The San Diego Chargers, notoriously slow starters in recent seasons, consider their 2-1 record a major stride.
They’ve done it without, for the most part, running back LaDainian Tomlinson and a couple of starting offensive linemen. Which means they’ve done it without a running game.
The Chargers rank 31st – second to last – in the NFL in rushing. That’s not a figure likely to improve much when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) Sunday night at Heiniz Field. The Steelers rank sixth in rushing defense.
The Chargers like to run and want to run. Maybe Tomlinson can return in Pittsburgh and help them establish a rushing presence.
“The fact that we’re 2-1 without getting it done is a big plus,” quarterback Philip Rivers says. “We’re going to run the football. We’re going to get it done.”
For now, the Chargers must rely on Rivers and their receivers. Rivers’ 739 passing yards in the last two games are the most in back-to-back outings for the club since Hall of Famer Dan Fouts passed for 784 in 1985.
Their 2-1 start is their best since 2006. Slow out of the gate or not, the Chargers have won the AFC West four of the last five years, including in 2008 when they won their last three games to finish 8-8 and edge out the Denver Broncos.
The Chargers average 2.8 yards per rush and Tomlinson has only 13 carries for 55 yards. They don’t have a rush longer than 13 yards and neither Darren Sproles nor Michael Bennett gives them the consistent slashing of Tomlinson, nor his pass-receiving skills. San Diego has run the ball 72 times and passed it 114. Rivers has also been sacked seven times.
“We’ve played two good run defenses (Baltimore and Miami),” head coach Norv Turner says. “You’re going to have to take some more opportunities in throwing the football. You do have to create some big plays in the passing game because you’re probably not going to get them in the running game.”
That’s what they’ve done. They’ve produced nine pass plays of 25 yards or more, including touchdowns of 81 and 35 yards. They’re tied with the Indianapolis Colts for most passing plays of 20 yards or more (14) and rank second in the league in passing offense to the Colts.
Tomlinson’s absence hurt the Chargers in the red zone, where they’ve scored just one touchdown on their last 11 penetrations of the opponents’ 20-yard line. Their 15 trips inside the 20 are second best in the NFL but they’ve scored only four touchdowns. Their touchdown percentage of 26.7 ranks 30th in the NFL.
Tomlinson (ankle) took part in practice Wednesday and Thursday, so he should be able to get on the field. Turner says he is “making the kind of progress we hoped for. Based on what I’ve seen I think there’s a good chance” that LT plays. Guard Louis Vasquez (knee) is also on the verge of returning.
Heinz Field has never been terribly accommodating to the Chargers. They’ve never won there (0-3), nor in Pittsburgh at all since the 1994 season’s AFC championship game.
They are, however, 5-0 since 2002 against defending Super Bowl champions.
The Steelers come off a pair of three-point road losses in which they let leads slip away. They defeated the Chargers twice last season, once in the playoffs.
Don’t underestimate the value of a fast start, or even a 2-2 one, for the Chargers. In 2004 they were 1-2 and finished 12-4. In 2007 they turned a 1-3 start into an 11-5 season and reached the AFC championship game. Last season they were 3-5 but won their last four to steal the division.
QUOTABLE: “I think drama just happens when your team isn’t winning. The reality of it is, you could have a ton of drama but if you’re 15-1, 16-0, it is really minimized. If you are going to start losing, stuff is going to become more important to the outside perspective.” – Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo, whose team is 2-1. ... “It would be nice to get out there and jump out to an early lead so we can really see what this team is made of but it’s not the most important thing.” – Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie coach Raheem Morris, whose team has yet to score in the first quarter. ... “Didn’t you just watch the game? What do you think?” – Buffalo Bills WR Terrell Owens, asked about the team’s offensive problems in a 27-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Owens had no receptions, ending a consecutive game streak of 185 with one catch or more. Owens has continued to complain about his media obligations, saying he won’t be “baited” into controversial statements.
OKIE DOKIE: The Green Bay Packers continue to get comfortable in their new 3-4 scheme and with rookie nose tackle B.J. Raji, their No. 1 pick, who got off to a slow start due to injury. Going into St. Louis to play the Rams, the Packers decided to try to shut down running back Steven Jackson with an even different look. They went with a five-linebacker scheme they call ‘Big Okie’ but Jackson rambled for 117 yards on 27 carries in the Packers’ 36-17 victory. “A lot of good things came out of ‘Big Okie’ but there are definitely some things we need to clean up,” coach Mike McCarthy says. At the very least it covered up some holes in the secondary where the safeties have been hurt and personnel changes rampant. Anyone planning to watch Monday Night Football, when the Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings and renew old friendships with Brett Favre?
EXTRA POINTS: Great note from Mike Lombardi at National Football Post. The Cleveland Browns have had 36 offensive possessions and 26 have resulted in either one or no first downs. Doesn’t seem like naming Derek Anderson the starting QB will be an immediate momentum-changer for this 0-3 team. The Browns have gained a total of 654 yards. Fourteen teams have more than that in passing yardage alone. “Obviously what we’ve done can’t be fixed over night,” Anderson says. “We’ve turned the ball over and put our defense in tough positions.” ... Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver says he would consider playing two home games a year in Orlando if the NFL expands the season to 18 games. The Jags are not expecting to sell out any of their home games this season. ... The New York Giants have gone consecutive games without a sack and are the NFL’s worst team in red-zone efficiency. Yet they are 3-0 and facing the winless Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. This will be their third consecutive road game. ... The New York Jets-New Orleans Saints game matches two 3-0 teams. The Saints lead the NFL in total offense while the Jets are third in defense. The Saints average 438 yards a game. “Wish we were playing them at our place,” Jets coach Rex Ryan says. “We know, certainly, it’s not going to be easy.” So he likes the challenge of defending against QB Drew Brees and his mates? “No, not really,” Ryan says. “I’d rather go up against the last-place offense.” ... The Houston Texans allow an unbelievable 204.7 rushing yards a game. ... NFL teams permit a third-down conversion rate of 38.1 percent but the Redskins rank last, with 51.2 percent made against them. The only team remotely in that territory is the Indianapolis Colts at 50 percent. ... RB Cedric Benson’s career resurgence continues in Cincinnati. The Bengals’ surprise mainstay ranks second in the AFC and third in the NFL in rushing with 293 yards and he averages 4.4 yards a carry. ... Carolina Panthers coach John Fox says Jake Delhomme remains the starting QB for that struggling team.
Larry Weisman covered professional football for USA TODAY for 25 years and now joins the Redskins Broadcast Network and Redskins.com to bring his unique viewpoint and experience to Redskins fans. Go to Redskins.com for the Redskins Blitz column and NFL Blitz on Friday. Larry also appears on The Jim Zorn Show on WRC-TV on Saturday night, on Redskins Nation, airing twice nightly on Comcast SportsNet, and on ESPN 980 AM radio, all in the Washington, D.C. area. Read his blog at redskinsrule.com and follow him on Twitter.com/LarryWeisman.
