FSH: FRIDAY FOOTBALL DIARY

November 21st, 2009 7:45pm PST

Friday Football Diary

[Saturday Edition]

Dear Diary

Every week there is always a matchup on the slate that is going to draw a little more interest and this Sunday won't be any different.

A tale of two teams

With the San Diego Chargers in town, the reeling Denver Broncos losers of three straight hope to right their ship fast with some good old fashion home-cookin. And Sunday they will need to as the same Chargers come into Invesco Field as winners of four straight and tied for the AFC West lead with a record of 6-3.

The biggest keys for both teams sudden change of direction has to be their passing games. With the Broncos suddenly grounded the last couple of weeks, the offense has struggled badly to generate any kind of scoring. In their last three games Denver has been outscored 34-85.

Conversely it has been the arm of Philip Rivers that has powered the Chargers offense during their winning stretch. Rivers (2,476 yards, 16 touchdowns) has emerged as one of the leagues elite passers over the past couple of seasons and this year he has been the team's biggest difference maker. During the streak Rivers has thrown nine touchdown passes.

Fantasy Notes:

In his last start quarterback Kyle Orton looked sharp and played well passing for 193 first half yards with a couple of scores against the Redskins. Unfortunately for Denver, Orton was injured in the close of the first half last week and may not be available on Sunday. If back up quarterback Chris Simms has to start or play any, it could be a long day for (WR) Brandon Marshall, (TE) Tony Scheffler, (WR) Eddie Royal, and (RB) Knowshon Moreno fantasy owners.

The Chargers are shinning their crystal balls because their future is looking up. With the recent resurgence of LaDainian Tomlinson (two touchdowns last week) in the mix, (QB) Philip Rivers, (WR) Vincent Jackson, and (tight end) Antonio Gates become even more dangerous playmakers and preferred starts for fantasy owners.

10 Things

On my Sunday's Watch-List

1. Peyton Manning (has eight 300-yard passing games in 2009) has been torching opposing secondaries all season, can he toast the Ravens or will Ray Lewis and the bad boys from Baltimore (defense ranked 7th overall) ride the Colts into the ground.
2. Last week the Redskins fed the rock 26 times to running back Ladell Betts, who finished with over 100-yards on the ground, can he punish the Cowboys 9th rated run defense this Sunday?
3. The Browns have been struggling all season with the leagues worst ranked offense and this week they will face the Lions (ranked 31st on defense), one of the leagues very worst defenses (ironically only Cleveland is worse). Something has to give, but likely nothing worth any interest to any fantasy owners.
4. The only chance the Niners have of beating Green Bay is getting to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the only chance Green Bay of winning is how well they protect Rodgers. So far this season Rodgers has been sacked 41 times; it doesn't look promising for the Pack, but that's why they play the games.
5. Last week Jamaal Charles recorded his first 100-yard rushing game as a starter this season for Kansas City, but this Sunday he is a long shot to nad his second facing the Steelers number ranked run defense that allows a mediocre 3.4 yards per tote.
6. The Bills passing offense has been non-existent this season ranked 30th in the league, but Sunday they will face Jacksonville's 25th ranked pass defense minus one of its' best corners Rashean Mathis.
7. The Giant's offense has been stuggling as of late managing 20 or fewer points in its' last three straight losses, but behind Brandon Jacobs (617 yards) and Ahmad Bradshaw (515 yards) they hope to right the ship against the Falcons soft run defense ranked 25th in the league.
8. On Sunday the Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (18 touchdowns) returns to his old stomping grounds of St. Louis, with a new set of aerial weapons (Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston) could this be an encore performance against the leagues 26th ranked pass defense?
9. In week six head coach Josh McDaniels took his new look Broncos (in some funky looking throwbacks) into San Diego for a surprising and convincing road win, on Sunday his team (three straight losses) will need a new look if they are to hope for a repeat at Invesco Field.
10. In their first meeting this season the Jets held Tom Brady to 216 yards passing and no touchdowns, a feat they will likley not repeat. Brady has passed for over 300 yards in four straight and thrown 13 touchdowns along the way.

Check back here every Friday for more "Football Diary"