settin up Chargers game (posters, reporters, what LAC fans are saying, etc.)

collected/formatted by Prime Time

from: http://www.thepowderblues.com/forum…ms-open-as-5-5-pt-favorites-over-the-chargers

Rams open as 5.5 pt favorites over the Chargers

Sounds about right the way the Rams are playing plus the fact Chargers gain nothing playing in LA right now.
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Oh well, it is what it is. Rams should be favored anyways.
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I suspect it will go up a few points.
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the Hams are for real and we make a statement with a convincing win.
without Bosa, I say it’s competitive but we lose.
On D, sell out on Gurley early, make Goff throw over our secondary
on O get Donald and Suh moving sideline to sideline
Set them up to win in the 4th quarter
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Sounds about right. Rams have looked really good
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Rams won their first game by 20 and 2nd game by 34. Thats a good team.
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Spread up to 7 after the Ram game this afternoon.
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Why are we getting that much credit? Weird.
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The Rams are looking really good. I’ll be happy if we can even hang close.
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Im hoping for a Rams letdown after they killed AZ
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The line looks right to me. Is this an away game for both teams? I know Rams are a better draw than the Chargers given their more recent history in LA and the team wins regularly, but they don’t have massive noisy crowds, either. And they play in the Mauseleom don’t they?
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If we’re still playing for the game when the 4th starts I’ll be happy. Wiz is starting to do the mad scientist thing with all his toys. We’ll probably be down 17-14 at half, but still in the game.

Hope he has a script this week for the second half to keep up the points. The right side of the line played bad this week. If we get down too far the Rams are going to tear up Rivers like a turkey on Thanksgiving.
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The Rams–Falcons playoff game of Jan 6 2018 should be our template.

We will need a balanced offense and several sacks of Goff.

It will require the best, most consistent game, the Chargers have played in several years.

We do possess essentially the same components as ATL.

Doable.
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This is Adam Schefter’s Super Bowl pick. Let’s go and whoop on the Rams, this is a statement game!
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Cam Cameron said on FNISD last night that there would be 70+K fans in the stadium. lol.
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This game scares the crap out of me. Being 1 – 2 would suck major huevos especially with KC acting like the freaking Patriots. I too would love to see us head into the fourth quarter in the 7 range, either up or down but with a chance. That is unless they want to start the 4th up by 30…….I’d take that too……….

This is the start of the Cali trifecta for us. We need to be at least 3 – 2 on the other side looking at the Browns on the road.
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Obviously wont be an easy one but we do have the tools to beat them. My biggest concern is Suh and Donald against our interior line, but Peters has also terrorized Rivers the last few years. Keep the game outside the hashes and we should win.
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I just hope Rivers doesnt make dumb throws this game. He always freaks out when he faces Peters.
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Rams will be a really tough matchup. Expect this offense to show up. And the D to be opportunistic. Not having Bosa really hurts. But you cant deny the speed on D is upgraded over last year.
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Offensively we need to be creative and unpredictable against the Shams! Their edge players are avg but that IDL is great. We need to run a ton of 6 man protections and stretch them horizontally and vertically. Our screen game needs to be on point and be able to get the edge in the run game early. Tire them out and then take their will to compete/live in the 4th quarter.

Defensively we must be aggressive and take away Gurley in both run & pass games. Inside push to make Goff uncomfortable and make him beat us with his arm. Cooks is their big threat vertically outside but the rest of their WRs can be handled with our physical CBS.

If both teams play well it should be a very competitive fun game.
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This is gonna be a exciting game to see what this team is really made of. I think there should be a decent amount of charger fans there too. The rams are the better team on paper but this will show us if Lynn, Wiz, and Bradley have what it takes to develop a good game plan. I really hope Eke gets his fair of touches as the guy has shown that he can flat out play and fight for extra yards. Get Mike Will the ball in the end zone as well

I see this game being close until the 4th qrt as it should be on paper. Well see if Lynn can keep his team focused the whole game
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It will be a fun and telling game for sure. But not having Bosa really hurts us in a huge way. I like when we are huge underdogs though. Im just less stressed out about the game. lol
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I think both Bradley and Lynn have gained trust in our young rookies — Darwin, Nwosu, and White — and they’ve gained confidence in themselves. Each game they’ve played this season has been better than the last. They’re in game-shape now, and have live game experience in the NFL.

