It was announced early in the week that backup quarterback Kellen Clemens might have to take the field for the Los Angeles Chargers. Starter Philip Rivers suffered a concussion in week 10, leading to a “questionable” injury status. As it happens, Clemens ended up playing, but only after Rivers trotted off the field triumphantly after establishing a massive lead over the visiting Buffalo Bills.
In addition to the news concerning Rivers, the Bills served up their own bit of quarterback controversy. They announced early in the week that they would be benching veteran signal caller Tyrod Taylor in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman. Many Bills fans were happy with the call. They felt Taylor had already reached his peak as a game manager. Peterman, whoever, could prove to be a franchise quarterback, but they needed more tape to find out. This proved to be a disastrous decision, as Peterman lasted only a half before Taylor entered into the game.
Overall, very few things went the Bills way as the Chargers ended the first half with a staggering 30 point lead en route to a final score of 54-24.
Week 11 Los Angeles Chargers Takeaways
Chargers Defense Dominates
The Chargers defense tallied a whopping five interceptions in the first half, capitalizing on the Bills decision to start an inexperienced rookie. Corner Casey Hayward, who had two of the five interceptions, explained to media that he, and his teammates, felt disrespected by the Bills decision to start Peterman. Hayward also expressed satisfaction in their performance, claiming that the Chargers defense was able to capitalize on the move by Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott. The Chargers secondary were certainly the stars of the show for the defense.
The pass-rushing duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram were once again instrumental. Many of the interceptions came on plays when Peterman faced tremendous pressure. In the second half, Bosa knocked the ball out of Taylor’s hands. That led to Ingram scooping the ball up and taking it in for the second Chargers defensive touchdown of the day.
Keenan Allen Leads the Way on Offense
Keenan Allen is generally respected as a top receiver in the league. He has shown it at times this season. Still, there has been much disappointment over Allen’s inability to score touchdowns (just one this season.) However, Allen proved to be an unstoppable force on Sunday, piling up 159 yards and two touchdowns against a helpless Bills secondary.
Allen was definitely the MVP of the game for the Chargers, at least on offense. However, the Chargers run game also provided a significant boost to the offense. Melvin Gordon scored a touchdown and piled up 80 yards. Austin Ekeler, the undrafted rookie coming off a two touchdown performance, also scored touchdown, though it came in garbage time.
Rivers looked great once again this week, as rumors of his concussion appeared to be a non-issue. He moved the ball with ease, scoring two touchdowns and passing for 251 yards. He was able to do all that in just three full quarters of play. With the exception of his three interception performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in week three, Rivers has played fantastic football all season. The offense has looked anemic at times (averaging a modest 18.6 points per game prior to Week 11), but perhaps this blowout victory signals a change.
Chargers Still Alive in the Playoff Picture
One would think that beginning the season 0-4 would likely eliminate a team from playoff contention. That assumption would be correct regarding the other teams who began the season in this fashion. The Cleveland Browns (0-10), New York Giants (2-8), and San Francisco 49ers (1-8) will not be playing postseason football come January. At 4-6, though, the Chargers are definitely in the hunt.
Since beginning the season (0-4), the Chargers have managed a 4-2 record against a schedule of tough opponents. The road ahead is much easier. The final six opponents the Chargers will face have a combined 23-37 record. Considering the Chargers are two games back from the Chiefs in the division and they are merely one game back in the AFC wild card, the playoffs remain a very real possibility for the once winless team.
The Chargers next play the struggling Dallas Cowboys on their home turf on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas will no doubt prove to be a difficult opponent. Still, the Chargers appear capable of pulling off the upset.
