Chargers grasping at hope
With two weeks remaining in the NFL season, the San Diego Chargers are hanging on to the possibility of a postseason berth by the tips of their fingernails.
To catch up to Denver, whom they face in a season finale at San Diego, the Chargers need to win at Tampa Bay on Sunday, and the Broncos need to lose to the visiting Buffalo Bills.
For the moment, the Chargers are confronting both good news and bad.
Good news for the Chargers: San Diego has won each of its four games at Tampa Bay.
Bad news for the Chargers: The most recent came during the 1993 season.
Good: The Buccaneers have lost two in a row.
Bad: The Chargers are 0-4 east of the Mississippi.
Good: San Diego’s on a roll, having won two in a row.
Bad: So is Buffalo -- a backward roll, with seven losses in eight games.
On to this week’s picks . . .
Baltimore at Dallas: The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 32 games, but the Cowboys have proved their offense can get by with the limping running game. Joe Flacco will face a smothering pass rush. Can the Cowboys keep the heat off a sore Tony Romo? Pick: Dallas.
Cincinnati at Cleveland: You know things are bad in Cleveland when the most encouraging thing about the Browns’ offense is kicker Phil Dawson. He might just be the difference-maker, though, against a two-win Cincinnati team that’s 0-7 on the road. Pick: Cleveland.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee: These Steelers are battle-hardened by the league’s toughest schedule. Now, they have won five in a row and can taste home-field advantage. The Titans are coming off a stunning loss to Houston and won’t have defensive stoppers Albert Haynesworth or Kyle Vanden Bosch. That hurts. Pick: Pittsburgh.
San Francisco at St. Louis: Although neither franchise is going to the postseason, these teams are heading in different directions. While the 49ers have shown a flicker of promise, especially with Frank Gore on the mend, the Rams are just as bad as their record suggests. They are 5-25 in their last 30 games. Pick: San Francisco.
San Diego at Tampa Bay: The Chargers had reason to pump their fists last Sunday, and those moments have been few and far between this season. In lots of critical situations, San Diego has come up short. Now, the Chargers have to beat a team that’s undefeated at home -- and pray that Denver loses its very winnable game. The season ends here. Pick: Tampa Bay.
New Orleans at Detroit: The Lions are running out of chances to avert an historic 0-16 season. They have been able to score sporadically this season, however, and have a glimpse of hope of catching the discouraged Saints off guard now that New Orleans is out of the playoff picture. Not likely, but possible. Pick: New Orleans.
Miami at Kansas City: The amazing Dolphins, who have made one of the best one-season turnarounds in NFL history, have won seven of eight. The Chiefs, meanwhile, keep finding ways to lose close games. The latest, a one-point loss to San Diego, was an utter morale-snapper. Pick: Miami.
Arizona at New England: The Cardinals won the NFC West, yes, but somebody should tell them they have not crossed the finish line. Backpedaling into the postseason with three losses in four games is a bad sign. Even with the Patriots banged up, winning at New England in December is still one of the toughest tasks in sports. Pick: New England.
Buffalo at Denver: Compared to how he was hammered by Carolina pass rushers, Denver’s Jay Cutler should feel like he has months to find his receivers against Buffalo. The Broncos don’t have a running game -- and they are not likely to get far in the postseason -- but they have enough to win here. Pick: Denver.
New York Jets at Seattle: The Jets are a better team and have much more to gain by winning this game. That said, they have yet to win in three chances on the West Coast, losing at San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco. And nobody knows Brett Favre better than Mike Holmgren, who could use a big victory on his way out. Pick: Seattle.
Houston at Oakland: Did the Raiders even try to tackle against the Patriots last Sunday? That’s debatable, considering they gave up 277 yards rushing. Now, they are faced with the task of slowing the rolling Houston Texans, who are looking for their fifth consecutive victory and whose running back, Steve Slaton, has run for at least 100 yards the last three weeks. Pick: Houston.
Atlanta at Minnesota: It’s Atlanta’s vaunted running attack against Minnesota’s top-ranked run defense in a game that’s essential for both teams. If the Vikings can contain Michael Turner, they will have a better chance of getting to Matt Ryan with the rush. Tarvaris Jackson will start at quarterback for the Vikings, and he looked plenty good last week. Pick: Minnesota.
Philadelphia at Washington: Everything is falling into place for Philadelphia lately, and now the Eagles are facing a demoralized Redskins team that’s coming off three consecutive losses, most recently a defeat to woeful Cincinnati that knocked them out of the playoff picture. Philadelphia is looking more confident by the week, starting with Donovan McNabb. Pick: Philadelphia.
Carolina at New York Giants: The days of the Panthers sneaking up on people are over. This is a very good team, potentially a Super Bowl winner, and everybody is beginning to see that. The Giants have lost two in a row and aren’t the same without Plaxico Burress drawing double-teams. They need Brandon Jacobs back too, because they couldn’t establish the run at all in their loss at Dallas. Pick: Carolina.
Green Bay at Chicago: The Packers haven’t won since thumping Chicago, 37-3, six weeks ago. Their defense has softened considerably and is vulnerable even to Chicago’s so-so running game. The Bears have incentive to win too, beyond avenging that loss and knocking off a division rival. They still have a chance to make the playoffs. Pick: Chicago.
Season record: 136-86-1 (.613)
--
