San Diego Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens: Complete Week 13 Preview for San Diego
Things don't get any easier for the San Diego Chargers from here on out.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Chargers face the league's toughest remaining schedule, with opponents boasting a combined winning percentage of .691 (h/t Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com). San Diego begins the journey Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore survived the offensive onslaught put forth Monday by the New Orleans Saints, holding on for a 34-27 victory on the road. The Saints racked up 500-plus yards on offense with 420 yards coming through the air from Drew Brees, but a defensive touchdown and a productive night from running back Justin Forsett made all the difference for John Harbuagh's club.
San Diego was also victorious in Week 12, edging the St. Louis Rams 27-24 at home thanks to a game-sealing interception by Marcus Gilchrist. Ryan Mathews posted his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and added a touchdown in the win, while Keenan Allen overcame a pair of turnovers to garner 104 yards receiving and a score of his own.
Sunday's matchup pits two of the league's better scoring defenses. Baltimore holds the upper hand in head-to-head matchups with a 4-2 record since 2001.
Read on for more about San Diego's clash with Baltimore.
Chargers Week 12 Recap
1 of 5
Gilchrist headed into last week's contest without an interception since November of last year, and the fourth-year safety snapped the 15-game drought in dramatic fashion with the biggest pick of his career.
Facing a three-point deficit, St. Louis drove down to San Diego's four-yard line in the final minute, and as Shaun Hill attempted to find Kenny Britt for the go-ahead touchdown, Gilchrist stepped in to intercept the pass.
Philip Rivers threw for 291 yards, his highest output since Week 6, and added a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Brandon Flowers collected his third pick of the year, and Andrew Gachkar returned a fumble for a score.
The Chargers trailed 10-3 in the second quarter after Janoris Jenkins returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, but San Diego rallied to score 17 unanswered behind Gachkar's defensive score and a 32-yard rushing touchdown by Ryan Mathews, who amassed 105 yards on 12 carries.
Tavon Austin pulled the Rams within 20-17 when he scored from six yards out on an end-around. Allen reclaimed the 10-point lead for San Diego when he took a screen pass 13 yards into the end zone, but Stedman Bailey trimmed it to three a second time when he hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Hill prior to the quarterback's epic turnover near the goal line.
News and Notes
2 of 5
Ohrnberger to IR, Watt steps in
Rich Ohrnberger became the third Chargers center to go on IR this season, joining Nick Hardwick and Doug Legursky. The sixth-year veteran started seven of the eight games he played in for San Diego and will need surgery to correct the back injury he battled on and off throughout the year. Third-round draft pick Chris Watt made his first start at center last week against the Rams and will take over full time in Ohrnberger's absence. With Hardwick, Legursky and Ohrnberger becoming free agents next year, the future of the position may lean on Watt.
Chargers staying cautious with Mathews
While most would argue the Chargers are foolish not to run Mathews wild after the game he had last week, the need to rush him back from injury isn't part of the team's plan, so says coach Mike McCoy (h/t Williams):
"We are monitoring that to a certain extent. But he'll kind of help us dictate that also. The longer he can go will come into effect, with this being the second week back. More last week we told them to monitor that. We didn't want him to play too much or too little. And the same this week, he's going to kind of dictate some things there.
"
And dictate he shall. Mathews needed just 12 carries to go over 100 yards, averaging nearly nine yards a carry. If he keeps breaking off big yardage, San Diego may not need him for 20-25 carries a game.
What's up with Keenan Allen?
Compared to his rookie season, Keenan Allen is having a down year with only two touchdowns to his name, and the connection he and his quarterback once had is in shambles right now. Rivers has been livid with his No. 1 receiver on more than one occasion, and that lack of chemistry has been detrimental to the health of the offense.
Allen got a boost from last week's touchdown, but a fumble on offense and another on special teams did not help his confidence moving forward. Allen has a favorable matchup against the Ravens secondary, but whether he capitalizes on that matchup or not depends on if he and Rivers are on the same page Sunday.
