Previewing the Matchups: Chargers vs. Jets

Its Mid-January and time for the Final Four of the AFC to go at it. There are several Key Matchups that will be key for each team to win in order to move on to face the winner of Indy-Baltimore. There are a few questions that will be answered on Sunday. Can Mark Sanchez step it up considerably? Can the Chargers Offense gain yards and more importantly score? Is the Jets Defense really a #1 D or did they feast off of offensively poor teams. Lets focus on the major components of each team first.

Jets Offense vs Chargers Defense:

The big story line here is the power running game mixed in with a little misdirection magic provided by the Jets. Against Cincinnati in the Wild Card round, the Jets were successful running misdirection plays. The beauty being a full back fake/half back toss (my favorite run play in Madden). Everybody knows the Jets are going to run the ball. They were #1 in the League in Rushing with 607 carries for 2756 yards. With a fumble every 45 carries expect the Chargers to attempt stripping the ball. The only bad thing about being the #1 Rushing team is being 31st in the league in passing. The Chargers Defense has played good Red Zone Defense and is 4th in the league in Turnover Differential. With the speed on the outside, because of the 3-4 Defense, expect the Bolts not to bite too hard on Misdirection plays. The Jets will outrush the Chargers and this is probably the only advantage they may have overall. The Chargers Secondary includes Eric Weddle, Kevin Ellison, and Quentin Jammer. All of these players are physical and hard hitters. Expect this game to get Physical from time to time. If the Chargers get some quick scores, expect the Jets to Play catch up. With an untested rookie no longer able to manage the game and instead make some big plays the Bolts will put pressure and cause turnovers. Mark Sanchez had 12 TD’s, 20 INT’s and 2 Fumbles. Expect big plays from a Chargers Secondary who, in reality, are not being tested.

Chargers Offense vs. Jets Defense

The Chargers Offense ranks 3rd in the league in Points per game. They are a Pass first Run second team. The Jets D has not been tested all year, like they will be tested on Sunday. The Jets have feasted on weak offenses most of the year with the exception of the Patriots and the Saints. They are 1-2 in those games. This IS the reason the Jets are the #1 rated Defense. I’m not taking away the caliber of Defensive team they are but they will truly be tested. The Difference Makers for the Chargers will be Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd. With support from L.T. and Darren Sproles out of the Backfield with screen passes and dumps they will make the Chargers Offense very Dangerous. Then there is Vincent Jackson. Darrelle Revis has been very successful all year and is the reason why most teams cannot throw on the Jets. Then there is the Chargers, but most importantly, the size of the Chargers. Jets CB’s, Revis and Sheppard, are 5′10″ and 5′11″ respectively. They will have to match up with Receivers that are each half a foot taller and 30lbs heavier. Another weapon is Antonio Gates. The Jets have yet to face a Tight End with his ability. Antonio Gates is Philip Rivers favorite target. SS Jim Leonhard will match up with Antonio Gates most of the game with some help from FS Kerry Rhodes. Bringing in a Free Safety to help with the Tight End will leave their CB’s on islands with very large receivers. Antonio Gates is too good to cover with a LB as he has proved all year long. To add to all this is the Scoring ability of Ladainian Tomlinson. He may not be what he used to be but in goal line situations he is a threat.

Special Teams

Each team has a very strong kicking game. For the Chargers, Nate Kaeding holds the highest kicking percentage in NFL history with a 87.2% average. He is perfect inside of 40 yards this season, has a season long of 55 yards and hasn’t missed a Field Goal since Week 7. Jay Feely is 30/36 on the year with all his misses coming in the 30 - 50 yard Range. Both Kickers are in the top 10 of the league, Feely #7 and Kaeding #1. The Game Changer on special teams has to be Darren Sproles. With his big play ability (on Offense too) he will most likely be avoided by the Jets kickers and punters. Both teams are middle of the pack in special teams coverage with San Diego being slightly higher. Expect the Chargers to utilize the return game of Sproles to try and control field position.

Overall this is going to be a good game. The Jets run defense will probably not be challenged unless they go fewer than 7 in the box. The Chargers will score points. The Jets will have to play catch up and with a rookie at the helm against a team that hasn’t lost since October expect The Sanchize to make some mistakes through the air. The tempo of the game will dictate the outcome. If its a close game, control of the clock will be crucial. Philip Rivers is clutch in the 4th Quarter, and has the uncanny ability to close out games. Can the Jets keep up throughout the game if its a high tempo game? Probably not. Can the Chargers play a slow version of the game and pull it out in the 4th Quarter? I doubt they will need to prove that.

San Diego 30, Jets 17.