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Week 20 Game Recap: San Diego Chargers 12, New England Patriots 21
What you need to know
| San Diego Chargers |
RB LaDainian Tomlinson played on the first two series of the game, but left after re-aggravating his left knee injury. He did not return to the game, instead sitting on the bench watching it from a distance the whole time.
QB Philip Rivers was playing on two bad knees, and gutted out a full sixty minutes. The results were up and down, as he led three scoring drives but wasn't able to put the ball in the end zone on any of them.
WR Vincent Jackson continued his emergence as a viable weapon in the passing game. After being touted by many fantasy pundits as a sleeper heading into this past season, he will now be one of the more intriguing players to look at for 2008 with the way he performed in the playoffs.
| New England Patriots |
RB Laurence Maroney and RB Kevin Faulk teamed up to deliver a devastating one two punch that the Chargers were unable to handle. The duo picked up 130 yards rushing on 26 carries and another 91 yards receiving on nine catches. They were especially effective on the last drive to run out the clock, combining for 69 yards.
The New England defense, criticized in recent weeks, came through when it mattered most and held the Chargers to four field goals despite three trips inside the New England ten yard line. They also created two turnovers and never allowed the San Diego rushing attack to take over.
WR Randy Moss was completely held in check, with just one reception. However, all of the extra attention paid to Moss opened up the game for several others to emerge (Kevin Faulk had 8 receptions and Jabar Gaffney caught a touchdown).
QB Tom Brady overcame three bad turnovers to lead two long touchdown drives. He also helped seal the victory with two key third down conversion passes on the final possession to run out the clock.
What you ought to know
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 19 - 37 - 211 - 0 TD / 2 INT |
It was reported earlier in the week that Rivers may have suffered a partially torn ACL in last week's win over the Colts, and he was clearly limited although he stayed in the game. The Patriots got a decent amount of pressure on him at times, but he was still sacked only once. And on one of his interceptions, replays seemed to suggest that Rivers was actually tripped while he was in mid-pass, which could have resulted in the ball being underthrown for the pick. Despite the turnovers, Rivers actually played fairly well. He didn't light up the stat sheet as he did a week ago, and there were some who were calling on Billy Volek to come off the bench and replace Rivers, but there was no question that Rivers was healthy enough to be out there. CBS commentator Phil Simms remarked that there wasn't one point in the game where he watched Rivers and thought the team needed to get him out of the game. That being said, his game wasn't without flaws. He missed a wide open Vincent Jackson in the back of the end zone because he was trying to avoid a pass rush from behind. While that's not entirely his fault, one would think that there are a few quarterbacks who would have made that read. On the other interception, Rivers didn't fully step into his throw and the result was a badly underthrown pass down the sideline to Chris Chambers that was easily picked off. Additionally, while Rivers did do a good job of avoiding sacks, on several occasions that meant he was throwing off his back foot and allowing passes to float to his receivers rather than being fired at them. His final numbers won't look great, but he probably won a lot of respect in the locker room for gutting it out on two bad knees and also for the way he handled himself. It's worth noting that he didn't allow himself to be goaded into any extra curricular situations with either the fans or the opposition, and obviously there's no way of knowing if or how much a more subdued Rivers equals a less effective one.
| RB Michael Turner, Rush: 17 - 65 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) |
Turner once again was given the vast majority of the rushing duties with star halfback LaDainian Tomlinson relegated to the bench with a knee injury. Turner started off extremely well, but his production actually tailed off as the game went on. His first run went for five yards and his second was a tough 12 yard run that took several defenders to bring him down. But his remaining fifteen carries went for just 48 yards (3.2 YPC) and he was a complete non-factor in the passing game. He was also involved in perhaps the most crucial play of the game, a third and one carry from the New England four yard line midway through the third quarter. With the Chargers trailing 14-9, Turner took a carry off of left tackle and was immediately met in the hole by LB Junior Seau. Rather than running over Seau, Turner was almost instantly knocked backward for a loss. The Chargers had to settle for a field goal, which cut the deficit to 14-12. But they never got close to scoring again.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 3 - 34 - 0, Rec: 2 - 5 - 0 (4 targets) |
Despite the absence of starter LaDainian Tomlinson, Sproles didn't see a greatly increased workload. He had just five offensive touches, though one of those touches resulted in a nice 26 yard burst up the middle for San Diego's longest offensive play of the game.