Injury Report
3 of 5
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Jahleel Addae | S | Concussion | Probable |
| Ryan Carrethers | DT | Elbow | Questionable |
| Dwight Freeney | LB | Not injury related | Questionable |
| Andrew Gachkar | LB | Knee | Questionable |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | Shoulder | Probable |
| Eddie Royal | WR | Toe | Probable |
** Injury report courtesy of CBS Sports and Practice Report courtesy of Chargers.com **
Addae was a full participant in practice this week, per the team's website. The second-year safety hasn't played since Oct. 23, when he sustained a concussion against the Denver Broncos.
Carrethers did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. The rookie defensive tackle dislocated his elbow in Week 11 against the Oakland Raiders and was inactive last Sunday.
Freeney rested Wednesday but returned Thursday as has been the norm for the 34-year-old linebacker. His 14 defensive hurries are tied for fourth-best with Houston Texans defensive end J. J. Watt.
Gachkar, who returned a fumble for a touchdown last week against the Rams, has a knee injury and did not practice all week. Through 11 games this season, Gachkar is one tackle short of his career high (32).
Mathews missed a good chunk of the second half against St. Louis with a shoulder injury, but he was a go on both days at Chargers Park. In the two games since he returned from an MCL sprain, Mathews has rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown.
Royal's toe injury did not affect his practice time, and he should be ready for Sunday against Baltimore. Royal is tied with Keenan Allen for the team lead in third-down catches (17).
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
4 of 5
Chargers offensive line versus Ravens pass rush
Baltimore runs a hybrid version of the 3-4 under defensive coordinator Dean Pees, a scheme aimed at stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback (much like the Chargers do but with better results). Pees employs a four-man rotation at outside linebacker, a position responsible for 22 of the team's 29 sacks this season. Terrell Suggs (six sacks) and Elvis Dumervil (12.5 sacks) share 21 years of experience between them, but fourth-year man Pernell McPhee (four sacks) and third-year pro Courtney Upshaw (34 tackles) are not to be overlooked.
Of the top 10 pass-rushing teams in the league this year, San Diego has faced six already, and Baltimore will mark the seventh. Coming off last week's matchup with Robert Quinn, left tackle King Dunlap gets another gargantuan matchup in Dumervil, while second-year right tackle D.J. Fluker gets his first look at one of the NFL's most accomplished pass-rushers in Suggs.
Chargers front seven versus Ravens offensive line and Justin Forsett
A breakout season in Baltimore is a big deal for Forsett, who is playing for his fifth team in seven seasons. The former seventh-round draft pick is well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season with 903 already in tow, and the seven rushing touchdowns he has thus far are already three more than his career high. A big part of Forsett's success has been the offensive line, which Pro Football Focus and Football Outsiders have in high regards.
San Diego has struggled at times with containing runners, but the front seven showed some resiliency against Tre Mason in the second half of last week's game that might trickle into Sunday's matchup with Baltimore.
Brandon Flowers/Shareece Wright versus Steve Smith
Steve Smith has had a massive impact on the Ravens' passing game in his first season with Baltimore. On 53 catches, the 14-year vet has netted 817 yards receiving with five touchdowns and is averaging 15.6 yards per grab. He and quarterback Joe Flacco have also gotten the deep ball working with 12 hookups of 20 yards or more.
For Brandon Flowers and Shareece Wright, the duty of matching up with the Ravens' No. 1 wideout will be no picnic. Smith plays with a tenacity and aggressive nature rarely seen in players his size. Did I mention he's aggressive?
X-Factor: Philip Rivers
As good as the Ravens are defensively, the shaky secondary leaves them vulnerable to the passing game. Rivers has put in some subpar performances the last few weeks, but he should have his way with Baltimore, which has surrendered 265 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Prediction
5 of 5
I can promise you one thing Sunday—there will be no "Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle" because Rice won't be available to convert any 4th-and-29s for the Ravens. Baltimore will, however, be a tough opponent to bring down.
The Ravens are headed by a strong defense led by Suggs, but the offense has started clicking with Forsett running the ball so well. The Chargers have the defensive prowess to hang around, but I wonder if the offense can pick them up with some run support.
Baltimore is a seven-point favorite as it stands right now, but I think San Diego keeps it to a field goal. The Chargers and Ravens made it a photo finish with overtime the last time out in 2012, but the Chargers finish this in regulation and come up short on the road.
Prediction: Ravens 17, Chargers 14
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
