Patriots vs. Chargers: Strategies for Winning
Jan. 8, 2007 — -- A quick breakdown of the New England-San Diego divisional playoff game.
The Chargers will win if...
1. They remember the three most important words in readying for a game against the Patriots and the fertile football mind of New England head coach Bill Belichick -- preparation, preparation and preparation. Facing a Belichick-designed game plan is daunting for anyone, but especially for a quarterback who is making his first postseason appearance. San Diego first-year starter Philip Rivers has demonstrated great poise in 2006 and, even in his poorest outings, has bounced back to make big plays. But what the Chargers can't have is Rivers confounded by the different looks he's going to see when he scans the New England defense. The key is to keep the throttle wide open, but to give Rivers some easy reads.
2. Get the ball early and often to tight end Antonio Gates and tailback LaDainian Tomlinson. As good as the Patriots' defense has been, despite another season in which injuries forced a lot of patchwork combinations in the secondary, the safeties can be beaten, especially if Rodney Harrison's knee injury keeps him out of the lineup. The tandem that started Sunday's wild card game, James Sanders and Artrell Hawkins, doesn't tackle all that well and getting Gates and Tomlinson matched up on those guys could produce some run-after-catch yardage. The key is to force the Pats to drop an extra linebacker, Mike Vrabel or Tedy Bruschi, a little deeper into coverage, thus negating some of their versatility.
3. Obviously, bring heat off the edges on Tom Brady, mostly with the lethal pass-rush duet of linebackers Shawne Merriman (league-high 17 sacks) and Shaun Phillips (11½ sacks). The New England tackles, even leftside stalwart Matt Light, haven't played all that well in 2006. But beyond just pressure, do whatever is necessary to keep Brady from getting into a rhythm and allowing the New England offense to get into a no-huddle flow. Find a way to slow the tempo in general. Because when Brady is on his game, spreading the ball to eight-to-10 different receivers, running off a lot of fast snaps, and throwing the ball accurately, it will knock just about any defense back on its heels.
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