Intriguing Game- NFL, Week Ten
Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
Chargers: Despite the injuries, they sit at 5-3 and second place in the AFC West. They entered this season with some hefty expectations and rightfully so. First, you acquire Khalil Mack from the Chicago Bears to pair him up with Joey Bosa and give your defense a formidable tandem up front, you sign J.C. Jackson to a free-agent contract and lastly, you extend Derwin James who’s the heartbeat of this entire football team. Here’s the one thing I’ve noticed about the Los Angeles Chargers. They aren’t a mentally sound football team and I say that because they find different ways to lose games. Let’s look back at the week two game against the Chiefs. They were in control of that game for the entire first half and let it slip from their hands. It’s almost as if they can’t close games out and they aren’t ready for those big moments. Look at the contenders in the AFC. I’m talking about the Bills and Chiefs. Look how they mentally prepare for the big games; I don’t get that with the Chargers one bit, and I feel bad saying it because I really like Justin Herbert. Sunday in Atlanta was a gritty win for them, and I say that because I know how challenging it can be for a West Coast team to travel all the way to the East Coast for a 1:00 pm kickoff. It makes all the difference being two games over .500 and sitting at .500. On Sunday night, they’ll make an instate business trip to Santa Clara.
49ers: The one thing about them is they’re going to find a way to get into playoff contention. Any chance I get to talk about them, I’ll take full advantage because they are the most physical team in the National Football League, and I love that brand of football. I’m talking about putting those hands in the dirt and dominating the other team to the point of attack that nobody can recover from that. They do that quite well. The last time we saw the 49ers play, they were continuing their ownership of the Los Angeles Rams and Christian McCaffrey put together the best game of his career. He ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and even channeled his inner Quarterback and threw a touchdown pass. CMC became the first Running Back to accomplish this since 2005 when Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson did this. I like these San Francisco weapons. CMC, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, who makes all the difference when he’s healthy. This is the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC if you ask me and I feel they can present Philly with the toughest challenge. If anything, this is a football team that’s equipped to travel in January and make a run because they have a strong Offensive Line, they run the football and they play stingy defense. They’re beginning to hit their groove at the right time. They return home on Sunday night for a California battle with the Chargers.
Chargers X-Factor: Kyle Van Noy– I’ve been a fan of his game since his Patriots days. Anything you ask of him, Kyle does it and then some. He always finds himself around the football whether he’s stopping the run, applying pressure on the passer or he’s getting his hands up to knock the ball down. He’s an effective threat that’s so active on the line of scrimmage. Kyle is the one guy on the defense that can create havoc.
49ers X-Factor: Christian McCaffery– I’m just happy to see him contributing on a much better team than the situation he was in with the Carolina Panthers. When Christian is healthy, he’s a force. You saw it a few years ago. Now that Kyle Shanahan has a weapon of his caliber, he can use him to his complete skillset. Running, as an additional receiver or anything, just gets the football in his hands and let him do what he does. This is another safety valve for Jimmy G.
Final Thoughts: It’s another edition of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Chargers are looking to keep the winning streak going while the 49ers are trying to keep up with the Seahawks in the NFC West, but remember, they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle. The 49ers must do what each team that the Chargers have played which is run the football as they’ve struggled to stop the run all year. I see CMC having a huge game on Sunday. Jimmy G won’t need to make those big throws down the field now. All they’ll ask of him is to control the game. There’s a chance Keenan Allen comes back for the Chargers this week. The L.A. group of receivers has been hit with the injury bug this year. They really miss Mike Williams. For the Chargers to win, Austin Ekeler must be on his a-game. Who runs California?
Prediction: 49ers 27, Chargers 17
