Chargers, Ravens seek the same answers

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, September 26, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

San Diego Chargers
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Heading into their game this Sunday, the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens have two more things in common beyond their undefeated records. The first? Their defenses have been absolutely dominant thus far this season. Consider the following:

The Chargers have given up a total of seven points in two games this season. In the opener, Oakland only gained 183 yards on them, and Raiders quarterbacks were sacked a grand total of nine times on their way to being shut out. The Titans didn't fare much better against the crew from San Diego, accumulating only 218 yards on their way to a seven-point performance.

The Ravens, on the other hand, have allowed only 20 points through three games this season. Tampa Bay managed 163 yards against them and a goose egg; the Raiders gained a total of 201 yards and six points; and Cleveland managed 336 total yards - even if only 38 of those were on the ground - on its way to 14 points.

Through those games the Ravens have managed to accumulate 16 sacks.

Not bad.

Here's the other thing they both have in common, though. Both the Chargers and Ravens have performed this way against some pretty terrible competition. In fact, neither of them has played a team with a victory yet.

So, here's the question. Are these defenses for real, or have they simply padded their stats against bottom- dwellers? A loaded question. There is certainly enough star power to allow one to believe that both of these defenses are darned good - the Chargers have Shawne Merriman, Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams playing for them, while the Ravens field competitors like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

These are all players that virtually any team would love to have. Further, the Ravens have proven over the years to be a consistently good defensive team, and anyone that has seen Merriman play on Sundays knows that he's a special athlete.

So, yes, these defenses are certainly good. But are they as dominant as they've been playing? Are these Ravens going to bust onto the scene like that Super Bowl defense of 2000 did? Further, are the Chargers about to become a defense that we all remember for years to come?

After offensive players like LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers come to town, we'll certainly have a better handle on Baltimore. Not to mention, former MVP Steve McNair, Jamal Lewis and Todd Heap will definitely test the Bolts' mettle.

Pretenders or contenders?

We'll know on Sunday.

Get more on the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens matchup at RealFootball365.com
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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