San Diego Chargers coach Norv’s December luck put to test by The Gaming Today’s, Ted Sevransky

(Welcome to Teddy’s unique look at the NFL. Teddy watches games
all day on Sunday, typing furiously on his laptop while giving you the key info
that the box scores and game recaps don’t necessarily have. This week: AFC News
and Notes from Week 14.)

PRO FOOTBALL SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

How can a team that has marched down the field and scored on their
opening drive in each of the last seven weeks be sitting in last place at the
start of the game? Simple, they don’t carry any of that early momentum forward.
Once the scripted plays run out, so does the offense! And when their opponent
punches, the Chargers don’t seem to punch back very well.

But San Diego finally punched the Bills back after the lead was
cut to 6 following yet another unforced Philip Rivers error. That’s a very
positive sign for a team that still believes they can sneak into the playoffs.
As rough as Philip Rivers’ season has been, he came into the game leading the
NFL in pass completions of 20+ yards, now with 57 for the year!

Norv Turner is 16-2 SU in December with this team, making money
for his supporters in the process. And this team still believes – they’ve had
more than their fair share of late season hot streaks to turn lousy starts into
playoff finishes.

PRO FOOTBALL KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

As bad as this offense has been, Romeo Crennel has this defense
playing at a fairly high level. They’re getting pressure on the quarterback,
giving up little in the running game and batting away passes downfield, despite
their continuing injury issues in the secondary.

The offense is completely unable to sustain drives or create any
sort of big play, quick strike touchdowns. When a team gets one first down for
an entire half like they did here, it’s never a positive sign. And even good
defenses run out of gas when they spend an entire half on the field – hence the
Jets’ five touchdowns without a single field goal attempt.

PRO FOOTBALL INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Colts don’t seem to wake up or get off the bus until they are
down by multiple scores; truly a “quit” team at this late stage of a miserable
season. It’s going to take Indy plus at least three TD’s for me to consider
betting them down the stretch.

Indy’s stop unit is as bad as it gets at the NFL level right now.
The Colts have already fired their defensive coordinator. They rank dead last in
the NFL in interceptions, notching only 6 the entire season. They’ve only
recovered 6 fumbles. And to say that the entire defense has been besieged with
injuries is something of an understatement.

No team in the NFL has allowed more points. For as bad as the
offense has been, the defense has been even worse, and that can’t be blamed on
Peyton Manning’s injury.

PRO FOOTBALL MIAMI DOLPHINS

Think back to where Miami was in late October, 12 of their
previous 13 home games, getting booed out of the stadium and Coach Tony Sparano
no sure thing to last through the bye week following an 0-4 start.

So what’s happened since? This dead team suddenly sprang to life,
going 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS. But all of that came crashing to a halt here against
Philly. By the end of the game 3/5 of their starting offensive line was hurt –
something to pay close attention to before making wagering decisions about the
Dolphins next week.

Matt Moore was sacked four times before he was helped off the
field. Replacement J.P. Losman took five sacks in his first on-field work with
the team. Philly had a defensive game plan that Miami’s brain trust simply
couldn’t solve.

Moore is not the long term answer at QB here. I’m not convinced
that Chad Henne is either. This team needs a franchise QB in the worst way.
These are the guys who have taken snaps behind center since Dan Marino retired
following the 1999 season: Jay Fiedler, Damon Huard, Ray Lucas, Brian Griese, AJ
Feeley, Sage Rosenfels, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo
Lemon, Trent Green, John Beck, Chad Pennington, Tyler Thigpen, Henne and Moore.
Not one “Super Bowl” kind of guy on that list.

PRO FOOTBALL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

As a team, the Patriots seem fairly soft. Look no further than
each of their three previous losses this year, all games where they were
outmuscled (Giants, Steelers and Bills). But TE pass catcher Rob Gronkowski is a
notable exception to that rule; an absolute beast of a man.

After two more last Sunday, Gronkowski now holds the all-time NFL
record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end.

The Patriots defense is dead last in the NFL against the pass. New
England can’t protect leads. They allowed Roy Helu to run all over them today,
while giving up one big play after the next in the passing game.

Remember, this defense got torched on the opening Monday Night
Football game of the season, allowing a career-high 416 passing yards to Chad
Henne and Dolphins. They seemingly haven’t improved one iota; not a playoff
caliber defense by any stretch of the imagination.

That being said, the Patriots red zone defense is top notch, their
kicking game remains extremely strong, and their “will to win” ranks as high as
any team in the league. This team is something of an enigma to this bettor. The
only bet I’m looking to make involving New England these days is on the
over.

PRO FOOTBALL TENNESSEE TITANS

This team has been flying under-the-radar both on a national level
and right here in Las Vegas all season long. And to see this mediocre ballclub
sitting with a winning record, very much in playoff contention here in December
is certainly a surprise, considering they don’t have a single unit of extreme
strength on the roster.

This defense really stepped up against Drew Brees – excellent
tackling, strong coverages downfield and a solid pass rush, stifling one of the
more potent attacks in the league. Their red zone defense made all the
difference, staying in the game despite three Saints drives inside the 20 that
only yielded three field goal attempts. Both second half Saints touchdowns came
on long passing plays from outside the red zone.

I’m a Jake Locker believer. I thought Locker was an undervalued
gem coming out of Washington in last year’s draft, and nothing I’ve seen from
him in various fill-in roles for Matt Hasselbeck has changed my opinion one
iota. Locker’s TD scramble to put the Titans in the lead in the second half
brought an element of escapability that Hasselbeck simply doesn’t have. His deep
throw downfield for a key fourth quarter TD was another thing of beauty; not a
throw that Hasselbeck can make at this stage of his career.

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