SAN DIEGO – The Big Apple is a grand stage for most of America’s finest entertainment and spectacle: Broadway, the ball drop on New Year’s, Times Square, Wall Street, fashion, music, food and tourism are part of a long list of items synonymous with New York.

The biggest stage at 10 a.m. PDT Sunday, though, will belong to the Chargers (4-1) and Jets (3-3). The New York Yankees aren’t in the World Series, the New York Giants are in their bye week and the New York Rangers don’t have a game.

All eyeballs will be on a matchup between two of the top AFC teams in recent years as New York vies to keep up with New England and Buffalo in the AFC East and San Diego tries to maintain its one-game edge over Oakland.

The Jets have been to back-to-back AFC Championship games and the Chargers made the playoffs four of the last five seasons, making this a matchup of two conference headliners. Add several inciting factors to the attention surrounding the game, including San Diego’s brutal 17-14 loss in the 2009 AFC Divisional Playoffs, and this one feels perfect for the nation’s biggest city.

“Everybody is watching,” Takeo Spikes said of the opportunity. “Everybody is watching.

“Someone always told me it’s (about) perception. Perception really takes over. Perception is halfway around the world before reality takes one step out of bed.”

For now, San Diego is content to strive for win No. 5 without too much of a national spotlight. A victory would propel the Bolts to their best start since Quentin Jammer’s rookie season in 2002.

Both teams are sound in what they do across the board but also expect a physical, intense competition.

“Schemes and things like that are involved and you’ve got to play within those, but at the end of the day, it’s football,” Steve Gregory said. “It’s one man versus another. You’ve got to win those battles. You’ve got to go out and beat the man in front of you.”

San Diego’s defense allows just 179.6 passing yards per game, second-best in the NFL. The Chargers control an offense with one of the best chances to penetrate New York’s elite pass defense. In fact, Vincent Jackson caught seven passes for 111 yards against the Jets in the recent playoff loss.

Each team is determined to gain more balance on offense, and the Chargers’ young running back tandem of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert has given San Diego a nudge in that direction. Mathews is seeking his seventh consecutive game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, while Tolbert wants to add to his team-leading four touchdowns.

The Jets also have a third-year running back in Shonn Greene, who rushed for 128 yards in his only career game against the Chargers, and future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.

With more than 50 percent of the NFL’s games decided by seven points or less so far this season, don’t be surprised if Sunday’s matchup comes down to a few plays late in the game. If it does, San Diego has compiled a solid resume in that department through five games and has benefitted from the attached confidence.

“The thing we’ve obviously done is we’ve been able to finish games off in the fourth quarter. We’ve been able to make plays that have allowed us to win games,” Turner said. “That’s what you have to do in this league. We’ve made them in all three phases, whether we’ve made a stop, whether we’ve finished a drive to take a knee at the end of the game or we’ve made critical kicks. I think that’s a big part of winning in this league and we’ve been able to do it.”

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters featured article: A ‘Malign Intellectual Subculture’ – George Monbiot Smears Chomsky, Herman, Peterson, Pilger And Media Lens.

San Diego Chargers : News

SAN DIEGO – The Big Apple is a grand stage for most of America’s finest entertainment and spectacle: Broadway, the ball drop on New Year’s, Times Square, Wall Street, fashion, music, food and tourism are part of a long list of items synonymous with New York.

The biggest stage at 10 a.m. PDT Sunday, though, will belong to the Chargers (4-1) and Jets (3-3). The New York Yankees aren’t in the World Series, the New York Giants are in their bye week and the New York Rangers don’t have a game.

All eyeballs will be on a matchup between two of the top AFC teams in recent years as New York vies to keep up with New England and Buffalo in the AFC East and San Diego tries to maintain its one-game edge over Oakland.

The Jets have been to back-to-back AFC Championship games and the Chargers made the playoffs four of the last five seasons, making this a matchup of two conference headliners. Add several inciting factors to the attention surrounding the game, including San Diego’s brutal 17-14 loss in the 2009 AFC Divisional Playoffs, and this one feels perfect for the nation’s biggest city.

“Everybody is watching,” Takeo Spikes said of the opportunity. “Everybody is watching.

“Someone always told me it’s (about) perception. Perception really takes over. Perception is halfway around the world before reality takes one step out of bed.”

For now, San Diego is content to strive for win No. 5 without too much of a national spotlight. A victory would propel the Bolts to their best start since Quentin Jammer’s rookie season in 2002.

Both teams are sound in what they do across the board but also expect a physical, intense competition.

“Schemes and things like that are involved and you’ve got to play within those, but at the end of the day, it’s football,” Steve Gregory said. “It’s one man versus another. You’ve got to win those battles. You’ve got to go out and beat the man in front of you.”

San Diego’s defense allows just 179.6 passing yards per game, second-best in the NFL. The Chargers control an offense with one of the best chances to penetrate New York’s elite pass defense. In fact, Vincent Jackson caught seven passes for 111 yards against the Jets in the recent playoff loss.

Each team is determined to gain more balance on offense, and the Chargers’ young running back tandem of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert has given San Diego a nudge in that direction. Mathews is seeking his seventh consecutive game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, while Tolbert wants to add to his team-leading four touchdowns.

The Jets also have a third-year running back in Shonn Greene, who rushed for 128 yards in his only career game against the Chargers, and future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.

With more than 50 percent of the NFL’s games decided by seven points or less so far this season, don’t be surprised if Sunday’s matchup comes down to a few plays late in the game. If it does, San Diego has compiled a solid resume in that department through five games and has benefitted from the attached confidence.

“The thing we’ve obviously done is we’ve been able to finish games off in the fourth quarter. We’ve been able to make plays that have allowed us to win games,” Turner said. “That’s what you have to do in this league. We’ve made them in all three phases, whether we’ve made a stop, whether we’ve finished a drive to take a knee at the end of the game or we’ve made critical kicks. I think that’s a big part of winning in this league and we’ve been able to do it.”

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters featured article: A ‘Malign Intellectual Subculture’ – George Monbiot Smears Chomsky, Herman, Peterson, Pilger And Media Lens.

San Diego Chargers : News