3TFO: Chargers @ Saints, Week 5

papz · 10-05-2012, 03:25 PM

Despite the difference in records, the Sunday Night Football matchup in the Superdome between the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints should be a good one. There are plenty of storylines as Drew Brees and Darren Sproles go against their former team and the Chargers look to come away with a win after losing in the last matchup between these two teams, which was played in London.

The Saints offense is almost back on track after a good showing against Green Bay in which Brees was without an interception for the first time this season. However, the Saints struggled in the red zone and lost, in part, on a missed field goal by Garret Hartley — his second of the season. After losing their past two games by a combined four points, the Saints host a team that took advantage of six Kansas City turnovers in Week 4 and hope to exploit a listless defense this week.

One good sign for the Saints is that the last time they started 0-4, in 2007, they came away with their first victory on Sunday Night Football against the Seahawks in Week 5. Can they get that elusive first victory of the year? Here are some matchups to keep an eye on.

Two Rivers

It’s no surprise that almost all quarterbacks are less effective when under pressure, but some players clearly handle the pass rush better than others. In the first four games, Philip Rivers has fallen into the first category, as he has looked like a completely different player, completing fewer than 50% of his passes when pressured. Only five quarterbacks have a larger drop-off in accuracy when pressured than the Chargers’ QB. And Rivers has felt the heat often this season, pressured on 39% of his drop-backs, up from 29% last season. While he does do a good job avoiding costly sacks, taking them only 14% of the time, Rivers has to make better decisions throwing the ball in these situations.

The good thing for San Diego is that the Saints don’t put much pressure on the quarterback. They come in with PFF’s second worst cumulative pass rush grade and have managed just 43 quarterback disruptions through four games, despite getting pass rush specialists Junior Galette and Martez Wilson on the field more in recent weeks. It might be time to start blitzing more often, as Roman Harper led the team in sacks a season ago, but has rushed the passer just 13 times this season including only three times against Green Bay.

If they don’t get to Rivers it could be another long day for the New Orleans defense, because when not under pressure, Rivers is completing 80% of his passes and averaging over 8 yards per attempt. San Diego should have favorable matchups in the passing game with Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates, and former Saint Robert Meachem, who might be playing with a chip on his shoulder against his former team.

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10-05-2012, 03:25 PM	#1
papz Problem? Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Orleans Posts: 11,768	3TFO: Chargers @ Saints, Week 5 Despite the difference in records, the Sunday Night Football matchup in the Superdome between the San Diego Chargers and the New Orleans Saints should be a good one. There are plenty of storylines as Drew Brees and Darren Sproles go against their former team and the Chargers look to come away with a win after losing in the last matchup between these two teams, which was played in London. The Saints offense is almost back on track after a good showing against Green Bay in which Brees was without an interception for the first time this season. However, the Saints struggled in the red zone and lost, in part, on a missed field goal by Garret Hartley — his second of the season. After losing their past two games by a combined four points, the Saints host a team that took advantage of six Kansas City turnovers in Week 4 and hope to exploit a listless defense this week. One good sign for the Saints is that the last time they started 0-4, in 2007, they came away with their first victory on Sunday Night Football against the Seahawks in Week 5. Can they get that elusive first victory of the year? Here are some matchups to keep an eye on. Two Rivers It’s no surprise that almost all quarterbacks are less effective when under pressure, but some players clearly handle the pass rush better than others. In the first four games, Philip Rivers has fallen into the first category, as he has looked like a completely different player, completing fewer than 50% of his passes when pressured. Only five quarterbacks have a larger drop-off in accuracy when pressured than the Chargers’ QB. And Rivers has felt the heat often this season, pressured on 39% of his drop-backs, up from 29% last season. While he does do a good job avoiding costly sacks, taking them only 14% of the time, Rivers has to make better decisions throwing the ball in these situations. The good thing for San Diego is that the Saints don’t put much pressure on the quarterback. They come in with PFF’s second worst cumulative pass rush grade and have managed just 43 quarterback disruptions through four games, despite getting pass rush specialists Junior Galette and Martez Wilson on the field more in recent weeks. It might be time to start blitzing more often, as Roman Harper led the team in sacks a season ago, but has rushed the passer just 13 times this season including only three times against Green Bay. If they don’t get to Rivers it could be another long day for the New Orleans defense, because when not under pressure, Rivers is completing 80% of his passes and averaging over 8 yards per attempt. San Diego should have favorable matchups in the passing game with Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates, and former Saint Robert Meachem, who might be playing with a chip on his shoulder against his former team. Continue reading Attached Thumbnails
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