This could be scary for the Rams.
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The one thing that really scares me about the Rams game is our beat up oline against their dline. Rivers isn’t going to have a lot of time in the pocket so it sounds like the game for Allen to go off.

wv wrote:

I think the San Diego Chargers had the funnest team in NFL history. That Coryell group. And they had to play by the old-school NFL rules. Back when defenses could actually take yer head off.

I always have a bit of a soft spot in my football-heart for the Chargers because of the memories of that group.

Did you see the Miami playoff game? The “Winslow carried off at the end of the game” game? I remember seeing that game at the time.

Granted it was such a high scoring dramatic game cause SD had no defense (they were 27th). But still one of the biggest non-Rams games I remember watching.

…

nittany ram wrote:

The greatest non-Rams game ever.

Another one that ranks pretty high up there with me is the 1977 double-overtime AFC divisional playoff game with Oakland in Baltimore. It’s the so-called “ghost to the post” game. That was a great game too.

AvengerRam

I was looking at the Chargers’ lineup and stats thus far, and its clear that their biggest outside threat is Keenan Allen.

As we are now starting two former AFC West players at CB, I looked at Allen’s numbers against the Broncos (Talib) and Chiefs (Peters) last year. Here’s what I found:

Keenan Allen vs KC/DEN (per game averages): 4.5 receptions, 47.8 yards, .25 TDs
Keenan Allen vs. everyone else: 7.0 receptions, 100.2 yards, .50 TDs

Now, of course, Allen was not always covered by Peters and Talib, but I think those numbers show enough to say that our CBs fared well against Allen last season.

Philip Rivers’ numbers against Denver and KC were not as clear. Against Denver, he fared very well… with passer ratings of 99.6 and 105.1 in the two meetings. His worst two games, however, were against the Chiefs, with putrid ratings of 37.2 and 49.2. Peters was a big reason, as he notched 5 passes defended and 3 interceptions in those two games. This year, against a Peters-less Chiefs team, his passer rating was 103.7.

These are very small sample sizes, no doubt, but interesting nonetheless.

Guess we’ll see on Sunday whether these are trends.

Rams vs. Chargers: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 3

Cameron DaSilva

Rams vs. Chargers: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 3

The Los Angeles Rams and Chargers will square off on Sunday in the first “Fight for L.A.” regular season matchup. The Rams have owned the battle since the Chargers moved to town last year, both on the field and off it.

However, this is the Chargers’ first chance to set the record straight and prove they’re the better team in sunny L.A. If the Rams want to move to 3-0, they’ll have to win these key matchups, many of which favor them.

Rams CBs vs. Chargers WRs

The Chargers have a solid group of receivers, which will give the Rams their first real challenge of the season. Although they move around the formation from play to play, expect Marcus Peters to draw Mike Williams on the left side, Aqib Talib and Tyrell Williams on the strong side and Keenan Allen being covered by Nickell Robey-Coleman in the slot.

That could change based on how the Rams and Chargers play things, but expect to see plenty of these matchups on Sunday. Talib has to be physical with Mike Williams on the outside to disrupt his timing with Philip Rivers, while Peters has more of a speed threat on the other side.

Allen is obviously Los Angeles’ top wideout, which makes Robey-Coleman so valuable in this game. He’s one of the best slot corners in the game today despite not receiving that sort of recognition.

Page 2 of 4
Rob Havenstein vs. Melvin Ingram

Ingram is the focal point of the Chargers’ pass rush with Joey Bosa sidelined. He plays both sides of the line, but more often than not, he lines up across from the right tackle. As a premier pass rusher, he’ll be going up against the Rams’ best offensive lineman through two games. Ingram will look to use his speed around the edge to beat Havenstein, but that won’t be easy.

