San Diego Chargers Vs Jacksonville Jaguars: The Good, Bad, And Ugly For Bolts
The San Diego Chargers clearly outmatched the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon, easily closing a 38-13 win against the visiting Jaguars.
There was a lot to like in the Chargers game, but there were also a few things that San Diego players and fans will want to forget this week.
So, without further delay, here is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the San Diego Chargers' 38-13 win.
The Good: The San Diego Chargers Defense
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Four interceptions.
Two forced fumbles.
Two sacks.
Held the Jaguars to 350 yards of offense.
Six for twelve on third down stops.
What else needs to be said? The San Diego Chargers defense came out and played smash mouth football. The Chargers should feel very confident in their defense, because, after two games, they appear to be among the best in the League.
The Good: Antoine Cason
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Antoine Cason is starting to look like the player that the San Diego Chargers thought that he was going to be when they drafted him.
Cason put together an impressive performance against the Jaguars that included two interceptions, one forced fumble, six tackles, and several swats.
With a performance like that, are there any questions marks left in San Diego's backfield? And is anyone missing Antonio Cromartie?
Doubt it.
The Good: Mike Tolbert
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16 carries for 82 yards (5.1 yards per carry average) and two touchdowns would make you think that this guy is a featured back. Tolbert is an absolute monster at 5'9", 243 lbs. He has incredible strength and balance, almost always falls forward, and rarely gets stopped by the first tackler.
He put all that talent and more on display against a Jacksonville.
This kind of performance should earn Tolbert some extra playing time, considering the inferior performances of fellow backups Darren Sproles and Jacob Hester.
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The Good: Philip Rivers
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Two interceptions can spell disaster for a lot of quarterbacks, especially when they happen as quickly as they did for Philip Rivers.
However, Rivers proved why he is one of the League's best passers by rebounding from a troubling early game showing to end the game 22 of 29 for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Rivers made smart decisions and excellent throws to secure a comfortable lead before conceding the game to backup Billy Volek.
The Bad: The Turnovers
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Three turnovers are unacceptable. That kind of play can derail an offense and become a complete momentum shifter.
Those kinds of mistakes will undoubtedly change games against stronger competition, and cannot become a regular happening.
The offense did manage to turn things around, which is a good sign, but big mistakes early in games cause bad things (see the San Diego Chargers Week One game against Kansas City).
The Bad: Ryan Mathews
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To be clear, Ryan Mathews has a promising future ahead of him, and his 5.2 yards per carry average is an indication of that.
That having been said, Mathews needs to work on his ball security. his fumble against Kansas City was extremely costly, and his fumble against the Jaguars added to the early game woes of the San Diego Chargers.
Mathews still has some work to do before he can become a true featured back, so expect the Chargers to scale back his playing time for a while in favor of Mike Tolbert and Darren Sproles.
The Bad: Quentin Jammer
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While Antoine Cason was having a great game on the right side of the defense, Quentin Jammer was having a tough time over on the left side.
Jammer was losing step with some of the receivers he was covering, and had a very difficult time covering Mike Sims-Walker.
Jammer is usually a very reliable cornerback, but this week just was not his week.
The Ugly: Covering Mike Sims- Walker
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Mike Sims-Walker was the most reliable target for Jacksonville in this game. He had 10 receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown, and the Chargers refused to do anything about him.
Sims-Walker was left in single coverage for the majority of the game, and was allowed to haul in short and deep slant routes for easy first downs.
In the future, Ron Rivera must readjust his defensive strategy mid-game to account for hot receivers, or the Chargers may find it hard to make defensive stops.
The Ugly: The Blocked Punt
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It is asking a lot to expect perfect special teams play, but at this point the San Diego Chargers seem to be developing a bad reputation on punts and kicks.
The blocked punt today only reminds Chargers fans of last week in Kansas City when San Diego gave up a 94 yard punt return for a touchdown, a mistake that ultimately cost them the game.
The Chargers need to tighten up their special teams play or risk giving up bad points and bad turnovers every week.
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