The first week of the NFL season is almost complete. My favorite team is on the second half of the Monday night doubleheader, hosting the Houston Texans. The last couple of years, Houston has been highly regarded, and in some quarters considered a Super Bowl contender. Injuries and ineffectiveness have helped hinder the team's progress. They're still good, though. It will be a stern test for San Diego.
For the Chargers, the thing I want to see all year is improvement in fundamentals. Blocking, tackling, catching, etc. There were several games last year (Denver, New Orleans, Baltimore) where the Chargers played well enough to win at some point, but had a crucial breakdown that directly enabled the opponent to regain momentum and eventually win ("4th and 29" - I'm still shaking my head. Who converts a 4th and 29?).
Monday night, the offensive line must give Rivers time to run the updated offense. Rivers must get the ball out on time. He needs to complete upwards of 75% of his pass attempts, with around 8 yards per completion. The running game needs to garner around 125 yards or so each game (Ryan Mathews, hello).
Defensively, someone must provide consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. Dwight Freeney, Corey Liuget, Sean Lissemore or someone must be a guy the team can count on to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. With three new DBs on the field to accompany Eric Weddle, pass rushing is a quick way to help the DBs acclimate to the team and scheme.
On special teams, Nick Novak needs to make the makeable FG attempts. Eddie Royal must stay healthy in returning kicks and punts (a tall order for a relatively small WR). Scifres is one of the best punters in the league; hopefully, he stays healthy as well.
For Monday, a 24-20 loss to the Texans wouldn't be the end of the world. I just wanna see a tough, smart Chargers' squad that is competitive for all sixty minutes.
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