Chargers vs. Jets: 4 Things We Learned About San Diego in 27-21 Loss

The San Diego Chargers were complacent. Plain and simple.

With a 21-10 lead after the first half, they were firing on all cylinders against the New York Jets. Unfortunately, first halves are not when games are won

San Diego came out flat, being outscored 17-0 in the second half. The Jets earned a much-needed win, while the Chargers are still searching to find their potential.

There were some encouraging signs from San Diego's effort on Sunday. But today's game will be remembered as a collapse of epic proportions.

Here is what we learned about the Chargers in Week 7.

The Two-Faced Chargers Played Two Different Halves

It took the Chargers only four plays to get on the scoreboard. For a team known for its slow starts, the defense made sure they would not have another one.

San Diego’s most improved defensive player, Donald Butler, managed to strip Jets’ tight end Dustin Keller and hold onto the ball, finishing the spectacular individual effort for an early score. The Chargers followed on their third possession with a six-minute drive ending with an Antonio Gates touchdown. 

But with one good half behind them, the Chargers got ahead of themselves.

The second half presented two entirely different teams. The Chargers looked flat on offense, unable to finish drives with scores. Rivers could only manage to throw the check down pass and to Jets defensive backs. Defensively they were exploited with one-on-one matchups, with Plaxico Burress causing red-zone havoc with three scores. The defensive unit also looked outworked in the trenches; they could not pressure Sanchez and could not manage to stop Shonn Greene’s big day.

Today reinforced the doubt in the Chargers' will to win. Once this team gets their act together for all four quarters, only then will they be able to challenge the NFL’s elite.

Too Many Penalties in Critical Situations

Charger fans were expecting a disciplined squad coming off a bye week and two weeks to prepare for the Jets. What they got was a lot of those yellow flags.

San Diego finished the game with 13 penalties, resulting in 95 yards of infractions. Those penalty yards equal more than half of the Chargers passing total for the day, mustering only 178 yards.

The Chargers were unable to avoid getting flagged in crucial points in the game. They were flagged with a pass-interference call on a pivotal third down that resulted in the Jets' final score. If some of these mistakes were avoided, the Chargers could have held their lead in the fourth quarter.

San Diego will have to steer clear of sloppy play if they want to get back to winning in the upcoming weeks.

Rex Ryan’s Taunting of Norv Turner Makes a Ton of Sense

Ryan famously remarked this week about Turner’s inability to win with so much talent in San Diego. The Jets’ coach followed with an encore by outcoaching Turner, pulling out a 21-0 second half.

It seemed that Ryan had Turner’s number all half, as his strategic decisions turned into points while the Chargers scored zilch. Defensively, the Jets were aggressive all game, forcing Philip Rivers to throw the check down rather than downfield. Turner had all week to prepare for the Jets' unique blitz packages and still was unable to take advantage with Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson healthy.

More importantly, with the game on the line, Turner mismanaged communication with Rivers, who had no idea that the game’s final play was  fourth down. Critical mistakes like those after a bye week are inexcusable.

With the majority of San Diego’s wins being against the NFL’s bottom half, Turner has been unable to close out a top opponent.

The Jets Have Proven To Be a Tough Matchup for San Diego

The Chargers have not been able to beat the Jets since Ryan took over in 2008, including New York’s upset over them in the playoffs that year. 

The Jets’ defensive scheme has caused Philip Rivers and the Chargers' offense problems in both contests. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has blanketed his side of the field and caused the Chargers’ top targets fits. Rex Ryan’s blitz packages have disrupted the Chargers’ protections and pressured River into forced throws.

Even though the Jets have been vulnerable in the trenches, the Chargers have failed to exploit these weaknesses. Due to San Diego’s failures, New York has looked better than advertised. Shonn Greene has proved to be San Diego’s kryptonite, rushing for 100 yards, and Sanchez was protected well enough in the second half to make the necessary plays to win. Defensively the Chargers couldn’t get a push running the ball, forcing Rivers in 3^rd-and-longs that he could not convert.

If the Chargers have a Super Bowl run in them, it would help if they could avoid Rex Ryan’s team this season.