While no one knows what is in store for the off-season, it is highly likely that primary backup Michael Turner has played his last game as a Charger. He'll likely receive a contract offer to compete for the starting tailback job for someone this off-season, likely making Sproles the new primary backup to Tomlinson. This is important for purposes of handcuffing the two next season, as Tomlinson showed in these playoffs that he's not superhuman after all and may need more extended rests in 2008.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) |
Tomlinson, who was questionable to even play in the game after suffering a hyperextended knee, ran for five yards on his first two carries. He then caught a one yard pass to the sideline on the second possession before exiting the game for good. It was initially reported as a coach's decision to remove him from the game and that he hadn't been injured, but that was perhaps the least believable bit of news any of us have ever heard. He remained on the sideline for the duration of the contest, helmet and visor covering his face, wrapped in a parka, and seemingly expressionless. It is unknown how badly he was hurt, though he revealed afterwards that he re-aggravated the knee on the first play of the game. If it was significant enough to force him out of the biggest game of his professional career, then it's something we'll keep an eye on during the offseason and let you know if it's something to concern yourself when making 2008 fantasy draft plans.
For what it's worth, unlike last season Tomlinson did go out onto the field and offered congratulations to several Patriots players. If you recall, at the end of last year's playoff loss to New England, Tomlinson hurriedly left the field after what he deemed a classless lack of respect being shown by several Patriot players for mocking Shawne Merriman on the Charger logo at midfield.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 7 - 90 - 0 (12 targets) |
Chambers made a number of remarkable catches, and closed out his first campaign in San Diego with yet another quality performance in the postseason. He nearly scored in the first quarter on a pass in the back of the end zone in traffic that he somehow came down with inbounds. He actually caught the ball, but his foot had stepped over the line prior to leaping up for the pass. That play came just two plays after a tough sideline grab that he had to wrestle away from the defender. Early in the third quarter, he made an amazing grab along the sideline where he fully extended himself over the line and cradled the ball in very gracefully. Of course, the news wasn't all great for Chambers. He didn't do a very good job on the two interceptions thrown by Rivers. He was in position to break the pass up, but didn't get enough of his hands on the football and allowed the pass to be picked right in front of him. But if the worst thing a receiver does is not break up an interception, it's tough to say he had a bad game.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 6 - 93 - 0 (9 targets) |
Jackson continued his improbable run of success in the postseason, putting up a game-high 93 yards and seemingly putting himself in position to make a key reception whenever San Diego needed one. He was huge during a second quarter possession that resulted in a field goal (three receptions, 52 yards) but it could've been more if Rivers had seen Jackson streaking wide open across the back line of the end zone. Instead, Rivers threw underneath to Chris Chambers to avoid the sack, and the Chargers had to settle for three. It's unclear how the Chargers plan to attack next season, because TE Antonio Gates has essentially been the team's number one receiver for the last few years. But with the addition of Chris Chambers during the season and the emergence of Jackson during the playoffs, the team suddenly finds itself with three primary weapons in the passing game. It will be interesting to see if the Chargers want to focus on getting Jackson the ball more next year or if they see his performance late in the year as simply stepping in and emerging while Gates was less than 100%, only to return to his third option role when Gates is healthy again.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (6 targets) |
Gates, dealing with a dislocated toe suffered two weeks ago, tried to give it a go and made it through the game, but he was in and out during much of the afternoon. He clearly wasn't 100% and reports prior to the game were that he was actually in worse physical condition than last week (when he wasn't even expected to suit up). He was thrown to once in the end zone but was mostly a non-factor as the Chargers opted to throw to the wide receivers more often.
| PK Nate Kaeding 4 - 4 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 12 points |
Kaeding, who entered the game with a very spotty postseason track record, connected on all four of his attempts. Of course, three of them were essentially chip shots and even two of those were barely squeaked in. But the biggest kick was when he lined up for a 40 yard attempt just before halftime. New England coach Bill Belichik decided to use a timeout to "ice" Kaeding prior to the attempt, but he easily nailed it. After the kick, Kaeding was very pumped up and celebratory with his teammates. Obviously no one will know unless he attempts an important kick in next year's playoffs, but his performance in this game should certainly help his confidence going forward.