With Ingram being the Chargers’ best edge defender, Havenstein has a tall task on his hands. Ingram is a player who can go off for three sacks in a game, which would be bad news for Jared Goff and the offense.

Goff has been kept relatively clean in the pocket thus far, and it’s why he’s played well in the first two games.

Page 3 of 4
Cory Littleton vs. Melvin Gordon

Melvin Gordon carved up the Bills last week, but not just on the ground. He caught six passes for 38 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown on nine carries. In total, he had just 66 total yards, but those three touchdowns loomed large. The week before, he was far more impressive, catching nine passes for 102 yards.

Littleton has to contain Gordon both in the running game and when Rivers targets him through the air. He and the rest of the Rams did a great job covering David Johnson a week ago, but now they’ll have to turn their attention to Gordon and even Austin Ekeler.

Page 4 of 4
Aaron Donald vs. Dan Feeney

The Chargers’ offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL this season, so there are a bunch of favorable matchups. Ndamukong Suh versus Mike Pouncey, Samson Ebukam versus Sam Tevi, Michael Brockers versus Michael Schofield. The list goes on, but Donald against Feeney might be the most lopsided matchup of them all.

Donald should nab his first sack of the season on Sunday with the shakiness that is the Chargers’ offensive line, so don’t be surprised to see him get to Rivers once or twice. Los Angeles will almost certainly double team Donald on the interior, but that’s tough to do with Suh, Brockers and Ebukam all on the defensive front.

Still, Donald will win this matchup with ease and prove to be his dominant self once again.

Who has the edge in this week’s Fight for LA? Both @Rich_Hammond and I picked the Rams: https://t.co/SB788ZBXFA

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) September 21, 2018

Ahead of Rams-Chargers, here's a breakdown of where the two teams stand … https://t.co/svDQIIHTT8

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) September 21, 2018

Going Against Rivers, #LARams Have Benefit of Experience

Read 📰 » https://t.co/lILcGzYDHW pic.twitter.com/8HXxTxinWR

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 22, 2018

According to two talent evaluators, the Rams have the clear advantage over the Chargers for now

Sam Farmer

https://pilotonline.com/sports/football/professional/article_f97e4103-e7d5-5dfc-bcd5-78d4955826ca.html

LOS ANGELES—In a couple of years, they’ll share a stadium.

For now, they’ll share the stage.

The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers will play each other at the Coliseum on Sunday, meeting for the first time since their relocation to Los Angeles in a game that actually means something. Both are talented teams widely favored to win their respective divisions, and potentially make deep postseason runs.

So which team has the better roster?

For that, the Los Angeles Times turned to two personnel executives who work for uninvolved NFL teams to weigh in anonymously, position group by position group, on which players they would prefer. Each is a seasoned evaluator and, in the interest of clarity, we refer to them as Scouts 1 and 2.

On to the breakdown:

Quarterback

Both evaluators give the Chargers’ Philip Rivers the nod here, based on his years of experience. That’s not to suggest they don’t like Jared Goff, because they do, but the Rams’ quarterback has turned in one impressive season whereas the 36-year-old Rivers has been consistently good for more than a decade.

As Scout 1 said: “If you’re building a team and you’re a young team like the Rams, you obviously want Goff. But if you take the play caller out of it, take (Rams coach) Sean McVay out of it, and Goff has to call the game on the field by himself? I’m taking Philip Rivers. If the communication headset goes down, and you’re in a two-minute offense and everything’s going really fast, I’m taking Philip Rivers. But that’s not a knock on Goff. He might be that guy in a couple years.”

Scout 2: “Goff is going to be good. I don’t know if he’ll ever be as good as Rivers. Goff is in the perfect scheme with the perfect coach.”

Advantage: Chargers

Running back

No question here: It’s the Rams’ Todd Gurley over Melvin Gordon. That’s not surprising, considering Gurley is the defending NFL offensive player of the year, and the darling of every fantasy league.

“To me this one’s not close,” Scout 1 said. “I would take Gurley every day. I think Gordon’s good, but I think Gurley is special. From his explosiveness to his vision, he runs with power, he can catch the ball. He’s got breakaway speed in the open field. He’s the perfect back. He’s in the top three or four in the league.”

