The San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers are playing in the final week of the preseason and after winning two of three games, San Francisco is looking to get on a roll as they head into the regular season where the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks will be waiting in the first two weeks of the year in tough matchups, including a playoff rematch from last season.
The San Diego Chargers for a time were one of the most consistent and talented franchises in the NFL, but after falling on a few tough years, the team decided to clean house and brought in a new head coach in Mike McCoy as well as a new general manager in Tom Telesco.
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This year the team has high expectation for quarterback Philip Rivers, as he had a down season in 2012 with too many turnovers, but this year the offensive line should be better and that will help the Chargers to be more consistent. The team invested heavily in the offensive line this offseason, drafting DJ Fluker with their first round pick and also signing free agent Max Starks to a contract to play tackle. Both players should help Rivers as well as the running game, which needs significant improvements after last season.
The offense was not very consistent or explosive under head coach Norv Turner last season and although the team dealt with injuries, at times it looked impossible for them to score, especially during an ugly 7-6 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. The team ranked in the bottom half of the league passing yards per game and had no dynamic option in the running game as Ryan Mathews dealt with injuries once again. This year the team will be putting a focus on staying consistent and McCoy also has expectation's for the running backs, including Mathews and Jackie Battle.
The team drafted Manti Te'o along with Fluker, but they stayed mostly on offense for the draft, adding wideout Keenan Allen to a group that has Malcom Floyd and Danario Alexander, who had a breakout season with seven touchdowns to lead the team. For many years the team couldn't find a consistent option to go with previously departed receiver Vincent Jackson and Floyd, but it is clear now that they have a star in Alexander.
Alexander played in 10 games and made 37 catches for 658 yards while averaging 17.8 yards-per-catch and while he had the chance to get an offer as an unrestricted free agent, he will be with the team again next season. The 24-year-old is still very young and athletic and adding Allen to the mix should only open things up for Rivers and the rest of the offense. The entire division is expected to be improved after the Chiefs were the worst team in the NFL and the Raiders were 4-12, meaning second place in no guarantee for the Chargers.
Every team in the division is looking up to the Broncos and Peyton Manning and since they already added Wes Welker, there is little doubt that they will be just as good next year as well. The defense may be a question mark and the play of Eric Weddle will be a good measure of how the unit stacks up, as he is one of the best safeties in the league.
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