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The highly-anticipated match-up between the Chargers and the Rams.The very first Jerry Tillery Jersey Color Rush , legitimate installment of the #FightForLA.Are you ready? Because I don’t know if I am.I really wish that both teams were able to come into this game with unblemished records. That definitely would have pushed the stakes to an even higher level. Unfortunately, the Chargers come in at 1-1 and are officially a full touchdown underdog to the red-hot Rams.I recently made an appearance on the radio out in San Diego during the Mark and Rich Show on XTRA 1360. These are always very short bits and I only get asked a few questions whenever I’m on. The first question this time around was very simple:“Is it surprising that the Chargers are underdogs by an entire touchdown?”I told them no, it really isn’t. The Chargers haven’t looked too bad so far, but the Rams have been that much more dominant.Their second question was based off my answer from the first question:“If it’s not a surprise, do the Chargers even have a chance?”I said yes, they do. And without giving it all away and making this post irrelevant, let’s take a look at what i’ll be keeping a close eye on when the teams of LA collide.1.) OC Ken Whisenhunt must take advantage of mismatches with RBs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler.When you glance at the Rams’ defense, there are TONS of stud players. Cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peterson, safety Lamarcus Joyner, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and — oh right Cheap Jerry Tillery Jersey , arguably the best player in the NFL regardless of position, Aaron flippin’ Donald.In terms of star-power, alone, this looks like the best defense in the NFL. However, there is one area in which the Rams lack consistent play: the linebackers.When we juxtapose the Chargers’ offense with the Rams’ defense, the area where the Chargers excel fits nicely where the Rams have shortcomings.I believe if the Chargers hope to consistently move the ball down the field against that stacked defense, Philip Rivers will have to utilize the athleticism of Gordon and Ekeler in mismatches, especially in the redzone, which he has shown a propensity for so far this season.2.) Can the Chargers’ run defense continue their strong start to the season with Todd Gurley staring back at them?In their first game of the year, the Chargers defense was able to hold last season’s rushing leader Youth Jerry Tillery Jersey , Kareem Hunt, to just 49 yards on 16 carries.The following week, they were able to limit LeSean McCoy’s carries by running up the score and causing the veteran to only receive nine totes which he turned into just 39 rushing yards.This week, the Bolts get Todd Gurley who was a candidate for league MVP just a season ago. In the season opener, Gurley looked like his usual self. He got a hefty 20 carries and turned them into 108 yards while catching three passes for 39 yards and a score.In last week’s match-up against the Arizona Cardinals. Gurley received another 19 carries, but only found enough running room to turn it into 42 rushing yards. The silver-lining, though? He still scored three touchdowns on the ground.Luckily for the Chargers, although the defense has been far from stout in between the 20’s, they’ve always shown a knack for buckling down when they feel the shadow of their end zone against their backs.3.) Can Philip Rivers overcome his demons when he faces off against former-AFC West cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters?In Peters’ last three games against the Chargers as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, he picked off Rivers four times dating back to the end of the 2016 regular season.Talib Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys 2019 , on the other hand, hasn’t intercepted a Philip Rivers pass in years but he was a part of the vaunted “No Fly Zone” in Denver that gave the entire NFL fits for a number of years. If I remember correctly, Rivers had a hard time just getting to the 200 yard passing mark anytime he faced the Broncos.So the theme is simple here. Rivers is about to face a pair of players that he hasn’t found success against in quite some time.Will Rivers be able to overcome the presence of these two defenders and show the city of Los Angeles that he’s not going to be haunted anymore by the ghosts of his past? Apart from questions like whether Josh Rosen is traded and to whom he’s traded and for how much he’s traded is the fundamental question of when he’ll be traded.The team that lands Rosen may want him sooner than later, especially with offseason programs launching soon. Ideally for his new team, he’ll be around for as much of the preparation for the 2019 season as possible, which means having him there from the moment the offseason program begins.Ideally for the NFL and his current team, however, Rosen won’t be traded until the 2019 draft begins.The draft has become the league’s biggest offseason tentpole event, a long-ready-for-prime-time show about nothing that draws millions of viewers to watch a traveling circus that doesn’t need to travel, and that doesn’t need to be a circus. The first pick becomes the centerpiece of that unnecessary circus Jerry Tillery Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys , and the longer the identity of the pick can be kept secret, the more compelling the unnecessary circus becomes.Surely, the NFL has urged the Cardinals to not tip their hand regarding the identity of the first overall pick until it’s time to return the card with his name on it. Although on various occasions before the adoption of the rookie wage scale the first overall pick would be signed to a contract before the draft even begins, that hasn’t happened since the not-much-to-negotiate reality emerged under the 2011 CBA.If the Cardinals have any concerns whatsoever about the presumed first overall pick, Kyler Murray, picking baseball now or within the next four years, it could be wise to get Murray to sign before officially picking him a football contract that includes a Jameis Winston-style no-baseball term. While that can happen almost simultaneously with the selection of Murray, it becomes harder to keep everything secret if/when the Cardinals and Murray commence discussions on a rookie deal in the days before the draft starts.Trading Rosen before the start of the draft would end any reason to keep that silent, which means that the league should be as concerned about getting Arizona to tap the brakes on a pre-draft trade as the league will be about getting the Cardinals not to let the cat out of the bag as to their plan at No. 1. And it actually makes sense for the Cardinals to wait to finalize the trade until the pick that they’ll be getting is on the clock; if the Cardinals acquire a specific pick before that pick is due to be selected, someone else can try to predict who they want and to cut the line by trading up in front of that pick.A problem arises if the teams who want Rosen want him ASAP Russell Okung Jerseys Stitched , and for the same reason the NFL needs to get the Cardinals to take it slow, the league will need to convince the teams pursuing Rosen to be patient.There’s one strategic reason for the Cardinals to hold Rosen. If the Cardinals hope to sign Murray to a contract with a no-baseball provision, Murray secures more leverage if Rosen is traded before Murray signs.Except for that last point, most of the concern is irrelevant. But it’s highly relevant to the question of making the NFL draft as successful as it can be, maximizing interest and TV ratings by minimizing information about what the Cardinals may do.