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Week 4 Game Recap: San Diego Chargers 28, Oakland Raiders 18
What you need to know
| San Diego Chargers |
RB LaDainian Tomlinson finally had a big statistical day, with 115 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Still, nearly half of his production came on one big run and he didn't look good on a consistent basis.
QB Philip Rivers put up pedestrian statistics for the first time all season long, and never was able to get into a rhythm with Oakland pressuring him all game long.
TE Antonio Gates looked like he was all the way back from offseason toe surgery, as he put up 58 more yards and another score. He didn't look to be limited in any way down the field.
| Oakland Raiders |
With starting halfback Darren McFadden slowed by a turf toe injury, Michael Bush took over the majority of the carries for the Raiders. He turned 21 touches into 128 yards and was the team's go to guy in the fourth quarter.
QB JaMarcus Russell played a nice game considering he was under a lot of pressure late in the contest. He doesn't look like someone in their first full season as a starter.
TE Zach Miller broke out in a big way, with a game high 95 yards receiving that included a 63 yard catch and run for a touchdown that really demonstrated his speed and athletic ability.
What you ought to know
| QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 14 - 25 - 180 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 3 - 12 - 0 |
Rivers faced relentless pressure almost from the moment he stepped onto the field. On just his second series of the game, he tried handing off to LaDainian Tomlinson in the shadow of his own end zone. The Oakland defensive front has pushed through so quickly that the handoff was never made, the ball was fumbled, and Rivers had no choice but to cover it up in the end zone and take a safety. The ensuing possessions resulted in three punts, two interceptions, and a couple of field goal attempts. Never once in the first three quarters did the Chargers put a serious drive together and come close to scoring a touchdown through the air. Despite all the pressure he faced, Rivers didn't flinch. He stood in on the blitz, and took several nasty shots. One hit was particularly scary, as he had his left leg rolled up on by an Oakland defender. After limping around a bit, he remained in the game. Later, he was sacked by Terdell Sands and was seen rotating his arm to try and loosen his shoulder. Despite his willingness to stand in the pocket, that doesn't necessarily mean he was playing well. The pressure clearly affected his timing and rhythm, as he made two uncharacteristically bad throws that both resulted in interceptions. One was a floater off his back leg that lacked any kind of velocity, and the other was a forced pass into double coverage that was actually picked off by DeAngelo Hall that was thrown well beyond the intended receiver.
| RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Rush: 20 - 106 - 2, Rec: 2 - 9 - 0 (3 targets) |
For much of the afternoon, Tomlinson looked a lot like the back who has struggled through the season's first three weeks. He had very little running room as the Raiders were getting a great push from their defensive front, and through the third quarter his long run of the game went for just five yards. Not only that, but he had dropped a handoff exchange from Philip Rivers early in the game that led to a safety (a fumble charged to Rivers), he had fumbled himself (though he recovered it moments later), and he had dropped an easy pass in the flat. The dropped pass was especially costly, because he would have waltzed into the end zone had he been able to catch the ball. But he tried running before he had it, and with that lost a chance at a ten yard touchdown. Through three quarters, Tomlinson had run the ball 13 times for just 31 yards (2.4 YPC). But early in the fourth quarter, he slipped off a tackler on an inside handoff and found the end zone from thirteen yards out. That appeared to spark him, as his next six carries went for 34 yards and he seemed to be getting stronger. Finally, with San Diego up by three and in possession of the ball, he took a handoff towards the left side of the line. He opted to cut it back to the right, and there wasn't an Oakland defender in sight. He sprinted up the right sideline, broke a tackle at the five yard line, and scored his second touchdown of the game. On the play, Tomlinson had a chance to duplicate Brian Westbrook's maneuver of 2007 and fall down shy of the goal line to guarantee his team a victory, but with his season going the way it has so far he's not about to give up any touchdowns at this point.
| RB Darren Sproles, Rush: 6 - 12 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) |
With starter LaDainian Tomlinson's toe feeling a lot better, Sproles didn't see much action on offense. He spelled Tomlinson at times to give him a breather, but didn't fill a specific role in the game. However, he did make his presence felt on two occasions. He gave a great effort in breaking a tackle on a two point conversion reception to put San Diego up 18-15, and his 67 yard kick return helped set up the eventual game-winning field goal.
| RB Mike Tolbert, Rush: 1 - 11 - 0, Rec: 1 - 14 - 0 (1 targets) |
Tolbert has become a legitimate part of the passing game over the last few weeks. He again displayed nice footwork and vision in this game after a quick screen pass, but was reported to have limped off the field. No update was given on his condition, and while he's not a terribly significant fantasy player he does hold some value in deep PPR leagues.
| WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 3 - 52 - 0 (8 targets) |
As has been the case most weeks this season, Jackson did what he could with the action he saw. While he did get a team high eight targets, several of the passes were simply uncatchable. The ones Jackson was near, he hauled in.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 2 - 42 - 0 (5 targets) |
Chambers' streak of consecutive games with a touchdown ended with this contest, and this game demonstrated why it is so difficult to include Chambers with the league's very elite receiving options. While he has put up very solid stats with the Chargers, his opportunities are much fewer and further between than a typical number one receiver. For instance, Chambers was thrown to just once in the entire second half despite the Chargers throwing the ball fourteen times. The pass was almost a touchdown, but Chambers was held on the play and it disrupted the timing. Had the Oakland defender (DeAngelo Hall) not committed the penalty, Chambers likely would've easily scored from 29 yards out.
| TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 5 - 58 - 1 (7 targets) |
Gates just keeps on plugging along, this time putting up another solid effort of 58 yards and a touchdown. With the production of both Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson a bit sporadic to open the season, Gates has re-established himself as San Diego's go to guy.
| PK Nate Kaeding 2 - 4 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Kaeding was inconsistent on the day, converting just two of the four kick attempts he had. He had a 44 yard attempt blocked midway through the second quarter, and later missed badly to the right from 47 yards out. But with the game tied at 18 late in the fourth quarter, Kaeding's 47 yard attempt was true and proved to be the game-winning points.
| SD Rush Defense |
Despite some early issues with poor tackling, the Chargers recovered to put up a nice performance against the run. Michael Bush did a lot of damage in the short passing game, but running the ball was another story. His long gain went for just twelve yards, and he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Darren McFadden fared even worse, gaining just 2.9 per carry on his seven rushes. Perhaps most importantly, they didn't allow the Raiders to punch the ball into the end zone on the ground when they had a golden opportunity. QB JaMarcus Russell took off towards the goal line on third down and looked to have an easy score ahead of him. But CB Quentin Jammer made a phenomenal tackle of the much larger Russell right at the goal line to save the touchdown. On the next play, Bush got in for a touchdown but the play was nullified by a penalty and the Raiders had to settle for a field goal.
| SD Pass Defense |
Once again, San Diego had issues with the pass defense. At least for the first three quarters. Early on, the Chargers had zero pass rush against the Raiders. JaMarcus Russell stood back and fired the ball around without fear. On one play in particular, he had so much time to throw that TE Zach Miller managed to get up the field and down the seam behind every single San Diego defender before Russell even had to throw it. When he finally did, Miller was well beyond everyone else and he took it in for a long touchdown. The Chargers simply lost track of Miller, which is made more amazing by the fact that they weren't even blitzing on the play and were back in coverage. Eventually, however, things began breaking right for the Chargers. LB Tim Dobbins was in the right place at the right time in intercepting a screen pass intended for RB Darren McFadden that bounced off his hands. That turnover was quickly turned into a San Diego touchdown. As the fourth quarter went on, the Chargers ramped up the defensive intensity. By the end of the game, this team that had shown no pass rush early on suddenly had six sacks (including one that caused a Russell fumble).
| QB JaMarcus Russell, Pass: 22 - 37 - 277 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 4 - 0 |
At times, JaMarcus Russell showed the tools that made him the first overall pick in the 2007 draft. He's poised in the pocket, typically hits his receivers in stride, and obviously has a huge arm. On one pass play, he was rolling to his left and falling backwards when he launched a pass downfield. The ball, intended for WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, would travel somewhere between sixty and seventy yards before falling incomplete, but it was a great illustration of his phenomenal arm strength. Late in the contest with the outcome mostly decided, he managed to complete two passes with his left (non-throwing) hand. Unfortunately, he doesn't always know what to do with those great tools he's got. He still lacks touch on the softer stuff, fades and screens mostly, as evidenced on his screen pass to Darren McFadden. The ball wasn't precisely where it needed to be, was batted in the air, and intercepted by a San Diego defender. In fairness, it was Russell's first interception in his last 113 pass attempts. Russell also showed that just having a big body doesn't necessarily translate into an ability to pick up yardage on the ground. He appeared to be on his way to a rushing score late in the second quarter, but the 260 pound Russell allowed himself to be tripped up by 204 pound Quentin Jammer just at the goal line. Following a penalty on the following play, Oakland had to settle for a field goal rather than the touchdown.
| RB Michael Bush, Rush: 14 - 48 - 0, Rec: 7 - 80 - 0 (8 targets) |
With Darren McFadden still not feeling 100%, the primary halfback duties fell on Bush this week. He responded with 128 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown that was called back due to a penalty. Right from the outset, it was obvious that Bush was going to have a role in the game. He entered as soon as the Raiders got near the goal line, and saw regular carries the entire first half. Late in the second quarter, Bush was given a fourth down carry from the San Diego one yard line. He dove into the end zone for the apparent score, but the touchdown was nullified due to a holding penalty. Bush remained in the game and had compiled a serviceable 81 yards from scrimmage near the end of the fourth quarter. But with the Raiders trailing by ten and the Chargers in a prevent defense, Bush added another four receptions for 47 yards on the final drive to put a stamp on his afternoon with some "garbage time" gems.
