The Chargers managed a memorable Escape From New York last week, and many on the team have called it a stepping stone victory. All well and good, but before the Bolts get used to the view from atop that stone, they better realize their next step will be a doozy. If the Chargers don’t back up their great road win with a home victory over the Eagles, then what did they really accomplish?
Norv Turner has been around the NFL long enough to not get overly excited about pulling out a “must-win” in Week 9:
It’s like a tennis player who breaks his opponent’s serve and then gets broken right back in his own service game. The Chargers are a very modest 2-2 at home, not the typical stamp of a contender. A third home loss would be both devastating and revealing. And yet, with a very tough Eagles team coming to town, Sunday’s bout is far from a gimme.
Turner talked about the Chargers’ home stumbles:
Here more from Turner, Philip Rivers and Shawne Merriman after the jump:
The Eagles present a very interesting challenge on both sides of the ball. Defensively, their gambling, blitzing style is one that gets great skill players like Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson excited, because they know there will inevitably be one-on-one matchups that are favorable to the home team. However, a blitz that turns into a sack and a turnover can be the type of play that turns the game in Philadelphia’s favor.
Rivers compared the Eagles defensively to the Giants:
Rivers is studying the defensive tapes. Norv Turner is looking at everything, and he sees the Eagles as a very different team from the Giants offensively:
Shawne Merriman and the Chargers defense will be more vulnerable this week in that the Eagles are a team that can attack from any direction:
A trip to Denver is looming a week away, but before San Diego gets too excited about a rematch with the Broncos, they need to first stamp their passport with a win over Philly. With that stamp, the Chargers can go to Invesco Field and come away with a tie for the AFC West lead. Without it, they could go to Denver, lose, and be three games behind plus a tiebreaker with seven to play.
