AFC Divisional Playoff Preview: New York Jets v. San Diego Chargers

January 15, 2010

It’s not surprise to see the San Diego Chargers on a roll heading into the playoffs. The Chargers had won 10 in a row before the 2006 playoffs, and 8 consecutive the following year. Both of those previous winning streaks ended in a playoff loss to the New England Patriots. The difference this time around, is that they are not facing the Pats, and Marty Shottenheimer is not their coach. However, to get to the Super Bowl this season will start by facing a New York Jets team in the AFC Divisional round.

The Jets come in with a nothing-to-lose attitude as they got in to the playoff picture with a blowout win against the Cincinnati Bengals on the final day of the season. Anything the Jets do from here on out will be a bonus as they certainly didn’t expect to go this far after Brett Favre’s departure, and a rookie quarterback under center.

Mark Sanchez has proven to be a worthy first round selection for New York. There were may question marks regarding his decision to leave college early and enter the NFL draft (just ask former USC head coach Pete Carroll). He has answered all of those questions with flying colors. His stats aren’t worthy of a pro-bowl selection, but he has done a tremendous job in leading this offense. Sanchez passed for a little over 2400 yards and threw just 12 TD passes to 20 interceptions. The reason for the Jets success is due to their running attack. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene combined for well over 1900 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns. The reason for their success is the Jets stout offensive line. This group is led by C Nick Mangold and G Alan Faneca who create huge holes for New York’s running backs.

Defensively, the Jets ranked #1 in the NFL this year. While Darrell Revis gets much of the credit (rightfully so), the entire secondary has played phenomenal this season. They allowed just 154.7 passing yards per game this season, which was more than 30 yards less than any other secondary in the league. As a whole, the Jets only allowed 252 yards and 14.8 points a game to their opponents. They will have to be at their best to stop the aerial attack of San Diego.

The Chargers have shown signs of maturity this season, especially from their vocal quarterback Phillip Rivers. Rivers is having one of the best seasons of his career, and has solidified himself as on of the best quarterbacks in the league. He threw for 4254 yards with 28 touchdowns to just 9 intereceptions. His quarterback rating of 104.4 ranks him in the top 5 in the NFL. One of the main reasons he has been so successful is his receiving corps. Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates each had over 1100 receiving yards, and combined for 17 touchdowns. Malcolm Floyd and Darren Sproles have been tremendous 3rd and 4th options for Rivers as they too have combined for 90 catches and over 1200 yards. LaDanian Tomlinson has clearly lost a step or two, but he is still a great goal line runner, and does more than enough to keep opposing defenses honest.

This game sets up to be an instant classic. The deciding factor will be who wins the battle between the Jets stout “D” and the Chargers high-powered offense. Tune in Sunday night as the NFL has saved the best Divisional game for last.

Written by Cover The Number · Filed Under NFL

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