THE GAME POEM

Near the sea of La Jolla, lived a fella called Strand.

He loved to watch the surfers, cup of coffee in his hand.

He dreamed of The Day when he’d own his own board.

And ride off with The Girl in a ’67 Ford.

The Day never came.

The Girl never went.

And the years of his life were nothing, but spent.

FOUR QUICK THOUGHTS ON SAN DIEGO

• Loss of Keenan Allen for can not be understated. Allen is one of the best receivers in the game and has been the third most targeted. Chargers still have weapons but their passing attack might look similar to Chicago’s without Jeffery for the remainder of the season.
• Eric Weddle is supposedly returning to the starting lineup after missing a few games with a groin injury. I’ve always thought Weddle overrated but he HAS been San Diego’s best defender for half a decade. His 2015 has been all-but wasted, to the point of his being mentioned as trade bait at the non-existent deadline. Can Weddle have a major impact Monday night?
• Melvin Gordon has been a disappointment – which is a shock, I know, for a running back from Wisconsin. (Why is it that none of these guys translate to the professional game?) San Diego is one of the worst rushing teams in the game and when you watch Gordon on tape, there’s nothing there. He’s just a guy. And he certainly doesn’t look like he warranted first-round selection. His offensive coordinator believes he needs to “dig deep”.
• Danny Woodhead’s total touches through 8 games: 16, 13, 8, 12, 9, 12, 16, 5. He’s got four touchdowns. And with Allen injured, expect the Chargers to be reliant on Woodhead’s screen presence as they get settled into the passing game.

IRISH VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Featuring my neighbor, Donie Carroll.

WELL THIS SEEMS A PERTINENT STAT

Opposing team’s passer rating doesn’t seem like it should be the difference between postseason contention and top ten pick in the draft but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t look that way right now.

Here are the ten best in the category:

Every one of those teams is in the midst of a playoff race. How about the teams allowing 100+ rating?

The only team in a real playoff race here is New Orleans – whose defense is horrendous. No stat is perfect but the quarterback rating has always been a a pretty decent, if mathematically confusing, one.

WATCH OUT FOR JAVONTEE HERNDON

Who is he? Well according to the Chargers depth chart, Herndon is returning kicks for San Diego Monday night. And if that’s the case there’s a good chance he finds the end zone.

THREE BEARS OF INTRIGUE

• Hard not to be excited for Jeremy Langford‘s debut in the starting lineup, especially up against a team allowing more than 124 yards per game on the ground. Another question worth asking: how will Langford respond to his game-losing drop from a week ago and a few struggles in pass protection? Is he ready for the big stage?
• Oh, Jeremy Langford again. Langford is a professional running back and as much as he loves Matt Forte’s guidance and locker room presence, he knows a few stud performances over the next few weeks could in effect end Forte’s tenure in Chicago. He has an opportunity to become the Bears starting tailback starting Monday night in San Diego.
• How about some more Jeremy Langford? From a Tweet by Evan Silva: “Jeremy Langford ran the top RB forty time at the Combine (4.42), has twice scored on GL carries, and played 26/26 snaps after Forte left.” Bears fans will be very disappointed if they don’t see a glimpse of the future Monday night.

GAME PREDICTION

The opposite of last week’s game with the Minnesota Vikings. Exciting. Touchdowns. And what will undoubtedly feel like a Bears home game in southern California.

Chicago Bears 38, San Diego Chargers 31