St. Louis Rams vs. San Diego Chargers: Complete Week 12 Preview for San Diego
The St. Louis Rams are about as unpredictable an opponent as any the San Diego Chargers will face this season.
In the past five weeks, the Rams have sandwiched blowout losses to Kansas City and Arizona in between three colossal upsets that included both of last year's Super Bowl teams. The St. Louis defense roughed up Peyton Manning over the weekend en route to a 22-7 win, and the recent rumblings of Philip Rivers' injury status is like blood in the water to an aggressive defensive unit led by coordinator Gregg Williams.
The Chargers also claimed a victory this past week by inching past the Raiders in a low-scoring game, but San Diego's franchise signal-caller had to take a few licks in the process. Despite the injury rumors swirling around San Diego, Rivers is expected to play and help keep the Bolts in the playoff conversation.
Shaun Hill, the 34-year-old journeyman, will be the Rams starting quarterback on Sunday, taking on a Chargers defense that ranks sixth in defending the pass. The return of outside linebacker Melvin Ingram has helped rejuvenate San Diego's pass rush, which had been lacking in his seven-game absence.
Here's a look at what's in store for Sunday's action between the Rams and Chargers.
Week 11 Recap
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Last Sunday's 13-6 victory over Oakland came at a price, as Rivers endured a relentless beating from the Raiders defense.
San Diego's star quarterback had his knee rolled up on in the first half and took a hit from Khalil Mack in the second half that left him shaken up. After the game, Antonio Gates revealed that Rivers had been dealing with "a very severe rib injury" the past couple of weeks, but on Monday, Gates retracted his comments, explaining what he said had been taken out of context.
Still, Rivers was listed on the injury report this week for the first time since 2007 with what's being labeled a chest injury. Injuries aside, he completed 22 of his 34 passes for 193 yards and threw the game's only touchdown to Malcom Floyd. The same offense that averaged 27.3 points through the first six games of the season has been limited to 11.7 in the last four games.
On the bright side, San Diego's defense was noticeably better with Ingram and Manti Te'o back from injury. On top of holding Oakland to a pair of field goals through four quarters, John Pagano's unit showed massive improvements on third down and getting pressure on the quarterback.
The return of Ryan Mathews was also a success, as the running game eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time since Week 6. On 16 carries, Mathews rushed for 70 yards and broke off a 20-yard burst in his first taste of action since injuring his knee in Week 2.
News and Notes
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How hurt is Rivers?
There's no hiding the fact that Mike McCoy likes to keep his cards close when it comes to injuries. It only took a year in San Diego to realize he's not one for elaborate answers, and McCoy made it very clear in his press conference this week that Rivers will play on Sunday amid reports that his quarterback has injured ribs.
The question is, how hurt is he? I have no doubt that Rivers will be out there on Sunday against the Rams, but what type of scenario are we looking at if he takes another big shot to that midsection/chest area? Playing through a torn ACL is one thing, but ribs and chest injuries can be just as disabling for a quarterback.
Jeromey Clary out for season
Right guard has been in need of some serious veteran experience with Johnnie Troutman and Chris Watt splitting time at the position, but the Chargers won't have their prayers answered with Jeromey Clary's return from offseason shoulder and hip surgeries. The decision to keep the eighth-year offensive lineman on the PUP list for the rest of the season was made on Tuesday. Clary joins Nick Hardwick and Doug Legursky as offensive linemen that San Diego has lost for the year.
Kellen Clemens providing intel on former team
Having spent three seasons in St. Louis before signing with the Chargers in the offseason, Kellen Clemens knows a thing or two about Brian Schottenheimer's offense and should be a valuable asset to Pagano in practice this week.
Pagano told reporters, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com: "It’s huge for us. For him to be able to stand in the huddle and say, ‘This is how this is run,’ or those types of things when he sees a play. He’s got his job to do, and he’s still got to prepare. But when he has the opportunity to look at the plays and talk to guys about certain routes, it’s always huge for that."
