10 Insights Entering Week 4 vs. San Francisco

Sep 27, 2018 at 05:55 PM

Chris Hayre

TEAM REPORTER

Los Angeles Chargers Practice at Hoag Performance Center on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

Below are 10 quick-hitting insights entering the Chargers' Week 4 matchup against the 49ers:

1) No two teams were hotter down the stretch last season. Both the Chargers and the 49ers won six of their last seven games of 2017.

2) Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn has a long history with 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. Kyle's father, Mike, gave Lynn his first coaching job in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh worked under Chargers DC Gus Bradley at the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars.

3) There are notable player connections between these two teams, too. Chargers cornerback Desmond King was college teammates with 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard and tight end George Kittle at the University of Iowa. Los Angeles safety Adrian Phillips will help defend wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, perhaps the fastest player in the NFL. The two played together at the University of Texas. Chargers defensive end Isaac Rochell will likely match up across from his former Notre Dame teammate Mike McGlinchey, the 49ers' first-round rookie offensive tackle.

4) C.J. is the grandson of Hall of Fame General Manager Bobby Beathard, who spent 11 seasons with the Chargers, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXIX against the 49ers. Coincidentally, C.J.'s first NFL appearance came last season against the Redskins – the place where his grandfather built two Super Bowl championship teams.

5) San Francisco running back Matt Breida is tied for the league lead in rushing yards (274), but it's taken him 16 fewer carries than the Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott -- the player he's tied with -- to get there. Breida is averaging 8.6 yards per carry on 32 attempts.

6) Overall, the 49ers rank second in the league in rushing (152.7 yards per game). Through three weeks, Breida and running back Alfred Morris have combined for 512 total yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers.

7) The Chargers' tandem of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler have combined for 611 total yards and five touchdowns. They're on an early pace for a combined 3,258 yards and 26 touchdowns.

8) The Chargers have won their last four games against the 49ers after losing the previous six. The last time these two teams met, quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns -- including a pair to tight end Antonio Gates -- in a 38-35 Chargers win in 2014.

9) San Francisco General Manager and former All-Pro safety John Lynch has actually faced Rivers and Gates as a player five and eight times, respectively.

10) Rivers is 3-0 all-time against the 49ers, with 963 passing yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.