Chargers’ defense should take most of blame
The Chicago Bears are looking for the answer at quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for the answer at running back and left tackle. And the San Diego Chargers? They’re just flat looking for answers.
A look at 10 things to watch in Week 5 of the NFL:
No defending that
1 Norv Turner shouldn’t shoulder all the blame. San Diego’s defense has been lousy under new coordinator Ted Cottrell, and the team has given up 99 points over its three-game losing streak. The Chargers figured to have some growing pains at inside linebacker, where they have two new starters, but their secondary has been suspect too. They’ll be facing the Denver Broncos, who have effectively stretched the field. Denver quarterback Jay Cutler’s average gain of 8.9 yards per attempt ranks sixth in the league.
Oh, brother!
2 Which Turner brother has bigger problems, Norv or Ron? (Thanks to the NFL Network’s Deion Sanders for posing the question.) Norv’s Chargers are 1-3 heading into Denver, and his younger brother, Ron, is the offensive coordinator of the 1-3 Chicago Bears, who play at Green Bay on Sunday. San Diego, last season’s top-scoring team, is ranked 27th in offense. The Bears are 30th -- worse than every team but Buffalo and San Francisco.
Meadowlands mugging?
3 The New York Jets and New York Giants play Sunday, and with the way the Blue Crew is pressuring the passer, Chad Pennington could be in trouble. The Giants tied an NFL record with 12 sacks against Philadelphia, and Osi Umenyiora had half of them. He’ll line up against left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who had a good game against Jason Taylor two weeks ago but Sunday was flagged for two holds. On the other side, right tackle Anthony Clement draws the unenviable assignment of Michael Strahan.
Bears killer
4 After a summer of Michael Vick, “Pacman” Jones and human growth hormone, the NFL was desperate for a feel-good story. Along came the resurgent Green Bay Packers (4-0) and ageless quarterback Brett Favre, who Sunday set the record for touchdown passes in a career. But can Favre keep it going against Chicago? Well, he’s 22-8 against the Bears, who play at Lambeau Field on Sunday, and Chicago’s defense is seriously deteriorated because of injuries. Six defensive players who started Week 1 were sidelined by Week 4.
Rex redux
5 Chicago made a switch at quarterback, but Brian Griese didn’t look any better than the beleaguered Rex Grossman. In his first start, against Detroit, Griese had three of his passes intercepted -- two coming in the red zone -- and two fumbles. He was occasionally on target, but he forced a lot of passes. It looks as if Coach Lovie Smith will stick with him against the Packers, although third-stringer Kyle Orton might be only one lousy game away from getting back on the field. Word is he looked better than Grossman and Griese at training camp.
Beginner’s luck?
6 In his first NFL start Sunday, rookie quarterback Trent Edwards had a fabulous game. He completed 78.5% of his passes in leading Buffalo to its first victory of the season, over the Jets. There’s even some talk from seasoned Bills observers that the injured J.P. Losman might not earn back his starting job. That seems premature, though, especially since Edwards needs to prove he can win time and again. And Monday night’s game against Dallas will be a real test.
Thinking Browns
7 New England plays host to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in what most people might dismiss as a blowout in waiting. But the Browns pulled off a couple of shockers in the first month, torching Cincinnati and stunning Baltimore. This looks as if it could be a trap game for the Patriots, one that could take them off guard if they aren’t ready. Thing is, Bill Belichick’s teams are very rarely lured into one of those. The last time New England played Cleveland was 2004, when the Patriots rolled up 412 yards in a 42-15 victory.
Super rematch
8 Folks in Seattle still brood over Super Bowl XL and believe Pittsburgh wouldn’t have won without a few favorable calls by the officials. This week, the Seahawks get a chance to exact a measure of revenge. They play at Pittsburgh and are coming off a big victory over San Francisco, a game in which their defense hammered quarterback Alex Smith. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s offensive line did a shoddy job of protecting Ben Roethlisberger and opening holes for Willie Parker in a loss to Arizona.
St. Losing
9 It wasn’t so long ago that the St. Louis Rams were practically scoring a point a minute. Now, they can’t find the end zone. They have had 31 consecutive possessions without a touchdown. The Arizona Cardinals come to town Sunday, and there’s a distinct possibility that quarterback Kurt Warner will get a bigger round of applause from the St. Louis crowd than any member of the Rams. The people there don’t forget what Warner accomplished for that franchise.
Battered Bucs
10 Just as Tampa Bay looks as if it’s getting its act together, the Buccaneers (3-1) have to contend with two devastating losses. Running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and left tackle Luke Petitgout each suffered season-ending knee injuries Sunday. Tampa Bay can win without them. It just did. They were injured in the first half, and yet the Buccaneers were able to keep the pressure on Carolina and come away with a 20-7 victory. Still, the Buccaneers have to be wishing they had those players healthy for Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.
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