandon Flowers, OLB Jarret Johnson, FS Jahleel Addae, RB Branden Oliver, CB Chris Davis, DL Ricardo Mathews and OG Doug Legursky. First-rounder Jason Verrett will start in Flowers' absence.

[BC 331]

The San Diego Chargers with the upset. I loved their offensive game plan of just dinking and dunking using eddie royal and antonio gates on mismatches in the middle of the field. Rivers did not turn the ball over once. Mistake-free. That and having an effective running game is how you beat us. The defense got tired chasing down Mathews, Woodhead, Gates and Royal on all of those long drives. Russell Okung seemed to have a bad game as Wilson had someone chasing him down from behind quite often. Also very weird that there was only 1 turnover in this entire game, and Marshawn Lynch was only given 6 carries. I think being a little pass-happy was the one thing I would change differently that we did.

 

Damn. Good game, Chargers. If other teams can be this efficient and mistake-free against us we may lose some games every now and then.

 

Until next time...

[KempBolt 498]

[Crash3021 101]

 

Rivers will always have the best .gifs, another good one to add to the collection.

[BJORN 679]

https://vine.co/v/OaIzdWiEF9P

 

 

Sherman....where you going?

[KempBolt 498]

Some thoughts:

 

• Rivers and Gates were absolutely nails in this game.
• We really need to get our run game going for sustained success. Seattle's run D is sort of like a tree stump surrounded by a bunch of yoked up squirrels. Mebane is an immovable object, forcing you to go sideways, but the rest of the front seven is too fast for them.
• I was impressed with the pressure we got on Wilson. Okung isn't right yet, and Britt isn't good at this point.
• Our special teams looks like it could actually be a positive this season.
• I thought that we received an extra down on Gates' first TD, but I was wrong. The TV graphic just showed 2nd and goal after our holding penalty, and it was actually still 1st.
• Was glad that the refs gave us such a bad time, because there's no loopholes here for why we really shouldn't have won.
• I would like to warmly thank Bobby Wagner for stoking the fire in Rivers' belly, and Bruce Irvin for being very unintelligent.

Edited September 15, 2014 by KempBolt

[Attyla the Hawk 197]

Seattle did exactly as I feared they would do. Maybe hubris got the better of Quinn, but they rushed almost exclusively their front 4 the entire first half. Rivers with time = money. And if you let him get rolling, it's nearly impossible to stop. Get to him early and force him out of rhythm and he will make mistakes.

 

They blitzed aggressively in the second half and had much better results. But the Chargers' defense was up to the task and held on to a late charge.

 

Our tackles struggled in this game in pass pro. Kudos to SD to exploit that. Seattle really deviated from their bread and butter running game. I didn't feel like the Chargers stopped Lynch much at all. But we intentionally shelved him needlessly. Maybe it was a function of the heat that affected the game plan.

 

On the road, the turnover battle is critical and Seattle lost that one. Seattle also didn't play effectively smart. Irvin's boneheaded penalty on what would have been a forced punt immediately springs to mind. When mounting a comeback on the road, you have to get off the field on defense. SD to their credit turned that mistake into the points differential that forced our hands offensively.

 

Gates had one of those ridiculous games that he is still capable of throwing down. Very impressed with his effort in the game. I didn't feel like we did particularly poorly covering him. He just made great plays catching tough passes and running sick routes. Could be his best game of the entire season.

 

Ultimately -- I felt like we lost the game by the combination of defensive and offensive game plans. I've been at odds with the concept of 'We do what we do and force others to adjust to us' defensive mentality. Seattle's defense is very flexible and IMO should game plan to opponents' weaknesses. Rivers in particular struggles when blitzed, which is counter to the maxim that you blitz rookies and cover vets. Our pass rush is clearly not what it was last year with the losses of Clemons and McDonald in our base 4. We should have tailored a defense to force Rivers' hand and we didn't until too late.

 

Offensively, Seattle shouldn't abandon the run when it's working. Although this is a minor issue. Seattle put up 21 points on the road despite losing the TOP and turnover battle decisively.

 

IMO, it was a defensive failing that centered around what I deem an arrogant premise that we don't need to do anything special to stop opponents. I mentioned before the season I felt like this defense was going to take a step back toward the mean. I'm hopeful this game serves as a wake up call that they are not talented enough to merely do what they did last season -- but to take advantage of their flexibility and exploit opponents' weaknesses week to week.

