Chaotic Jets May Be In More Turmoil Than The Chargers
By Danny Cox
The San Diego Chargers have dealt with a lot this season including winning streaks, massive losing streaks, and more injuries than any NFL would like to see in five seasons combined. Last week saw a huge loss to the Carolina Panthers, and coach Norv Turner's frustration is possibly at its highest over all the injuries.
Still, they can be proud of the fact that they aren't a franchise in nearly as much disarray as their opponent for this week, the New York Jets.
As of now, the New York Jets are a team that is in the NFL spotlight right now due to their quarterback controversy that is happening four months later than it should be. The recent benching of Mark Sanchez, promotion of Greg McElroy, and snubbing of Tim Tebow has many questioning the sanity of coach Rex Ryan.
Ryan pretty much came out and said that he made the decision to promote McElroy to starter over Tebow was his own and he knew he'd be criticized for it. Still, that's got a lot of NFL experts left scratching their heads.
Fans, on the other hand, aren't really having as much of a problem with the decision and it appears that neither are any of the Jets' players. Rumors had come out that many of the Jets' players didn't really have the faith in Tebow to lead the team, and it seems as if Ryan didn't either.
The situation has many wondering what will happen to the Jets' quarterback situation in 2013, and current theories have Mark Sanchez being traded or becoming a backup to someone. Tim Tebow is going to either be traded or dropped altogether.
San Diego is going to have to face off with Greg McElroy, who no one has seen a lot of in the NFL. Tebow is said to be getting some offensive snaps, but it is doubtful that his game action will be seen under center.
This is pleasing for the Chargers because they rank 20th in the NFL in pass defense, and don't really have to worry about anything even much resembling a passing game from the Jets. Currently, the Jets are third from last in passing offense in the NFL and averaging a mere 181.1 yards through the air per game.
One thing the Chargers will have to do is try to develop some type of offense other than relying on the arm of Philip Rivers. New York has the second-best passing defense in the league and it doesn't help that most of Rivers' primary targets are sitting on the sideline with injuries or still going at half speed.
It will need to be the defensive line of the Jets that needs to be attacked by the Chargers, but that in itself could also be a problem.
The Jets have the 29th-ranked rushing defense and can hardly stop anyone on the ground. In a bit of irony though, the Chargers just put starting running back Ryan Mathews on IR, and have to hope that the likes of Jackie Battle and rookie Edwin Baker can take advantage of it.
Ronnie Brown returned to practice for the Chargers this week, but he likely won't be 100 percent by Sunday.
The New York Jets are an absolute mess in just about every aspect of their game right now except for their secondary. This game on Sunday is going to be quite the debacle, and nowhere near the exciting one that many thought it would be upon spotting it on the schedule earlier this year.
When all is said and done though, the Chargers should be able to overcome the chaos that is the New York Jets.
For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Chargers news, see CBS Sports Los Angeles.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