Kaeding also regained his job handling kickoff duties (Dave Rayner had been kicking off in recent weeks). Most of the kicks were extremely short and helped set the Patriots up with very good field position, though it's unclear how much of that had to do with the weather and how much it had to do with the power (or lack thereof) of Kaeding's leg.
| SD Rush Defense |
The Chargers were simply worn down by Laurence Maroney. There were a number of missed tackles, and more often than not Maroney was five yards upfield before anyone on San Diego could really wrap him up. Maroney scored from a yard out on the ground early on, but New England really utilized the passing game more than anything on that particular possession. Maroney ran fairly well early on, but he really turned it up in the third quarter. He began picking up chunks of yardage and the Chargers couldn't do much to stop it. On the final possession of the game for New England, he rumbled for 37 yards on eight carries (4.6 YPC) despite the Chargers knowing he was coming.
| SD Pass Defense |
Somewhat surprisingly, the Chargers actually got decent pressure on Tom Brady on occasion. Even more surprisingly was that they got good interior pressure on him up the middle when he was looking right at it. They sacked him only twice, but hurried him on more than a few occasions. That's not to say he was under heavy duress, mind you. After all, he did have approximately seventeen years to throw the ball on the Jabar Gaffney touchdown reception. But all things considered, it was a great job by the Chargers to both lock down coverage on the deep routes AND get good pressure on Brady up the middle. The one thing the Chargers didn't do a good job accounting for was the check down passes to Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk. Those two combined for 15 of New England's 22 pass completions and one of the two touchdowns. And none of the balls thrown to either of them traveled more than eleven yards in the air. CB Antonio Cromartie showed once again why he's perhaps the league's brightest young star at the cornerback position. He made a leaping interception on a Brady pass late in the third quarter, but perhaps even more impressively was the fact that he was able to keep Randy Moss from making any impact whatsoever. Moss didn't make his first catch of the game until midway through the third quarter, and it was his only grab of the entire day. Cromartie's CB counterpart Quentin Jammer also played a terrific game with an interception of his own to go along with a very nice tipped pass on a ball intended for Donte Stallworth.
| QB Tom Brady, Pass: 22 - 33 - 209 - 2 TD / 3 INT, Rush: 2 - -2 - 0 |
There were a couple of long streaks that came to an end for Brady in this game. He threw his first home interception in last 124 playoff attempts. He also threw his first red zone interception in 215 pass attempts. Finally, he tossed three interceptions for the first time in eighteen games. But the streak that he managed to keep alive is the only one that matters, and that's the now 18-game winning streak the Patriots find themselves on. Despite the turnovers, Brady didn't play horribly. The interceptions were isolated plays. Two of them were terrible decisions and even worse passes, but they were isolated nonetheless. The other interception was Donte Stallworth's fault, as the ball deflected off his hand and into the waiting arms of Drayton Florence. So, it wasn't as if Brady repeatedly made poor pass after poor pass all game long. He did start out shakily and seemed very affected by heavy wind gusts that were swirling throughout the stadium. But as the winds calmed down, so did Brady. He coolly found a streaking Jabar Gaffney over the middle for a touchdown, a play on which Brady seemingly had all day to throw. He later connected with a wide open Wes Welker for a score, and was seemingly unaffected by the fact that Randy Moss was being blanketed all game long by CB Antonio Cromartie and company. He nearly connected with RB Kevin Faulk for a score early in the second quarter, but Faulk was taken down at the one yard line. The Brady to Faulk combo was a highly effective one, as the two hooked up eight times for 82 yards, including two critical third down conversions on the Patriots' final possession to run out the clock.
| RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 25 - 122 - 1, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) |
Maroney continued his stellar postseason play with a dynamic 122 yard performance, with a touchdown to boot. He lucked out on the score, as Kevin Faulk was taken down at the one yard line after a short pass from Tom Brady on the previous play. Maroney fell into the end zone off the right side for the score, and he was just getting started. By the third quarter, he was rumbling all over the field as well as shifting gears at the line and cutting inside handoffs back outside for big gains. The Chargers had a tough time even getting near him, let alone bring him down. Maroney picked up chunks of yardage in the third and fourth quarters, and was particularly adept in open space. His 37 yards on the final possession for the Patriots really helped run out the clock and seal the victory for New England.
| RB Kevin Faulk, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0, Rec: 8 - 82 - 0 (8 targets) |
Faulk was, without question, the offensive star of the game for the Patriots. Not only did he lead the team in both receptions and yardage, but it was the timing of those plays that was so crucial. There are so many weapons in the New England stable that it's difficult to ensure every player is covered at all times. In this game, the player who slipped that coverage more often than not was Faulk. It wasn't that the Chargers didn't account for him; it's just that he ran away from whoever was on him. He nearly scored early in the second quarter off a quick pass inside but was taken down at the one yard line (Maroney scored on the next play). But he really saved his best for last. With the Patriots trying to protect a 21-12 lead and 7:16 remaining in the game, New England faced a third and eleven from their own 24 yard line. QB Tom Brady lofted a pass in the flat to Faulk, who made a spectacular lunging grab for the football and just got past the first down marker to pick up the necessary yardage. Two minutes later, the Patriots faced a third and three situation and again Brady looked to Faulk. The pass was thrown well behind Faulk, but he lunged back and made an extremely difficult fingertip grab, cradled the ball in, and took off upfield for 14 crucial yards. If not for those two huge third down conversions, the Chargers would have gotten the ball back with a good amount of time remaining. It's obviously unknown if they would have scored or not, but Faulk made sure no one will ever know with his remarkable catches.
