Jaguars vs. Chargers: Complete Week 4 Preview for San Diego
The San Diego Chargers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first leg of a two-game homestand starting on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
The Chargers (2-1) traveled to the East Coast this past week and came away with a 22-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills, while the Jaguars (0-3) fell in their home opener to the Indianapolis Colts 44-17.
San Diego has produced wins in its last three meetings with Jacksonville, including the most recent encounter on the road in 2013. Philip Rivers threw for 285 yards and a touchdown in the 24-6 win, while the Jaguars extended their losing streak to seven on the year.
The Chargers have been banged up on the injury front the past couple of weeks, but their next four games will come against opponents with losing records in 2014. The Jaguars rank dead last in a number of categories this season, including total defense with 466 yards allowed per game. That should bode well for San Diego's offense, which is averaging 333.3 yards.
The Week 4 preview for San Diego starts now.
Chargers Week 3 Recap
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The Chargers had to overcome some early adversity against the Bills when Danny Woodhead was carted off in the first quarter with what we've now learned to be a broken leg. The injury left San Diego with just two available running backs, but only one was needed to pick up the slack.
Donald Brown paced the ground game with a career-high 31 carries for 62 yards—his previous career high was 18 carries.
Rivers hooked up with Eddie Royal for a pair of touchdowns, and Nick Novak added two field goals from 19 and 37 yards out. The Chargers defense added a safety in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring in the 22-10 victory.
EJ Manuel was pressured for three sacks and a fumble by John Pagano's defense. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo's game-breaker on offense, was held scoreless, and Fred Jackson caught the only touchdown for the Bills.
San Diego was credited with snapping Buffalo's unbeaten streak and stringing together a pair of wins against good teams.
News and Notes
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Manti Te'o Added to Long List of Injury Woes
The win up in Buffalo was bittersweet for a couple of reasons: Woodhead was lost for the year, and Te'o suffered another foot fracture. The second-year linebacker confirmed his injury on Monday, according to multiple sources, and has no timetable for a return, though it's expected he'll miss a couple of games.
This is Te'o's third foot injury in two seasons and the second one in his right foot. In 2013, he missed the first three games of the season because of a stress fracture that eventually required offseason surgery. The injury is a major setback for the former second-round pick, who currently leads the team in tackles (19).
Busy Week for the Front Office; Three Players Added to the Active Roster
The flurry of recent injuries forced the hand of general manager Tom Telesco and his staff to replenish depth at two ailing positions. The Chargers added journeyman running back Shaun Draughn and linebacker Kevin Reddick and signed pass-rusher Cordarro Law from the practice squad.
Draughn, who will fill in as a third back behind Brown and Branden Oliver, has played in 22 games during his four-year career and figures to make his mark on special teams where he has experience returning kicks. Reddick is another experienced special teamer who will likely replace Kavell Conner on kick coverage now that the Chargers have a full-time need at inside linebacker. Law should also see the field often with Melvin Ingram on short-term injured reserve and Jeremiah Attaochu battling a hamstring injury.
Blake Bortles to Make First Career Start at Qualcomm Stadium
Qualcomm Stadium will play host to the first NFL start for young Bortles, who won the starting quarterback job in the second half of Jacksonville's loss to Indianapolis. The third overall pick went 14-of-24 for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Now that the Jags have turned over the reins to their rookie quarterback, the learning process starts in San Diego against a defense that is hungry for its first interception of the season.
Chargers Climbing Up Power Rankings
The Chargers cracked the top 10 in most power rankings following their triumphant win over the defending Super Bowl champs, but a second win over the Bills this past Sunday has them featured in, or just outside, the top five. The experts are beginning take notice, but they'll soon lose interest if San Diego stumbles during this four-game stretch.
Blackout Lifted for Sunday
Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Monday that the Chargers had about 6,000 tickets unsold for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, but the team announced on Thursday that it had avoided a potential blackout thanks to a host of generous sponsors that purchased enough tickets to meet the league quota.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Keenan Allen | WR | Groin | Probable |
| Brandon Flowers | CB | Hip | Probable |
| Antonio Gates | TE | Hamstring | Probable |
| Marcus Gilchrist | S | Shoulder | Probable |
| Ladarius Green | TE | Hamstring | Questionable |
| David Johnson | TE/FB | Shoulder | Questionable |
| Corey Liuget | DE | Ankle | Probable |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Knee | Questionable |
| Manti Te'o | LB | Foot | Questionable |
| Jason Verrett | CB | Hamstring | Questionable |
| Reggie Walker | LB | Ankle | Questionable |
**Courtesy of CBS Sports
Not featured on this list is Attaochu, who has missed the last two days of practice with a hamstring injury, as reported by Eric D. Williams of ESPN. His report from Chargers Park also indicated that Green, Johnson, Verrett and Walker did not practice the past two days either—probably a precautionary decision by coach Mike McCoy.
As it stands right now, only Mathews and Te'o are expected miss Sunday's game with injuries that are being labeled as week to week. Brown, Oliver and new Charger Draughn will be the three active running backs against Jacksonville, and Conner figures to start in place of Te'o.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Chargers Front Seven vs. Toby Gerhart
An ankle injury early in 2014 has stifled Gerhart's production as the feature back in Jacksonville, but the 230-pounder makes defenders work for every tackle when he carries the rock. With a rookie quarterback making his first start on the road, it would seem fitting that the Jaguars coaching staff take some pressure off Bortles by feeding Gerhart early in order to set up the passing game.
The Chargers have fared well against the run, holding opponents to 101.3 yards per game, but they've allowed opposing backs to average five yards per carry. A power back like Gerhart won't gash defenses for 10-plus yards on every carry, but he can be real trouble if he's allowed five yards every time he touches the ball. Wrapping up will be a point of emphasis for John Pagano's unit this week.
Chargers Secondary vs. Blake Bortles
Eric Weddle and the rest of the boys in the secondary are hungry for their first interception of the season. A couple of near-picks have already slipped through the hands of a couple of players, but that can't happen against a rookie quarterback, who will understandably be prone to mistakes in his first road start. Jacksonville's leading targets are a couple of rookies as well in Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson. Look for the secondary to fly to the football and properly welcome Bortles to the NFL.
Antonio Gates vs. Jacksonville Linebackers/Secondary
Opposing tight ends have enjoyed big games against the Jacksonville defense. Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen had one touchdown apiece for Indianapolis in Week 3. Niles Paul snared eight balls for 99 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, and Zach Ertz had three catches for 77 yards and a score in Week 1. I'd say Gates is due for another big performance after catching just one ball against the Bills.
X-Factor: Philip Rivers
Rivers will be facing the league's worst pass defense on Sunday, which has been torched for 306 yards per game this season. That said, the Jaguars don't give up that kind of yardage for free. Opposing quarterbacks have been sacked a total of 10 times in 2014, which means Rivers will need to be alert in the pocket just as he's been the last three games for San Diego.
Prediction
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The Chargers are 14-point favorites over the Jaguars to no one's surprise. Jacksonville is still in the process of rebuilding under coach Gus Bradley, and the plan to sit Bortles this season has clearly not stood the test of time. It took just three games to make the call for the rookie, but how can you blame the Jags at 0-3?
I expect San Diego to get the job done at home and send the Jaguars home with their fourth straight loss. I will, however, be very interested to see how Bortles handles himself against an ever-improving Chargers defense.
Prediction: Chargers 24, Jaguars 10
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