[Dutch 874]

This was a good game and congrats to the Chargers. Rivers carved up in the league and it really came down to precision passing. Rivers was out there throwing some perfectly placed balls that simply couldn't be defended. However, I look at a game like this and I believe it reinforces what I've been saying. In this game, the Seahawks deviated from the run game only attempting 13 runs the entire game (even though it was working) and they primarily relied on Russell Wilson to move the ball. Furthermore, the Seahawks defense didn't have control of the game, dominating like they usually do. They lost the lead but it was far from insurmountable .

 

This is the perfect scenario for relying on your QB's arm or legs to bring your team back into the game and it just didn't happen. The scenario where elite QB's shine and make plays. Wilson had the workload of a conventional QB; not having the lead, running game not a factor, and being relied on to win the game; not just maintain it or manage it (and I'm not saying he's just a game manager), but to win it. This was a very winnable game. The Seahawks had a costly penalty with Bruce Irvin but the Hawks were also handed a TD with Percy Harvin's run who clearly stepped out of bounds. All of that is fine but none of that matters because Wilson had the ball last, in his hands in the 4th quarter with 2 minutes left and could have have closed out the game. That was the moment. He was in complete control and could have dictated the outcome of that game with a scoring drive in a one possession game. Those are the moments that make elite QB's what they are. Not simply just being smart with the ball and making a good plays while your defense holds the opponent to less than 20 points and your run game is carrying your offense.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Dutch

[KempBolt 498]

This was a good game and congrats to the Chargers. Rivers carved up in the league and it really came down to precision passing. Rivers was out there throwing some perfectly placed balls that simply couldn't be defended. However, I look at a game like this and I believe it reinforces what I've been saying. In this game, the Seahawks deviated from the run game only attempting 13 runs the entire game (even though it was working) and they primarily relied on Russell Wilson to move the ball. Furthermore, the Seahawks defense didn't have control of the game, dominating like they usually do. They lost the lead but it was far from insurmountable .

 

This is the perfect scenario for relying on your QB's arm or legs to bring your team back into the game and it just didn't happen. The scenario where elite QB's shine and make plays. Wilson had the workload of a conventional QB; not having the lead, running game not a factor, and being relied on to win the game; not just maintain it or manage it (and I'm not saying he's just a game manager), but to win it. This was a very winnable game. The Seahawks had a costly penalty with Bruce Irvin but the Hawks were also handed a TD with Percy Harvin's run who clearly stepped out of bounds. All of that is fine but none of that matters because Wilson had the ball last, in his hands in the 4th quarter with 2 minutes left and could have. That was the moment. He was in complete control and could have dictated the outcome of that game with a scoring drive in a one possession game. Those are the moments that make elite QB's what they are. Not simply just being smart with the ball and making a good plays while your defense holds the opponent to less than 20 points and your run game is carrying your offense. Wilson, a very good QB but not elite. Not yet.

 

In defense of Wilson, our coverage is much tighter this year and he was running for his life much of the time. I was surprised that they didn't give Lynch the ball more, but then again we possessed the ball for 42 minutes. Hard to give anybody enough work when you hardly ever have the ball.

[Dutch 874]

 

In defense of Wilson, our coverage is much tighter this year and he was running for his life much of the time. I was surprised that they didn't give Lynch the ball more, but then again we possessed the ball for 42 minutes. Hard to give anybody enough work when you hardly ever have the ball.

 

So he had to play against a solid defense? Yes, the Chargers was getting pressure for majority of the game but none of that matters on the last drive to win the game.

[KempBolt 498]

 

So he had to play against a solid defense? Yes, the Chargers was getting pressure for majority of the game but none of that matters on the last drive to win the game.

 

I think there's a difference between playing a solid defense, and getting no protection. Rivers ripped up a great defense because our line gave him the chance to do so. On a lot of plays, I didn't think Wilson had much of a chance. And he still had a decent game.

 

I'd compare it to Rivers in week one. He had interior pressure in his face all game and his receivers kept dropping balls. So when he didn't pull out a game winning drive, the Charger fan tantrum brigade started throwing him under the bus for not being clutch. Next week, he has a pocket and dudes catch passes and suddenly he's hall of fame bound.

[KempBolt 498]

Ok so I have a lot of respect for the Seahawks fans on here, and many others that I've met. But a friend of mine was at the game yesterday, and polled 20 of the "twelves" that were tailgating in SD. He asked them two questions:

 

-Who was your starting QB who took you to the Super Bowl in 2005?

-What is the name of your starting left tackle?

 

20/20 didn't know the answer to either question. Safe to say the fan base has been adding some noobs en masse recently.

