Know Your Enemy: San Diego Chargers
The day of the first football game in the Minnesota Vikings’ new home at US Bank Stadium is finally upon us! Coming to town are the San Diego Chargers (1-1), fresh off a defensive powered 19-3 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Chargers will hope this matchup bodes much better for them than their 2015 week three loss, 31-14, the last time they were in Minneapolis.
The Chargers are hoping for a better result in 2016 than what their 4-12 record in 2015 offered them. The Charges dealt with a wealth of injuries, none more devastating than losing wide receiver, Keenan Allen. Nine of their 11 losses were by eight or fewer points, showing they were contentious in nearly every game they played of the 2015 season.
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Strengths
The Chargers boast one of the most prolific passing attacks in the NFL. Allen provides quarterback, Philip Rivers, with one of the best receivers in the game. In 2015, Allen only played in eight games but amassed 67 receptions for 725 yards and added four touchdowns. Factor in the elusive and sure-handed Danny Woodhead and defenses get to drive themselves crazy trying to figure out how to stop this dynamic Bolts’ offense.
Rivers had another standout season in 2015. He finished second in the league with 4,792 passing yards and 12th in the league with 29 passing touchdowns. What Rivers brings to the game cannot always be found on a stat sheet though. The intensity he brings in the huddle is the main driving force behind the Chargers offense.
The inside of the Chargers 3-4 base defense boasts two of the younger, more talented linebackers in the NFL. Denzel Perryman and Manti Te’o’s development will be key to the Chargers’ defense making vast strides this year. Te’o led the team in tackles in 2015 and just watch Perryman do his thing here:
Perryman reads plays so fast he's going to put someone in the hospital this year pic.twitter.com/7JI0PyMgiz
— KP (@KP_Show) August 20, 2016
Weaknesses
Much like the Vikings and their first two opponents, the Chargers offensive line is a work in progress. According to ESPN’s Eric D. Williams, the Chargers used 24 different offensive lineman combinations in 2015. Adding injury to insult, their starting right guard, D.J. Fluker will undergo an MRI for a right foot injury he suffered in Monday’s practice.
In 2015, the Chargers were atrocious versus the run and the Vikings exploited that aspect, rushing Adrian Peterson 20 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers finished 2015, 27th in the NFL against the run, 21st in points allowed and 20th in overall defense. Their defense should be much improved but 2016 first round draft pick, Joey Bosa still has yet to sign with the team.
How can the Vikings win?
This may be a recurring theme, week-to-week, but the Vikings have to run the ball more effectively and stop the run, especially on early downs. With Teddy Bridgewater’s status up in the air, the Vikings will have to run the ball to keep the quickness of the Chargers defense at bay.
In any game, especially the preseason, teams must take advantage of field position. When teams have zero clue where production will come from, kickers and punters have to be effective in turning the field over for their teams. This being the first game in U.S. Bank Stadium, Jeff Locke and Blair Walsh must capitalize on their opportunities in order for the Vikings to win this one.
Matchups
Vikings | Chargers | |
Coaching | Mike McCoy isn’t a bad coach, Zimmer just gets more production out of his talent to date | |
Offensive line | Just barely gets the edge here | |
Quarterbacks | Philip Rivers is very good, yet as underrated as it gets | |
Running backs | Adrian Peterson is, as usual, expected to sit this one out yet I still believe in McKinnon | |
Receivers | Wash in this one. Vikings have depth at the position. | Chargers have Allen and Gates, two proven players |
Defensive line | May be deepest in the league; talent at every level | |
Linebackers | Even if Kendricks sits again, slight edge to the purple | |
Defensive backs | Getting better each day under Zimmer | |
Special teams | Slight edge due to returners | |
Total | 7 | 1 |
When looking at the matchups table, readers may incorrectly assume that the Vikings should man-handle the Chargers on Sunday. On the contrary, the Chargers are a much better team than they were a year ago and should compete with the Vikings throughout this matchup. The greatest strength of the purple and gold is their depth at every level of every defensive position.
Wrap up
The Chargers have talented young defensive players in Jason Verrett, Jahleel Addae and Denzel Perryman on a much improved defense in 2016, however, many questions remain; most of which are centered around when Bosa will join the clubhouse.
Major questions surrounding the Chargers are never about the offense but revolve around whether the defense can perform at a high level. As pointed out earlier, the Chargers lost all but two of their defeats by less than eight points. Eight points! That means, if the defense could have held their ground one or two more time in each game, a record of 4-12 could have quickly turned into 8-8 or even better.
With one of the most explosive offenses in the league, the Chargers will yet again be another great test for Mike Zimmer’s vaunted defense. Since Zimmer is never one to leave things up to chance, look for him to put as much pressure on the quarterback as possible again this week.
Justin Ekstrom can be followed on Twitter @thesportscrib21 and be sure to follow and comment about vikings32 on Facebook and Twitter.
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