Chargers vs. Vikings: 5 Things We've Learned from Both Teams after Sunday's Game

Coming into Sunday's game, the Chargers, and their fans, were convinced that the special teams woes of a year ago were over and done with. A thing of the past. As Percy Harvin dodged defenders on the opening kickoff, Qualcomm stadium held their collective breaths, not daring to watch another special teams melt down.

The Chargers didn't have to wait long to be reminded of an ugly 2010, as Harvin returned that kickoff 103 yards for an early 7-0 Vikings lead. Luckily for the Chargers, they have Philip Rivers, who, despite two interceptions, showed composure to lead his team back from a 17-7 half time score. The Chargers outscored the Vikings 17-0 in the second half, and with the help of three Tolbert touchdowns, were able to avoid another slow start.

We learned a lot this this past Sunday, but here are a few things you should keep an eye on for the rest of the season.

The Chargers' Special Teams Are Still a Work in Progress

The opening kickoff was a dagger in the hearts of Charger fans this Sunday. Though Percy Harvin is a dynamic return man, and people shouldn't forget that, the Chargers' special teams is obviously still adjusting to Rick Bisaccia's new schemes.

Not much blame should be put on Bisaccia. Gamble and Kaeding (who may have been lost for the season on that opening kick after tearing his ACL) missed tackles and various Chargers over pursued, allowing Harvin to cut-back across the field untouched.

Not just the kickoff coverage looked shaky, though. Punt and punt returned look over matched as well. Brian Walters looked to be stuck in sand with nowhere to go (he only average 7.6 yards a return, totaling 36 yards on five returns). Marcus Sherels, the vikings punt return man, very nearly broke one after the Chargers failed containment in the second quarter. Mike Scifres did his best to counter-act the poor coverage with three booming punts, one of which was caught and downed at the Vikings' 8-yard line.

This opening kickoff return set the tone for the game and really put the Chargers back on their heels. This allowed the Vikings to play conservative on both sides of the ball and ride into halftime with a 17-7 lead. This type of play is not going to fly for the Chargers on the road against tougher teams this year such as the Patriots and Jets.

Look for there to be changes across the board on every special teams squad this week. 

The Vikings Are Going to Rely Heavily on Adrian Peterson

Out of the 26 carries and seven completions (33 total) for the Vikings this past Sunday, Adrian Peterson was given a total of 18 touches. That happens to be 55 percent of the Vikings' offense. 

If the Vikings are going to be successful this year, they are going to have to utilize their other playmakers. The Chargers were able to stack the box all day against the Vikings because they knew that Peterson was getting the ball. If it were not for one long run (46 yards, his longest of the day which he basically created for himself), Peterson would have been held to around 50 yards rushing. 

Percy Harvin is a major threat on the offensive side of the ball, yet, the Vikings seemed content with giving him hand offs and lining him up in the slot. Yes, he is not the prototypical No. 1 wide out in the NFL, but he has the athleticism to more than make up for his height (5'11"). They need to focus on getting him open more in the passing game and give McNabb some options.

If the Vikings can utilize their other players more, things are going to open up much more often for Peterson. He was still able to manage 6.1 YPC even though the rest of his offense was not helping him out much.

The Chargers Pass Rush Is Nasty

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The Chargers had McNabb on the run all day long. Though they did not put up big sack numbers (two), they had McNabb uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing him to run around and make plays with his legs. The combinations of Antwan Barnes, Travis Laboy and Shaun Philips coming off the edge gave the Vikings O-Line fits.

Barnes, specifically, was outstanding, making the most out of his playing time. He looked lightening fast off the edge and was constantly in McNabb's face.

The interior rush was also great. Liuget had an extremely productive game (even though he only had one TFL, two total), and Antonio Garay made the case that he is not just a one-year wonder. Garay was the most dominating force on the field throughout the game. This great push by the front three also allowed the Chargers to shut down the running game in the second half.

This should have Chargers fans excited about their 2011 defense. Yes, they were gashed at times by the Vikings running game, but who isn't when Adrian Peterson is running the ball?

The one thing that was lacking from the Chargers in 2010 was their interior pass rush, but they looked to have fixed that problem in 2011.

Look for the sack totals to pile up as the season goes on. Many forget that the Chargers were second in the NFL in sacks this past season with 47. 

McNabb Is Still Learning the Offense

Many were quick to jump on McNabb's back after he only completed seven passes and posted a QB rating of 47.9. That criticism was unearned. McNabb was not asked to do much all day long (he only attempted 15 passes), and when he was, the offensive line for the Vikings broke down.

McNabb did what he could against a swarming Chargers defense. He rushed three times for 36 yards (one rush was a knee); two of those carries resulted in first downs. His longest carry of the day, 23 yards, resulted in a Ryan Longwell field goal.

It is easy to blame McNabb for the Vikings deflating loss, but if you watched the game, you would have realized that he did what he could. There were various balls that were dropped and should have been caught. The one long ball that was under thrown to a streaking Bernard Berrian was disrupted at the line of scrimmage as Travis LaBoy screamed in and got a piece of McNabb.

The play calling of the Vikings is to blame in this loss. McNabb only attempted four passes in the third quarter and three passes in the fourth.

On their first drive of the third, they had a drop by Harvin and that ball which was under thrown due to pressure by LaBoy.

On the second of their two drives in that same quarter, they pulled McNabb for Joe Webb. They had Webb run for -2 yards, Percy Harvin run for two yards, then they put McNabb back in on third in long, only to see McNabb come under pressure and throw it at the feet of Peterson.

It was much of the same in the fourth quarter, where the Vikings only managed six plays from scrimmage.

Vikings fans should be demanding more from their coaching staff.

Norv Turner Is Still Content with Starting Slow

Norv Turner promised a faster starting team in first half of games this 2011 season. Turner, simply put, did not live up to his promise.

Let's take a look at the first half drives and why the Chargers trailed early.

1st drive—Run, Run, Pass, Punt

Norv does this every game. This is why you rarely see the Chargers scoring on the first drives of games. The Vikings were able to bring the heat, because they knew the Chargers had to pass, resulting in an off-target throw by Rivers.

2nd drive—Run, Run, Pass (TD)

Same sequence, luckily the Chargers were at the five yard line.

3rd drive—Pass (1st down), Run, Run, Sack, Punt

Look what happens when you pass on first down, Norv! Much of the same. Norv always comes out that he is establishing the run with these drives. Meanwhile, back on earth, the Vikings go up 10-7 on their next drive. Again, on third down, the Vikings bring the heat, this time reaching Rivers for the sack

4th Drive—Run, Pass, Pass, Punt

By the fourth time on the field, the Viking's defense guess that they will not be running it for the third time on second and long. They only rush four on second down and bring the heat on third down, resulting in another punt. On the next drive the Vikings go up 17-7 after poor punt coverage and a busted run by Peterson.

You get the point. On the fifth drive of the game, the Chargers threw on first down three separate times and drove all the way down the field, only to be stiffed on 4th-and-20 because they did not have a field-goal kicker.

On the final drive of the quarter, Rivers threw for two consecutive first downs on first down, driving all the way down the field only to be intercepted on the 17-yard line after the ball way tipped in the air.

Norv, his whole career in San Diego, has been content with setting up the run early on in games. This resulted in the Chargers having to play from behind the whole 2010 season. He was outscored 36-110 in the first half of games last year, forcing Rivers to make magic happen in the second half of games.

This is all going to have to change if the Chargers are going to be successful this year.