Offensively, the Rams don't pose much of a threat since they rank 29th in yards per game (312.9) and 27th in points (18.5), but with what they've managed to accomplish against Seattle, San Francisco and Denver, it's best not to take them lightly on either side of the ball.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Ryan Carrethers | DT | Elbow | Questionable |
| Dwight Freeney | OLB | Not injury related | Questionable |
| Sean Lissemore | DT | Quadriceps | Probable |
| Philip Rivers | QB | Chest | Probable |
Carrethers suffered a dislocated elbow against the Raiders but is not expected to miss any games, according to reports.
"Chargers NT Ryan Carrethers suffered dislocated elbow Sunday, source said. Not expected to miss a game. Can wear brace, play through it.
— Michael Gehlken (@UTgehlken) November 17, 2014"
Freeney enjoyed his weekly day of rest on Wednesday but returned to practice on Thursday. Lissemore sat out last week's game with the quad injury he suffered in Week 9 but also returned to practice Thursday. Rivers' situation has been thoroughly discussed to this point, and not featured on the CBS Sports injury report is center Rich Ohrnberger (ankle) and Jahleel Addae (concussion).
Ohrnberger did not practice on Thursday, but his status for Sunday will probably be revealed later in the week. Addae was limited in practice.
*Courtesy of CBS Sports
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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King Dunlap vs. Robert Quinn
When King Dunlap was asked about his upcoming matchup with premier pass-rusher Robert Quinn, he highlighted the entire defensive front of the Rams. He told reporters that "everybody will have their hands full, not just me."
The big man makes a good point, as the St. Louis defense is stacked with young talent, including first-round rookie Aaron Donald, who ranks second on the team with four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Last year's first-rounder Alec Ogletree has also come on, leading the Rams with 66 tackles.
There will be plenty for the offensive line to account for on Sunday, but watching Dunlap and Quinn go head-to-head is at the top of my list of battles to watch. Quinn has tallied six sacks in a span of five games, while Dunlap has been San Diego's best pass-blocker this season.
Chargers front seven vs. Rams O-line and Tre Mason
St. Louis pummeled the Broncos with a healthy dose of rookie Tre Mason in the run game. The Auburn product carried for a career-high 29 times and amassed 113 yards against a Denver defense that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season. During its three-game skid, San Diego was hemorrhaging 141.7 yards per game, but the run defense improved out of the bye week, holding Oakland to 71 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, St. Louis has one of the league's better run-blocking offensive lines, and it shows when Mason gets the ball. If the interior of San Diego's defense gets pushed around, then Sunday could wind up being a big day for Mason.
Philip Rivers vs. Rams secondary
The Rams secondary is young and inexperienced, which may explain why opposing quarterbacks are posting a league-best 68.6 completion percentage against them, but the Denver game was different. Manning was harassed up front, and that led to a lot incompletions (he went 34-of-54) and two interceptions.
Rookie corner E.J. Gaines leads the team with 12 passes defensed, and the safety duo of T.J. McDonald and Rodney McLeod has accounted for nine. Rivers is coming off consecutive games with less than 200 yards passing, but he has a favorable matchup against St. Louis.
X-Factor: Ryan Mathews
Last Sunday served as a warm-up for Mathews, who returned to action for the first time in seven games. The knee he injured in Week 2 held up fine against the Raiders, and his 70 yards rushing is a mark to build off.
The Rams have surrendered more than 100 yards rushing in all but four games this season, and the Chargers will need an effective rushing attack to keep pressure off Rivers, who is likely to be pounded whenever possible on passing downs.
Prediction
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San Diego opened as six-point favorites as the Rams have failed to string together consecutive wins this season. The loss of Sam Bradford to open the year has put a strain on the quarterback position, which has been a back-and-forth battle between Hill and Austin Davis, but the emergence of Mason in recent weeks should allow the Rams to dedicate more time to the run.
St. Louis proved last week that you don't need a high-scoring offense to win games—a good defense and an accurate kicker will do. Place-kicker Greg Zuerlein scored 16 of his team's 22 points, and the defense did the rest to keep the Broncos off the scoreboard for three of the four quarters.
San Diego's narrow win over Oakland left little to be desired from an offensive standpoint, but the improved play of the defense is promising here in the second half of the season. My prediction for Sunday includes a Chargers victory, but I think the Rams defense makes it a tight game heading into the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Chargers 23, Rams 14
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