Chargers Hope Today Is a Preview of 1987 : Win Over Seahawks in Last Home Game Could Keep Previous Weeks’ Momentum Alive
The Chargers play their last home game of 1986 today and they hope it will offer a taste of what is to come in 1987.
With three victories in their last five games, the Chargers have taken a couple of steps toward reversing a disastrous 1-7 start. Now they hope to beat a couple of teams with playoff aspirations, Seattle and Cleveland.
“We’re trying to build something for next year,” said tight end Kellen Winslow. “Seattle will be a good test of how far we have come and how far we have to go.
“We want to redeem ourselves for our bad start, and the last two weeks (victories over Indianapolis and Houston) helped. We want a good taste in our mouth when we walk away this season. I think we very easily could become a playoff team next year.”
The Chargers today will get an idea of whether there is any substance to back up Winslow’s sentiments.
The Seahawks are playing as well as nearly any team in the National Football League, Charger Coach Al Saunders says.
“I can’t ever recall seeing a team dominate the Los Angeles Raiders in all phases of the game the way the Seahawks did Monday night,” Saunders said.
“They’re one of the hottest teams around right now. They’re on a roll.”
The Seahawks, in beating the Raiders, 37-0, last Monday, set a club record with 11 sacks. Curt Warner, the AFC’s leading rusher, had 116 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Dave Krieg passed for 243 yards as Seattle earned its third straight victory.
It was one of the Seahawks’ most impressive efforts since an earlier 33-7 victory over the Chargers at the Kingdome.
In that game, Seattle’s Steve Largent caught four passes for 78 yards, extending his consecutive game streak to 128 and breaking Harold Carmichael’s league record. Also in that game, San Diego’s Charlie Joiner had four catches for 39 yards as he became the league’s all-time passing yardage leader.
Largent needs 127 yards in the year’s final two games to reach 1,000 yards for the eighth time in his career. Meanwhile, Joiner may be making his final home appearance today as a Charger.
Despite a broken nose and a broken hand, Joiner will be in the lineup, attempting to add to a rather disappointing total of 31 catches, about half his usual annual output. Joiner has not made up his mind whether he wants to play in 1987 and hasn’t received word from the team on how he fits into its plans.
The Seahawks, after a midseason lull, are at a peak despite a barrage of injuries.
“There’s no mystery to what we’re doing,” Coach Chuck Knox said. “We’re blocking and tackling better, making the plays we need. It’s not great coaching or anything. This game is never an exact science.”
It’s not quite that simple, according to Saunders.
Krieg has played three straight sound games at quarterback, throwing and moving well as the team’s blocking has improved, Saunders says.
“Their passing and their offensive line are jelling, and that makes Warner more effective,” Saunders said. “It’s the same old scenario. If you can throw the ball, it enhances your running.
“The Seahawks have the Knox hallmark of a physical, dominating team. They line up and play physical football. And they always have been a team that was among the leaders in making few mistakes.”
The Chargers, who are favored in today’s game, have won two in a row with balanced, ball-control offense and a defense that has suddenly begun to resemble the Chicago Bears in results, as well as style.
The last two opponents have been held to 177 and 134 yards. If the Chargers come close to limiting Seattle to similar yardage, they shouldn’t have any trouble winning.
The league’s top defense, Chicago, has limited the opposition to an average of 265 yards per game this year. The Chargers, in the six games since Saunders became coach, have given up an average of 259.
However, the Chargers haven’t beaten the Seahawks in their last five meetings.
The last time they played here, Dan Fouts passed for 440 yards and 4 touchdowns but the Chargers managed to lose, 49-35. Seattle receiver Daryl Turner scored four touchdowns in that game.
The Chargers certainly are not the same team they were a year ago. Saunders argues they’re not even the same team they were in the first half of 1986. The question is whether the team of the past two weeks is a preview of what they will be next year.
Today’s game should provide some answers.