Hello, Bolt Nation! Welcome to this week’s Talking Touchdowns! The Chargers have had a restful bye week and will head to Jacksonville to face the 5-3 Jaguars. This is a game that has some interesting history behind it.

LA Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The history starts with our defensive coordinator, so I guess it’s safe to say it’s time to talk a little defense:

Defense

• Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will face his previous team this week. There is no denying he has done big things to get the most out of our pass rushing duo of Joey Bosa & Melvin Ingram, who have racked up 8.5 sacks each in the past eight games. The Chargers are tied for fourth in the league with 26 sacks and are ranked #8 against the pass, having given up only 201 yards per game.

• He will face Jaguars new head coach Doug Marrone, who has quite the weapon in running back Leonard Fournette. And while the Chargers pass rush has been incredible, our run defense has given up 135 yards per game and are ranked 31st in the NFL.

• Jacksonville’s defense, however, is leading the NFL with a total of 35 sacks and they can thank midseason MVP Calais Campbell, their 300-pound DE, who has a total of 11 sacks this season.

Offense

• The Chargers have struggled to get the run game going, but if they can be more consistent, they will be able to create play action. Before the bye-week, Melvin Gordon ran for an 87-yard touchdown, tying for the longest rush in the history of the franchise. The Chargers have shown that if they can get Melvin Gordon going, they can put up a good fight with just about any team in the NFL.

• Fournette was deactivated last week, due to missing a variety of team events, but he will be back leading the Jaguars this week. Fournette has a total of 596 yards with six touchdowns this season.

• Veteran QB Philip Rivers currently has 2,028 yards with 13 touchdowns in comparison to Jaguars Blake Bortles, who has put up 1,657 yards with 10 touchdowns and was able to lead his team, without his star running back, to a 23-7 victory over the Cinncinati Bengals.

Special Teams

• Chargers released kicker Josh Lambo, after three years following the 2017 pre-season. Lambo, who was picked up by the Jaguars in mid October, will have the chance to face the Chargers with his new team.

Game Prediction

This is a game full of history and an important one for the Chargers, who are just 1 ½ games away from a wildcard playoff spot. The Chargers have shown they can put up a fight against just about anyone in the NFL, but I’m going to have to give this one to the Jags. I hope the Chargers will prove me wrong. Go Bolts!

[NFL-Chargers-footer]

Photo Credits:

• Los Angeles Chargers on Wikimedia Commons by San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
• Jacksonville skyline on Wikimedia Commons by Jon Zander
• Jackson Jaguars on Wikimedia by SportsLogos.net
• Joey Bosa on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
• Melvin Ingram on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
• Melvin Gordon on Wikimedia by Jeffery Beall
• Philip Rivers on Flickr by Jeffrey Beall
• Blake Bortles on flickr by Keith Allison
• Josh Lambo on flickr by Jeffrey Beall