Chargers vs. Dolphins: Complete Week 9 Preview for San Diego
The Chargers will make the cross-country journey to Miami this weekend in hopes of reaching a 6-3 mark before the upcoming bye week.
San Diego's most recent defeat on Thursday Night Football came at the hands of a very good Denver Broncos team that was simply better that night, which Eric Weddle willingly acknowledged after the loss, per The Associated Press: "They're better than us right now. That's the reality of it. It's a long season. When we meet them again, however many more times, we'll be better."
Weddle and the Chargers will get a second crack at the Broncos in mid-December at Qualcomm Stadium, but the focus this week is on a Dolphins team that is coming off back-to-back road wins in Chicago and Jacksonville.
While Miami's offense managed to post 27 points in both those wins, it's been the greedy play of the defense that has stood out at the forefront. Brent Grimes and Louis Delmas returned a pair of interceptions for scores this past week against the Jaguars, and Delmas added a fumble recovery in the 27-13 win.
The Chargers lost to the Dolphins 20-16 a year ago in South Florida—a game San Diego would have liked to have back down the stretch when a playoff bid started to form late last season. To prevent that same feeling of regret in 2014, the Bolts would be wise to take the Dolphins seriously and not allow a winnable game slip away.
The Week 9 preview for San Diego starts now.
Week 8 Recap
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Denver's passing game proved to be too much for San Diego's beaten-up secondary, which was already without Brandon Flowers before Jason Verrett exited the game in the first quarter.
Peyton Manning and Emmanuel Sanders hooked up for three touchdowns, and San Diego State product Ronnie Hillman paced the ground game with 109 yards on 20 carries. The Chargers kept Julius Thomas quiet with only two catches for 23 yards, but Demaryius Thomas went off for eight catches and 105 receiving yards.
In a valiant effort to keep it close, Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns, with Antonio Gates catching two of them. Rivers was picked off twice in the loss—his first game with multiple turnovers. Keenan Allen ended his personal scoring drought with a touchdown catch, and Branden Oliver's recent string of solid performances running the ball ended with just 36 yards on the ground against Denver.
The Broncos benefited from an ailing San Diego defense, and the Chargers offense couldn't keep pace with Manning.
News and Notes
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Donald Brown Cleared After 24-Day Absence
Brown missed about a month with a concussion he suffered on Oct. 5 against the New York Jets, but reports indicated on Wednesday that he was back on the practice field at Chargers Park. Having Brown back in the fold will give Branden Oliver some much-needed rest after carrying the run game on his back the past three weeks.
Chargers Dump Richard Marshall, Bring in Richard Crawford
On Monday, the team announced that Marshall was released eight games into the season—his performance against the Broncos, particularly Emmanuel Sanders, may have had a lot to do with that decision. In a counter move, the Chargers signed former Washington corner Richard Crawford, who was drafted in the seventh round out of Southern Methodist in 2012. Crawford appeared in 10 games his rookie year but missed all of last season with a knee injury.
Jason Verrett Diagnosed with Torn Labrum, Season in Jeopardy
Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune broke the news on Thursday that San Diego's first-round draft pick had torn his labrum in three places, which places the rest of his season in peril. Verrett played through a labrum tear at TCU last season, but the severity of his injury this time around may not be one to chance it with. Still, the plan is to rest the rookie corner over the coming weeks and decide his future by mid-November.
Injury Report
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| Name | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jahleel Addae | S | Concussion | Doubtful |
| Jerry Attaochu | OLB | Hamstring | Questionable |
| Donald Brown | RB | Concussion | Probable |
| Brandon Flowers | CB | Concussion | Probable |
| Dwight Freeney | OLB | Knee | Probable |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Knee | Out |
| Manti Te'o | ILB | Foot | Out |
| Jason Verrett | CB | Shoulder | Out |
| Reggie Walker | LB | Ankle | Probable |
| Rich Ohrnberger | C | Back | Probable |
| Steve Williams | CB | Groin | Probable |
Getting Brown back is an added boost for a running game that seems to have lost its mojo at the moment, but the Chargers have still have two other players dealing with concussions. Flowers returned to practice on Thursday after missing the Denver game, but Addae's situation has taken on a serious review from the NFLPA, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora. Addae suffered two significant blows to the head in last Thursday's game but was cleared to return to action despite appearing dazed.
