CARSON
Quinnen
Williams Jersey , Calif. (AP) ¡ª Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald were both part of the NFL¡¯s 2004 draft
class and have emerged as the faces of their respective franchises.The two renew
acquaintances on the football field Sunday when Los Angles hosts Arizona in a
matchup of teams going in different directions.The Chargers (7-3) have one of
the best records in the AFC as they try to make the playoffs for the first time
since 2013. The Cardinals (2-8) find themselves contending for the top pick in
the draft less than three seasons after making it to the NFC championship
game.¡°That¡¯s my guy. I love Phil,¡± Fitzgerald said. ¡°I got to know him at (an)
awards banquet (during college).¡±Rivers has a 112.1 passer rating, which is the
highest of his career after the first 10 games in a season. His 25 touchdowns
mark only the second time he has thrown that many at this point of the
year.Rivers is also the sixth quarterback in league history to open with 10
straight multi-TD games, but he is coming off one of his worst games of the
season. He was picked off twice and sacked three times in last Sunday¡¯s 23-22
loss to Denver, which snapped a six-game winning streak.¡°You can play really
good for three-quarters of a game and have three or four bad plays and it comes
back to get you,¡± Rivers said. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve got to re-group and go because
nobody¡¯s going to feel sorry for you or wait on you. We¡¯re still sitting in a
good spot and have a chance to still accomplish everything we want to.¡±Rivers
has been sacked only 15 times this season, but he will be facing an Arizona
defense that is fourth in the league with 33 sacks. The Cardinals are the only
team in the league to have multiple sacks in each game they have played this
season.Fitzgerald, who has
1
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career receptions, needs six to surpass Jerry Rice for the most receptions with
one team. The 15-year veteran has only 42 catches, which is the second-fewest he
has had at this point of the season. But he has become more of a focal point for
rookie quarterback Josh Rosen the past couple weeks with 16 catches for 175
yards and three touchdowns the past three games.¡°He¡¯s got elite arm strength and
confidence on where he can place the football. He¡¯s getting guys the ball where
only they can make plays with it,¡± Fitzgerald said of Rosen.Here¡¯s a look at
what else to watch as the Cardinals and Chargers look to bounce back from losses
last week:ROSEN RETURNSRosen grew up about 10 miles from the StubHub Center and
this will not be his first time playing there.In 2013, Rosen led St. John Bosco
High School to a victory over powerhouse De La Salle in the open division
California championship.¡°There¡¯s a spot on the wall that I¡¯ll definitely
remember when I jumped up over the crowd to hang out with some of my buddies,¡±
he said. ¡°Got some photos of holding the state championship (trophy). I might
try to spot that part of the wall.¡±BOSA GETTING BETTERChargers defensive end
Joey Bosa played in his first game of the season after missing the previous nine
due to a bone bruise in his left foot. He played 31 snaps against Denver with
one tackle, but came close to a couple sacks.The third-year defensive lineman
has been listed as a full participant on the practice reports this week, which
means it is likely he could get the start. The Chargers did not have any sacks
last week and suffered another key loss with defensive tackle Corey Liuget done
for the year due to a knee injury.GORDON¡¯S STREAKChargers running back Melvin
Gordon has six straight games of 120 yards or more from scrimmage and has a
touchdown in five of the past six. He is second in the league in yards from
scrimmage per game with 132.1.Gordon had six receptions for 87 yards last week
but this might be a game in which he gets more carries. Arizona has the
fourth-worst rush defense in the league and
Gordon
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100-yard games.JOHNSON¡¯S EMERGENCEArizona¡¯s David Johnson has played better in
each of the three games since Arizona fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and
Byron Leftwich was promoted to the job.In last week¡¯s loss to Oakland, Johnson
had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, gaining 137 yards on 25
carries, including a 53-yard run to set up a touchdown. He also had a 57-yard
touchdown run called back by a holding penalty. Johnson has had at least 100
yards from scrimmage in each of the three games since Leftwich became
coordinator.KEEP AN EYE ONThe kickers. Arizona¡¯s Phil Dawson missed last week¡¯s
game against the Raiders due to a sore right hip, but is likely to play on
Sunday. The Cardinals signed former Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez, who graduated
from Arizona State, to the practice squad just in case Dawson can¡¯t play.Los
Angeles¡® Michael
Badgley
http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trevon-wesco-je rsey ,
the team¡¯s sixth placekicker since the start of last season, has made all eight
field goal attempts, but he missed an extra point last week. That was the
Chargers¡¯ sixth missed PAT this season. Trent Richardson was a bust in the NFL,
but he sure has a nose for the end zone in the AAF.Richardson scored two more
touchdowns for his Birmingham Iron in Sunday night¡¯s win over the San Diego
Fleet, with one touchdown coming on the ground and one through the air.
Richardson now has nine rushing touchdowns through six games, easily the most in
the AAF, and 10 touchdowns in all.However, Richardson has also struggled to find
holes
Clelin
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the goal line, he is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry on the season.The third
overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Richardson hasn¡¯t played in an NFL
regular-season game since 2014, when he managed just 519 yards on 159 carries.
He may have done enough in the AAF this season to get an invitation to an NFL
training camp, but he¡¯s still probably a long shot to ever get back on the field
in an NFL game.