t what worked and what didn’t work for the Bolts. What Worked -With RB
Ladainian Tomlinson playing an alien role as a spectator for much of the game, back-up RB Michael Turner took heed of the opportunity. Turner thrust through the Pats defense running 65 yards on 17 carries. RB Darren Sproles aided the effort going 34 yards on 3 carries- an astounding 11.3 yards per carry average. -Antonio Cromartie, Drayton Florence, and Quentin Jammer each swiped one of Patriots QB Tom Brady’s passes out of the air. Brady’s 3 interceptions in one game is a far cry from the 8 interceptions he threw all season. Notably, Cromartie’s grab broke Brady’s two year streak with no red-zone interceptions. -The same trio also prevented the threat of Patriots WR Randy Moss. Moss seized only one catch for 18 yards. The Pats WR’s were held to just 11 catches for 97 yards. -K Nate Kaeding’s consistency proved to be one of the few things in sync. Kaeding landed 4 out of 4 field goals, the only Charger to slap the score board. -QB Philip Rivers coped admirably with his knee injury completing 19 of 37 passes for 211 yards. Although his play may be seen as just average, he played under extraordinary circumstances. Confirming Monday to have undergone knee surgery to remove loose cartilage in his knee the day after the Chargers upset the Colts, he played the entire game with no ACL in his right knee. -Rivers found rhythm in his passing game leading WR Vincent Jackson with six catches for 93 yards and WR Chris Chambers with seven catches for 90 yards. What didn’t Work -First and foremost, the Chargers needed to trade some of the field goals for touchdowns. With three opportunities in the red zone, none of which converted into a touchdown, a win for the Bolts would have involved more than just Kaeding’s points. -Too many injuries were given a face on the Chargers’ roster. The banged up Bolts were missing NFL’s leader in rushing yards, RB
Continue reading "The Bolts Fold to the Brady Bunch"