Attaochu was also welcomed back to practice on Thursday and could see action against the Dolphins. Despite a league-best 13 hurries from Freeney, according to Sporting Charts, the Chargers are still struggling to get after opposing quarterbacks.
Mathews doesn't appear to be on track for a return this Sunday, but the feeling is he could be ready after the bye.
Injury report courtesy of CBS Sports.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Chargers Front Seven vs. Lamar Miller
The Dolphins are averaging 138 yards on the ground (sixth-best in the league) without Knowshon Moreno, who suffered a torn ACL in a loss to Green Bay a couple of weeks back. Lamar Miller has taken on the role of primary ball-carrier for Miami and has seen a steady increase in his numbers since. Ryan Tannehill has also gotten in on the action with 145 yards rushing over the last three games, including back-to-back contests with a run of at least 30 yards.
The Chargers front seven was gashed by Jamaal Charles and Ronnie Hillman the past two weeks, but the opportunity to regain some confidence in stopping the run rests with containing Miller. The defensive line needs to do a better job of shutting down run lanes, and the linebackers can't get tossed around at the second level like they were last week.
Philip Rivers vs. Dolphins Secondary
Miami's secondary ranks third in passing yards allowed this season (1,481), and opposing quarterbacks are completing passes at a clip of 59.4 percent (fourth lowest in the NFL). Kudos are in order for a unit that survived Tom Brady and bullied both Jay Cutler and Blake Bortles, but Rivers is a whole other beast to contend with.
In the loss to Denver, Rivers recorded his fifth game this season with at least three touchdown passes and completed 73.2 percent of his passes. His 109.9 passer rating continues to sit in the top three, and it doesn't look like he'll slow down anytime soon. Miami's stingy secondary will stop at nothing to attempt turnovers, but Rivers knows better than to force throws at this point of his career.
Chargers Offensive versus Dolphins Defensive Line
Kevin Coyle's defense specializes in disrupting the rhythm of the passing game, and that all starts up front with the defensive line. San Diego is well aware of three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, who sacked Rivers last year, but his counterpart, Olivier Vernon, has been just as good on the opposite side. The interior has also been productive for Miami with interchangeable pieces in veteran Randy Starks, ex-Houston Texan Earl Mitchell and former first-round pick Jared Odrick.
D.J. Fluker has had difficulties keeping the edge the past two weeks with Von Miller and Justin Houston in his grill, and this week won't be any easier with Wake likely being his matchup on the right side. As a unit, Miami's defense has recorded 10 sacks since its bye week, so pressure will be a constant threat.
X-Factor: Antonio Gates
The fountain of youth continues to flow for Gates, who has tallied nine touchdowns in eight games for the Bolts. Miami struggled to defend Gates and Ladarius Green last season, and some of the better tight ends have managed to find the end zone against the Dolphins this season. The duty of keeping tabs on Gates will probably be a two-man job given his outstanding play this year, but that shouldn't stop No. 85 from finding space.
Prediction
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Vegas is predicting a close game for Sunday, as the Chargers are only favored by a point or two. Based on where these teams sit in terms of momentum, it's hard to count out a team that has rolled over its last two opponents. Meanwhile, the Chargers are just trying to make it to the bye week after two division losses.
If Ryan Tannehill was a little more consistent in throwing the ball from week to week, I'd be worried for San Diego's banged-up secondary, but since he's not, it looks like the Chargers will be able to survive in that aspect.
Where Miami can really take charge is in running the ball. In some ways, the Dolphins are built like the Chiefs in the sense that they like to push the ground game and pepper in the passes. The two teams are also similar given the mobility of their respective quarterbacks, who can pick up first downs with their legs and keep the chains moving.
San Diego lost that Kansas City game because the defense couldn't get off the field on third down and the Chiefs rushing attack just kept churning out long, time-consuming drives. Miami is capable of that same game plan on offense, but it all depends on how the Chargers respond defensively after the way they've played the previous two outings.
I like Philip Rivers getting the better of this secondary despite its success, but I agree that it comes down to the wire. A Nick Novak field goal late in the fourth quarter will decide it all.
Prediction: Chargers 27, Dolphins 24
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