Opponent Profile: Chargers Can't Overlook Niners
By Dave Thomas
While the 2014 version of the San Francisco 49ers is a far cry from recent versions that made the playoffs and came up just short of winning a Super Bowl a few years back, the San Diego Chargers will likely have their hands full this coming Saturday in the Bay Area.
Even though the Niners have stumbled to a 7-7 record this season, a mark that won't take them to the promised land this season, they still could play the role of spoiler when Philip Rivers and the Chargers come calling for a primetime game on CBS Saturday evening.
As the Chargers (8-6) fell at home to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 22-10 Sunday afternoon, the Niners were topped for the second time this season by their rivals and defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks 17-7.
So, what can the Chargers expect from Colin Kaepernick and company come Saturday?
San Francisco Looks To Play Spoiler
Even though their is a strong likelihood that head coach Jim Harbaugh will not be at the helm in San Francisco come 2015, the Niners want to at least finish out this season strong.
Doing that against the Chargers could be difficult given that veteran running back Frank Gore left Sunday's game in the Pacific Northwest with a concussion. To date, Gore has rushed for 775 yards, but losing him could give the Chargers one less weapon to worry about.
As for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, he's thrown for 2,910 yards, 16 TD's and 10 interceptions.
For Kaepernick, his top receivers up to now have been Anquan Boldin (897 yards receiving) and Michael Crabtree (633 yards receiving).
On the defensive side of the ball, San Francisco turns to Chris Borland (101 total tackles) and Justin Smith (five sacks).
In a season that was expected to go much better than it has, the Niners began the season with an impressive 28-17 road win versus Dallas, a game that seems like a year or two ago at this point.
On their schedule, the Niners have dropped games to the likes of Chicago, St. Louis (split season series) and Oakland.
If San Diego is to have any realistic shot at sneaking into the AFC playoffs, a win against the Niners (San Francisco leads all-time series 7-6) is a must come Saturday night in Northern California.
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.