| RB Darren McFadden, Rush: 7 - 20 - 0, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (3 targets) |
McFadden appeared to be favoring his right foot from the outset of the game. During the second quarter, he was on the bench with his shoe off as Michael Bush got all of the work. McFadden practiced on a limited basis this week, and the team was unsure how much of a workload he'd be able to handle. If this game was any indication, the answer is not much. He had just nine touches for a mere 37 yards, was out of the game on the goal line package, and wasn't seen or heard from the entire fourth quarter as Michael Bush was the team's go-to guy.
| WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Rec: 4 - 35 - 0 (7 targets) |
Higgins opened the game with a bang, taking the opening kick out to midfield. He's clearly got big-play potential and the ability to score from anywhere on the field every time he touches the ball. His opportunities were limited with the Chargers giving the Raiders a lot of short passing options underneath, whereas Higgins excels more in the deep passing game. He still managed to finish as the most targeted wide receiver on the team and is slowly creeping towards becoming Oakland's number one wide receiver option.
| WR Javon Walker, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (3 targets) |
In a game very similar to last week's result, Walker caught passes on the first two plays of the game and then didn't catch another ball the rest of the afternoon. At this point it is becoming quite apparent that he's not someone to rely upon for any kind of fantasy production unless you are absolutely desperate. He'll need to show a lot more before anyone should worry about putting him into a lineup.
| WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (4 targets) |
Curry did very little with the small amount of action he saw, and with the tight end and running backs becoming more and more involved in the passing game, Curry doesn't appear to be boosting his value any time soon.
| TE Zach Miller, Rec: 5 - 95 - 1 (8 targets) |
Miller's wildly successful day could've been even better had he been able to maintain his footing down near the goal line. After hauling in a 63 yard touchdown and leading the team in receiving yardage, Miller was targeted on a fourth quarter pass in the end zone. The play called for a timing route, and the ball was released as Miller went into his break. Unfortunately for him, he slipped while trying to make his move and he was unable to recover in time to get to the ball. Had he been able to stay on his feet, it's all but certain that he would've caught a 14 yard touchdown pass. The touchdown he did manage to catch was simply a case of getting lost in the deep secondary. He took off down the seam and the defensive backs just lost track of him. That being said, he still had to outrun several defenders a good portion of the way to the end zone, and he did just that. If he keeps making plays like that, there's no reason why he won't continue to be the most heavily-targeted player on the team.
| PK Sebastian Janikowski 3 - 4 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 10 points |
On a day where Janikowski connected for three field goals, it was what he didn't do that was more noteworthy. His longest field goal of the game was from just 32 yards out, so each of his made kicks was nothing more than a chip shot. But just before halftime, coach Lane Kiffin trotted Janikowski onto the field to attempt what would have been a record-shattering 76 yard field goal. Kicking into a slight wind, the kick came up well short of the target, just shy of the end zone. But the mere fact that Kiffin thought it possible for Janikowski could connect from such a distance is amazing in itself, and is a testament to the kicker's leg strength. One oddity that isn't likely to factor into much scoring for this week. Janikowski connected on a 31 yard field goal in the second quarter. There was a penalty on San Diego that gave the Raiders a first down, so they took the points off the board. The drive stalled three plays later, however, and the Raiders called for another field goal. This time, the kick was from just 28 yards out. In most scoring systems, there is no difference between a 28 and a 31 yard field goal, but it's worth noting for the few scoring systems where there is a difference.
| OAK Rush Defense |
For most of the afternoon, the Raiders held LaDainian Tomlinson and company in check. Tomlinson entered the fourth quarter with 13 carries for just 31 yards, a meager 2.4 YPC average, and zero touchdowns. That he finished with 106 yards on 20 carries and two scores is a testament to how well the Chargers ran the ball in the fourth quarter. Or more specifically, it serves to show just how poorly the Raiders tackled. They had opportunities to bring Tomlinson down on each of his touchdown runs, but arm tackles against one of the greatest runners of all-time aren't normally going to get the job done. They got a great push early on and really bottled up the vaunted San Diego rushing attack in the first half. They even got on the backfield so quickly on one particular first quarter play that the timing was disrupted on a handoff and the ball was fumbled. Oakland pounced on it for a safety, and controlled the early portion of the game from that point forward. Tomlinson was held in check, with his long run going for just five yards through three quarters. But until they learn to do it for a full four quarters they are going to continue to have problems in this area.
| OAK Pass Defense |
The Raiders made sure Philip Rivers never got comfortable in the pocket all afternoon. The proof is in the numbers, as he was sacked four times and intercepted twice. What's more, the relentless Raider pass rush caused Rivers to rush a few throws and put them in places he didn't necessarily want them to be. Both of his interceptions were a direct result of his timing being off due to the oncoming rush, and there were a few other instances where he was close to getting picked as well. The fact that San Diego overcame a 12 point fourth quarter deficit to put up 25 points and STILL Rivers was held under 200 yards goes to show just how well the pass defense for this team played. If only the run defense has matched the other unit, the Raiders may have been able to escape with a victory.
