Ravens Bend But Did Not Break

Week 2 the San Diego Chargers got into a high-powered offensive shootout with the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens defense, once the bread and butter of the entire team by choking down their opponent's offense and win in a low scoring, defensive struggle, is a complete opposite of it's past form. Not only did Kansas City, a team that could only muster 10 points against the Raiders in week 2, but now the Chargers were able to move the ball on the Ravens defense.

Phillip Rivers continues to impress and make his statement as an 'elite' quarterback in the NFL. He had a career high 436 yards passing and 2 touchdowns...Yes, Rivers and the receiving corps had a huge day...Vincent Jackson made an unbelievable touchdown catch in triple coverage, Antonio Gates had a few really nice plays, Chambers and Floyd were present throughout the day and Darren Sproles was a beast. But what failed the Chargers on this Sunday was two-fold...first the defense. If the Ravens defense was bad, the Charger defense was worst. Only 1 sack, again, for the Chargers this week and there was a bit more visible pressure, but overall the defense failed. The second glaring weakness for the Chargers was their inability to score when they got inside the red zone. The possession that had me totally screaming at the television was right before the half Vincent Jackson makes a great catch right at the goalline, there is less than 2 minutes in the half and the replay booth wanted to take a look at the catch to see if it may have possibly been a touchdown, so the clock is stopped for an entire replay timeout...which seemed to last way longer than it needed too...the review was complete the play stands as called, first and goal with the ball on the one yard line...the Chargers then get a delay of game penalty...Are you kidding me??? A delay of game penalty after you were gifted a timeout for a replay review...what are you doing during this timeout that you don't have a play ready to be called if the play remains as called? I was thoroughly disgusted...three, three times the Chargers had the ball inside the 5 yard line and all three times they were unable to score a touchdown...that is just bad...

And then it should be no surprise how and why the game ended the way it did...The Chargers defense was bad...anytime the Ravens needed to score they marched right down the field and did so. The Ravens were able to mix their run and pass nicely to keep the Charger defense running aimlessly around, like it seemed they did most of the game. The Chargers, on the other hand, gained most of their yards through the air as Rivers was able to throw on the Ravens defense...but when the Chargers got close to the goal line their offense seemed to falter...sometimes due to the Chargers own ineptness. The Chargers were unable to run the ball at all during the day and Norv Turner thought that on 4th and 2 it would work when the game was on the line...and it didn't. Not only did it not work, Ray Lewis had the play sniffed out from the snap and made the Chargers pay dearly for trying to run on him when the game mattered.

The Chargers have Miami in town this week... I've said that I think the Wildcat offense is a gimmick offense and won't last in the NFL...well, against the Charger defense I've watched for the first two games of this season, it will make the Wildcat look like the greatest offense of all-time...