[Dutch 874]

 

I think there's a difference between playing a solid defense, and getting no protection. Rivers ripped up a great defense because our line gave him the chance to do so. On a lot of plays, I didn't think Wilson had much of a chance. And he still had a decent game.

 

I'd compare it to Rivers in week one. He had interior pressure in his face all game and his receivers kept dropping balls. So when he didn't pull out a game winning drive, the Charger fan tantrum brigade started throwing him under the bus for not being clutch. Next week, he has a pocket and dudes catch passes and suddenly he's hall of fame bound.

 

I understand that. But in a one possession game in the 4th quarter with 2 minutes left, everything that happened in the game prior to that does not matter because the game can be won during that moment. There were plays to be made during that last drive.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Dutch

[KempBolt 498]

 

 

I understand that. But in a one possession game in the 4th quarter with 2 minutes left, everything that happened in the game prior to that does not matter because the game can be won during that moment. There were plays to be made during that last drive.

 

 

I am one who disagrees with that premise. If an offensive line or receiving corps craps the bed for 55 minutes, but somehow the team stays in the game and the QB doesn't get it done on one last drive, I don't think it's all on him and you just write off everything that happened up to that point. Or vice versa with a QB playing terrible right up until the last drive behind great protection, and then the line lapses at the end. What you do throughout the game matters. The best QB's in this league are still hit and miss when it comes to making that last key drive to win it. The rest of the offense should share the blame if they've played poorly enough to put the team in that position.

 

Again, using Chargers week one as an example-- Rivers stood in a messy pocket and delivered catchable balls all night. Receivers dropped passes, or defenders got their hands on balls at the LOS and we didn't do nearly as much damage as we should have with the way Phil was playing. He still had a chance to drive and seal it at the end, and he didn't get it done. A lot of fans wanted to pin the whole thing on him, and frankly that pissed me off. The whole offense put him in a position to have to drive in obvious passing situations against a good defense in a hostile environment. If they had done their job, Rivers would have already done more than enough to win. I'm not going to say their shortcomings don't matter just because we had that late possession in a close game.

[Dutch 874]

 

I am one who disagrees with that premise. If an offensive line or receiving corps craps the bed for 55 minutes, but somehow the team stays in the game and the QB doesn't get it done on one last drive, I don't think it's all on him and you just write off everything that happened up to that point. Or vice versa with a QB playing terrible right up until the last drive behind great protection, and then the line lapses at the end. What you do throughout the game matters. The best QB's in this league are still hit and miss when it comes to making that last key drive to win it. The rest of the offense should share the blame if they've played poorly enough to put the team in that position.

 

Again, using Chargers week one as an example-- Rivers stood in a messy pocket and delivered catchable balls all night. Receivers dropped passes, or defenders got their hands on balls at the LOS and we didn't do nearly as much damage as we should have with the way Phil was playing. He still had a chance to drive and seal it at the end, and he didn't get it done. A lot of fans wanted to pin the whole thing on him, and frankly that pissed me off. The whole offense put him in a position to have to drive in obvious passing situations against a good defense in a hostile environment. If they had done their job, Rivers would have already done more than enough to win. I'm not going to say their shortcomings don't matter just because we had that late possession in a close game.

 

Well, we see things differently. While I'm not saying it's Wilson's fault that the Seahawks lost, (because it's not) the game could have been won on that last drive regardless of what happened prior. When there is a window, an opportunity to win, nothing else that happened before dictates that moment. You either take it or you don't and I believe that's the bottom line. I'm not saying that this game undoubtedly proves that he's not an elite QB. It's just these key situations that elite QB's win; that makes you elite. Seldom Wilson is every in those situations because of how great his team is but didn't answer the bell.

[KempBolt 498]

 

Well, we see things differently. While I'm not saying it's Wilson's fault that the Seahawks lost, (because it's not) the game could have been won on that last drive regardless of what happened prior. When there is a window, an opportunity to win, nothing else that happened before dictates that moment. You either take it or you don't and I believe that's the bottom line. I'm not saying that this game undoubtedly proves that he's not an elite QB. It's just these key situations that elite QB's win; that makes you elite. Seldom Wilson is every in those situations because of how great his team is but didn't answer the bell.

 

I don't see the difference between the windows to win throughout a game, and the window that presents itself at the end. If a QB leaps through 7 windows by playing well in minutes 1-55 to give his team a chance, but not that last one, I think it's crazy to say nothing he did matters up to that point. All the points count. I guess if a guy always fails late you can say he doesn't have the nerves to come through, but I certainly don't think that's the case with Wilson. Or most good QB's.