By Dave Thomas
For the San Diego Chargers, this weekend’s test in Buffalo could go a long way in determining just what kind of season the Bolts have after all.
Coming off of a huge 30-21 home victory over Seattle last Sunday before a sellout crowd, the Chargers are looking to bottle that emotion and use it again this Sunday in western New York against the 2-0 Bills.
As oftentimes happens in the NFL, a big win one weekend can be followed by a less than stellar performance the following Sunday. Quite simply put, can San Diego build off of the Seattle win or will they be staring at a 1-2 record when lowly Jacksonville comes to town next Sunday to close out the September slate?
Bills Prove To Be Solid Test
If you did not have the Bills as the lone unbeaten team in the AFC East after two weeks, you are likely not alone.
After going overtime on the road to score a 23-20 win in Chicago to open the season, Buffalo came back last Sunday with a dominating 29-10 win at home over division rival Miami. Yes, the Bills even have a better record than division favorite New England, albeit early in the 2014 campaign.
While not burning up the league by any means, Buffalo does provide some challenges for San Diego on defense.
Quarterback EJ Manuel (32-of-48, 375 yards passing, 2 TDs) can also run when necessary, with rookie Sammy Watkins (11 catches, 148 yards, 1 TD) as his main receiving threat. On the ground, look for the Bills to turn to C.J. Spiller (27 carries, 122 yards rushing) and Fred Jackson (19 carries, 85 yards) to move the ball. Spiller electrified the home crowd last Sunday in the win over Miami with a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Philip Rivers and company will be dealing with Preston Brown (20 total tackles), Leodis McKelvin (16 total tackles) and Mario Williams (2 sacks), among others.
With running back Ryan Mathews already out with a knee injury, the Chargers could have issues throwing the ball, too.
Top wide receiver Keenan Allen and veteran tight end Antonio Gates (3 TDs versus Seattle) are dealing with groin and hamstring issues, respectively.
Meantime, the Chargers unveiled their full injury report for the game, with the following news as of Thursday’s workout:
Jahleel Addae (safety) – hamstring – limited practice
Keenan Allen (wide receiver) – groin – limited practice
Jerry Attaochu (outside linebacker) – hamstring – did not practice
Chris Davis (corner) – ankle – full practice
Brandon Flowers (corner) – groin – full practice
Dwight Freeney (outside linebacker) – not injury related – full practice
Antonio Gates (tight end) – hamstring – limited practice
Melvin Ingram (outside linebacker) – hamstring – did not practice
Corey Liuget (defensive end) – ankle – full practice
Ryan Mathews (running back) – knee – did not practice
Rich Ohrnberger (center) – back – did not practice
Johnnie Troutman (guard) – back – did not practice
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on aExaminer.com.
