Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
Bolt Up! Our BA Team of the Week this week is the San Diego Chargers. On Sunday, the Chargers took on the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. After losing a hard-fought game to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, the Chargers were ready to redeem themselves in Week 2 in their first home game of the season. Despite it being a home game, the majority of sports analysts picked Seattle to win over San Diego after the Seahawks showed zero signs of the dreaded Super Bowl hangover in a dominant Week 1 performance against the Packers.
The Chargers played tough from beginning to end on both sides of the ball. The offense was efficient in running and passing the ball and exposed some weaknesses in the NFL’s #1 ranked defense (looking at you, Richard Sherman). The defense caused a number of sacks and fumbles and forced the Seahawks to punt away the ball on almost half of their possessions. San Diego put up points early in the game, scoring a field goal on their first possession of the game to make the score 3-0. The Seahawks then took a 7-3 lead after quarterback Russell Wilson tossed the ball back to wide receiver Percy Harvin and he ran 51 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. However, after the game was over, it was confirmed by officials that Harvin had stepped out of bounds around the 20 yard line and Seattle should have never scored on that play. On the next series of downs, quarterback Philip Rivers threw an 8 yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates, which would only be the first of three touchdowns completed between this quarterback-tight end duo throughout the game. The Chargers forced a three-and-out on the Seahawks’ next possession, got the ball back, and were able to drive the ball down to the 24 yard line and kick a field goal to make the score 13-7. On the ensuing kickoff return by the Seahawks, Percy Harvin fumbled the ball after being tackled by linebacker Kavell Conner and the ball was recovered by safety Darrell Stuckey at the 28 yard line. The Chargers offense took over once again and 8 plays later, Rivers found Gates yet again in the end zone to make the score 20-7. With a minute left in the half, Russell Wilson got the ball back and was able to connect with running back Robert Turbin on a 32 yard pass play, a 10 yard run play, and then a 3 yard pass touchdown to make the score 20-14 at the half.
The Chargers got the ball to open up the second half but eventually were forced to punt it away. The Seahawks followed suit after the defense forced a quick three-and-out. Halfway through the third quarter, Rivers hit his favorite target of the day, Antonio Gates, with a nice 19 yard pass, followed by a 12 yard run he ran himself, and a 16 yard pass to wide receiver Eddie Royal, moving the ball down the field. On the 13th play of the drive, Rivers threw the ball deep for Gates, who reached out and made an amazing one-handed grab for his third touchdown of the day, increasing the Chargers lead to 27-14. Russell Wilson answered with a touchdown pass to running back Marshawn Lynch on the next drive to make the score 27-21. In the 4th quarter, the Chargers defense was able to hold off the Seahawks offense. With less than 2 minutes left in the game, the Seahawks, down by 6, went for it on 4th and 11 with a pass attempt to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. The pass fell incomplete and the ball was turned back over to the Chargers. The Chargers used their remaining timeouts to run the clock down to 20 seconds before kicking a field goal. The Seahawks got the ball back with just enough time for two plays but it was too little too late. On the last play of the game, Russell Wilson completed a 14 yard pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Baldwin was only able to run a couple yards before getting taken down and with that, the Chargers upset the Seahawks 30-21and handed them their first loss by more than 6 points in 41 games.
The Chargers definitely got a big boost of confidence after their great performance on Sunday and next week they will be looking to win on the road in New York against the 2-0 Buffalo Bills.
Now what’s football without the fine football players hiding underneath those pads and helmets? Each team definitely has its share of cuties and the San Diego Chargers are no exception! Let’s take a look at CB Brandon Flowers, RB Donald Brown, and LB Andrew Gachkar.
#26 Brandon Flowers – Cornerback
Cornerback Brandon Flowers is relatively new to the team. He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL draft but signed a one year deal with the Chargers back in June of this year. While with the Chiefs, Brandon was a star player on the defense and was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl. Currently out due to a groin injury, he is expected to be back on the field soon, hopefully in time for Week 3. Ladies, now would be the perfect time to slide in his DMs and ask him if he needs a massage or a back rub while recovering from his injury.
#34 Donald Brown – Running Back
Like Brandon Flowers, running back Donald Brown is also a new member of the Chargers team. He spent 5 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts before signing a 3 year contract with the Chargers this past March. With the Chargers’ #1 running back Ryan Mathews out for an undetermined amount of time, Donald will be getting a lot more face time in the upcoming games…and I am definitely not mad about it. Hey boo!
#59 Andrew Gachkar – Linebacker
Linebacker Andrew Gachkar has been through the fire throughout his football career. In college at the University of Missouri, he had to go through major surgery to remove one of his ribs due to blood clotting issues. At the time, it was uncertain whether he would ever play football again but he was able to bounce back and not only play again, but make it to the NFL. He was drafted by the Chargers in 2011 and is currently one of their strongest players on special teams. Love that he was able to overcome adversity and make it this far!
