San Diego Chargers Defeat Tennessee Titans 38-10

The San Diego Chargers have started the 2012 NFL season 2-0, their first time doing so since the 2006 season where they finished 14-2. Both of their wins have been more than touchdown, and both have been very impressive.

Different from most of the Chargers teams from the past 5 years or so, this one seems prone to fast starts. The team quickly built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with strong defense and an unstoppable passing game (using Dante Rosario to cure all Red Zone offensive woes). In the middle of the game, the Titans seemed to be able to slow down the passing game because they didn't have to respect the Chargers non-existent running game. Enter Jackie Battle.

Trying to wear down the Tennessee defense and the clock, milking a 14 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Chargers called on their 5th RB (who hasn't seen a single snap against the Oakland Raiders) and he responded with 69 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs on just 14 carries. The Titans had the ball for less than 2 minutes in the fourth quarter.

The Tennessee Titans had the ball 11 times and scored only twice. One of those was a drive that started on the San Diego 32 yard line due to a long kickoff return, and one was greatly helped by a 15 yard penalty on Vaughn Martin that seemed to make the defense lose its focus for the remainder of the drive. What I'm saying is, the Chargers defense looks to be living up to the preseason hype.

The Chargers offense seems to be working on a combination of moxy, play-calling and Philip Rivers playing (mostly) mistake-free football. Add in the missing talent over the course of the season (Ryan Mathews, Jared Gaither, Antonio Gates, Vincent brown) and this could be one of the best offenses in the league once more. For now, it's enough to score points and win games on the back of a strong defense.

Game Balls: Jackie Battle, Shaun Phillips, Dante Rosario