Chargers defense has been mostly master class thus far in this game, but that unnecessary roughness penalty that extends this drive for Rodgers was less than ideal. The pressure has to show up now, because Rodgers lives for gifts.
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The Los Angeles Chargers are trying to pull off the upset of the week as they square up against the Green Bay Packers, and getting out to a fast start is paramount to them achieving that feat. They rattled off a near-masterful opening drive that lasted over eight minutes, but red zone woes again showed themselves and left them with only a 3-0 lead. The Chargers were able to tack on another field goal by the end of the first quarter.
They're going to need more than field goals to overcome the 7-1 Packers, especially if the battered offensive line can't contain the likes of Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith -- who have both taken down Phillip Rivers for a sack. Rivers looks dialed in and has only two incompletions en route to 132 passing yards and a passer rating of 118.8. It's shaping up to be a day wherein the eight-time Pro Bowler may need to be Superman, but the Smith Bros. are ready to be his Kryptonite.
Join us below for live updates and analysis of all the action.
How to watch
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Dignity Health Sports Park (Los Angeles, CA)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access
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One of the formulas teams try to deploy against the Packers is to keep Rodgers on the sideline as much as possible, and the Chargers are executing that to perfection. The Packers offense has only held the ball for 6:10 in this game, while the Chargers own TOP with 14:03. It's no secret that's one reason the latter has the lead right now.
Aaron Rodgers is having a hard time getting his groove against the Chargers defense. Granted, he's 4/5 passing, but has only 21 yards as Los Angeles keeps the cap on the defense. Pressure certainly helps, with Melvin Ingram now sacking him and Joey Bosa virtually penetrating at will.
As I mentioned before... Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith are teed up.
That 56-yard catch-and-run is the longest of Mike Williams' career, besting his previous high of 55 yards in 2018.
That's Bosa's eighth sack of the season, and he's not brought down the opposing QB in only two of eight games this season -- with five of his eight sacks having come in his last nine quarters of play. Talk about dialed in...
The Chargers had the ball for 8:04 to start the game. Perfectly lengthy drive, but came up empty in the red zone. On average, their offensive drives hover around 3:07. Good trend-breaking drive, but red zone woes continue.
Za'Darius Smith has at least one sack in all but two games this season, and three games with two sacks per. The offense line of the Chargers has been hammered by injury, and the Smith Bros (including Preston) are teed up.
Rivers looks dialed in right now. He's 4/4 for 51 yards and a 118.8 passer rating to start this drive. If you started him in fantasy, you might be all smiles today. Something about being 3-5 to start the season hits a button within Rivers (ex: 2017).
Melvin Gordon hasn't rushed for more than 32 yards in his four games back, but the Packers run defense that allows over 123 yards per game. If he's going to have a breakout game, it needs to be this one. The opportunity is there.
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