John Clayton of ClaytonFootball.com, CBS Sports' Kevin Harlan, The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta and Chargers radio analyst Daniel Jeremiah were guests on the latest episode of Chargers Weekly, the official podcast of the team.
All four guests previewed the Chargers' Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Highlights are below.
Clayton on forecasting the AFC West:
"What I didn't anticipate is from the first play of the first game of the season, (Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes would be playing like an MVP candidate, and so that's why I had the Chargers winning the division and I didn't know if I was going to have Kansas City in the playoffs. But now, I think you can see that both teams are going to be playoff bound and I'm not surprised because Philip Rivers – I've always liked him. I think that he's always been a great quarterback, and then, of course, you throw in that the defense is better and there's certainly offensive weapons. In fact, I know being on the sidelines 'cause – what I do on the sidelines is that I do the opposing team. And so, I was on the Chargers sideline (in the preseason) watching everything there and I thought that the Charger receiving group was one of the deepest I've seen in the league."
Harlan on Rivers:
"It's good to see good guys win like that. I've got profound respect for Philip as a player, but especially as a person. He's a quality guy. He's a great guy to look up to if you're a young guy looking for stars in this league and he represents a lot of the good things about the NFL: competitive spirit, good man off the field – a lot to like there. The Charger team has been a terrific watch so far, and I think it'll continue throughout the rest of the season."
Condotta on what will decide Sunday's game:
"I think for the Seahawks – the absolute biggest thing for them will be what kind of pass rush they can get. If you go look at their numbers, it's been pretty sporadic. They haven't had a great pass rush in some of these games. … They didn't have a great pass rush against the Lions. They sort of just had a timely one. They were able to make a couple of plays when it really mattered, but they really stopped (Detroit's) run in that game. But I'd say that – up here in Seattle because of the crowd it's always more difficult for (road) teams getting the ball off in time and all the linemen hearing the snap counts right and all the kind of stuff. The Seahawks usually have a much better pass rush at home than on the road and so, I think that'll be – to me, that'll be the biggest thing. If Philip Rivers has time to throw, then it could be a tough day."
Jeremiah on the key to a Chargers win:
"I think this game comes down to whether the Chargers can stop the run. If they stop the run, I think they have a great chance of winning this football game. If Chris Carson (gets going) and they establish the line of scrimmage and they're running the ball and getting 120, 140 yards rushing, it's going to be tough. And that environment against that team, when they limit your possessions and control the ball, they're going to be tough to beat. So, to me, that's what this game is all about: stopping the run."
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