Advantage: Rams

Receivers

The Rams were the pick in this category, although each scout lavished praise on the receivers of both teams.

Scout 1 sees the Chargers’ Keenan Allen as a cut above the rest, an elite receiver, with Mike Williams as a rising star, but still feels the Rams’ combination of Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp is more effective.

Scout 2 agrees: “They have one of everything. They have the deep vertical guy in Cooks, a good run-after-catch guy in Woods, and Kupp is a really quick possession guy in the slot.”

Neither scout is wowed by the tight ends: Virgil Green of the Chargers and Tyler Higbee of the Rams. Good but not great.

Advantage: Rams

Offensive line

Once again, the evaluators are on opposite sides of the fence, with Scout 1 giving the edge to the Rams and Scout 2 taking the Chargers. The scouts made positive mention of both Chargers tackles, Russell Okung and Joe Barksdale. Both lines got respectable but not phenomenal grades.

Scout 1 praised Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth: “He’s the ultimate pro, a leader who has toughness. He’s the epitome of what an offensive lineman should be.”

Scout 2, who sees improvement in the Chargers line, said he’s waiting to see more from the Rams: “They have played some bad teams that haven’t gotten near Goff.”

Advantage: Split decision

Defensive line

Both are on the same page: Combine the Chargers edge rushers of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram with the Rams interior linemen of Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, and you’d have the new-age Fearsome Foursome and then some.

There’s no debate between the evaluators that Donald, the 2017 defensive player of the year, is the brightest star of the group.

“He’s in the top three defensive players right now, with maybe (Denver’s) Von Miller and (Chicago’s) Khalil Mack,” Scout 2 said of Donald. “You just can’t block him one-on-one.”

Said Scout 1 of Donald: “It’s his leverage, his power, his quickness, his hand use. He can get skinny in the hole, he can play the power game. His whole pass-rush repertoire is unbelievable. If he continues at this level, he’s a Hall of Famer.”

When healthy, Bosa is a dominant force too.

“He’s strong, physical, gets upfield as a rusher. Bosa is a difference-maker,” Scout 1 said. “Ingram is quick off the ball, he can bend, good hand use, closing speed.”

Advantage: Rams interior linemen, Chargers edge rushers

Linebackers

This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, because when Wade Phillips was changing the Rams from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4, the Chargers were transitioning the other way, from a 3-4 to a 4-3, under Gus Bradley. So the assignments are different.

“The one thing I’ve noticed about the Chargers is they’ve gotten a lot faster at the position,” Scout 1 said. “That’s something that Gus Bradley has really pushed. He loves speed at linebacker.”

Seeing as Bosa (currently injured) and Ingram line up as defensive ends for the Chargers, Scout 2 favored the Rams linebacking group that includes Mark Barron, Cory Littleton, Samson Ebukam, Dominique Easley and Matt Longacre by the slightest of margins.

Scout 1 likes the Chargers’ group that includes Denzel Perryman, Kyle Emanuel, Jatavis Brown and rookie Uchenna Nwosu.

Advantage: Split decision

Cornerbacks

This one was easy. The evaluators took the Rams’ combination of Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters over the Chargers’ Casey Hayward and Trevor Williams.

Scout 1: “I really like the playmaking ability of Marcus Peters, his ability to jump routes, his aggressiveness, lot of swagger and emotion on the field. He sees it quickly and is a big-time gambler but he knows when to take his shots. He and Aqib are very aggressive and similar, even though Peters is a lot younger.”

Advantage: Rams

Safeties

The scouts praised the Rams’ combination of John Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner, but give the edge to the Chargers in this department with Jahleel Addae, Rayshawn Jenkins and, in particular, rookie first-round pick Derwin James.

Advantage: Chargers

Special teams

Even with injuries to Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein and returner Pharoh Cooper, the scouts give the Rams the upper hand, largely because of the outstanding punting of Johnny Hekker and coaching of John Fassel.

Advantage: Rams