New York Jets Week 5 Know Thy Enemy: San Diego Chargers

Sep 14, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end

(85) and wide receiver

(13) celebrate a third quarter touchdown by

against the Seattle Seahawks at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This week I interviewed Ernie Padaon of our sister FanSided site Bolt Beat about the Chargers and this Sunday’s game between the two teams. Let’s hope the Chargers are as overconfident as Ernie is about the Chargers’ chances this week.

Question 1 – Philip Rivers has become one of the top quarterbacks in the league this year. What has been the key to his success?

Philip Rivers has been a good quarterback for a long time. He is one of the best in the game and this year he has started off on fire.

He has the ability to make the calls up front and has been in this offense for a couple of seasons now. He is getting comfortable and he has the weapons to make a lot of noise.

But it is not just this year that he has done this.

Question 2 –  The Chargers have been bitten hard by the injury bug. Which players are currently sidelined and will they return for Sunday?

There are a ton of injuries and won’t know who will be available for Sunday. Here are a few players that most likely will be out though: Manti Te’o, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Mathews, Shareece Wright. The other players will be up in the air for Sunday.

Question 3 – What will be the Chargers’ game plan be defensively against the Jets? Will they blitz heavily and play man on the outside or play zone and flood the middle of the field?

The Chargers rely on their secondary to make the big plays. The secondary has been playing well this season and with Geno Smith struggling, they are sure to put more men in the box to stop the run game and will also get after Geno to see how he handles the heat. The Chargers have players that will get pressure on Geno with Dwight Freeney and Corey Liuget. If Jerry Attaochu is able to play, he will make some plays in the backfield as well. If not, Cordarro Law will be a name you hear a lot.

Question 4 – Offensively, how has the Charger offensive line held up protecting Rivers? Will they be up to the challenge against the front 7 of the Jets?

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The Chargers offensive line is a patchwork group, but they have done well at keeping Philip Rivers standing up. There is a reason why Philip is the player of the month for September.

Philip has not been hit much and he also has been able to move around in the pocket to get his receivers open. Also, Rivers doesn’t hold onto the football for that long, so the Jets pressure will need to get there quick.

Question 5 – What is your prediction for the game, including final score?

I don’t make predictions on final scores. I don’t see how the Jets secondary will be able to stop the Chargers passing attack. The Jets have given up a ton in the air and it will continue again.

The Chargers defense should be able to hold up nicely against the Jets offense. The defense is a bit underrated around the league right now.