| WR Wes Welker, Rec: 7 - 56 - 1 (9 targets) |
Once again, Welker quietly went about his business of getting open underneath and piling up receptions. He seems to be to this Patriots team what Troy Brown was to the Super Bowl winners of recent years. That is, the player who may not put up the flashiest stats in the game but still the guy who will get open and make the key plays when they need to be made. In this game, that key play was a touchdown grab to put the Patriots up by two scores for the first time all game. He got wide open near the end zone and Brady found him for the six yard score to put the game out of reach.
| WR Randy Moss, Rush: 1 - 14 - 0, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (5 targets) |
Moss was absolutely blanketed by coverage all afternoon, mostly courtesy of CB Antonio Cromartie. He didn't register his first reception of the game until the 7:13 mark of the third quarter, and his name was rarely called aside from that play and a reverse handoff in the first quarter that went for 14.
| WR Donte Stallworth, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (6 targets) |
Stallworth had a rough game, as he was the target on two of Brady's three interceptions. In fact, one of the interceptions was directly Stallworth's fault as he allowed the ball to bounce off his fingertips and into the waiting arms of CB Drayton Florence. Stallworth also caught just two passes, both of them short looks, and wasn't able to get separation on any deep balls against Quentin Jammer.
| WR Jabar Gaffney, Rec: 1 - 12 - 1 (1 targets) |
Gaffney made his one target count, as he took off on a crossing pattern over the middle and snagged a short pass from Brady and turned it into a 12 yard touchdown reception. Gaffney is the latest in a long line seemingly lesser-known Patriots players who emerge to make key plays in the postseason, and his touchdown certainly qualifies as a very key play.
| TE Ben Watson, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) |
Watson caught one pass, and was targeted in the end zone by Brady on the Antonio Cromartie interception. If Cromartie didn't intercept the pass, it's still not a sure thing that Watson would have come down with it. Aside from that, he was a non-factor.
| PK Stephen Gostkowski 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points |
Gostkowski didn't line up for a single field goal attempt, but connected on all three of his extra points.
| NE Rush Defense |
New England did a good job in containing the San Diego rushing attack. They only gave up 104 yards on the ground, with 26 of them coming on one run by Darren Sproles and 12 more coming on Michael Turner's second carry. The point isn't to cherry-pick stats. The point is to demonstrate how the Chargers never established a running rhythm, and really only had two good runs the entire game. Of course, a large reason why they couldn't establish a rhythm was because star HB LaDainian Tomlinson left the game very early in the first quarter after re-injuring his left knee. Arguably the biggest play of the game was made by the New England run defense. With the Chargers trailing 14-9 midway through the third quarter, Michael Turner took a handoff off left tackle and was met in the hole by LB Junior Seau. If Turner picked up one yard, the Chargers would have first and goal at the three. If he scored, the Chargers would be winning the game. But Seau, the former Chargers standout, sent Turner backwards for a loss on the play. San Diego had to settle for a field goal, and never came close to scoring again.
| NE Pass Defense |
In a bit of a surprise, the Patriots elected to rarely blitz QB Philip Rivers, despite the quarterback's limited mobility after suffering through two knee injuries. However, the few times they did get good pressure on Rivers came at critical times. Mike Vrabel forced Rivers to get rid of the ball before he wanted to on a second quarter pass. Had Rivers been afforded a bit more time, he likely would've seen a wide open Vincent Jackson in the end zone rather than dumping the ball to Chris Chambers for a three yard pickup. On another play, Rivers was tripped up by the defender while in mid-pass, and the resulting play was an interception over the middle by Asante Samuel (his fifth career playoff interception). The Patriots were also handed their share of gifts as well. On the other interception, WR Chris Chambers had actually beaten CB Ellis Hobbs deep down the sideline. But the pass from Rivers was horribly underthrown, allowing Hobbs to camp under it for the pick. During the return, Hobbs fumbled the football but it was fortunately recovered by the Patriots. What's more, late in the game a lot of the passes from Rivers seemed to be almost "floating" towards the intended targets. Despite the ball taking forever to get there, the New England defenders were nowhere to be seen. That really serves to illustrate just how wide open both Chambers and Vincent Jackson were getting on a fairly regular basis.
