Bewerbungen » The quarterback matchup for Saturday’s pivotal game

CARSON Nate Davis Jersey , Calif. (AP) — between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers might offer the biggest contrasts this season.The Chargers, who have clinched their first postseason berth since 2013, feature cagy veteran Philip Rivers, who is having one of the best seasons of his 15-year career. The Ravens have surged back into postseason contention behind fleet-footed rookie Lamar Jackson, who has won four of his five starts.They meet in a prime-time game with plenty of implications for the AFC playoff picture. Baltimore (8-6) has a one-game lead for the final wild- card spot AFC, but also is just a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North.Article continues below ...Los Angeles (11-3) is tied with Kansas City for the lead in the AFC West and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But it needs to win out along with the Chiefs to drop one of their final two games to win the division.“Playoff football has begun. We can’t wait around until January,” Rivers said.Rivers is third in the league with a 112.4 passer rating and needs 49 yards to join Peyton Manning and Drew Brees as the only players with 10 or more 4,000-yard seasons. He is averaging 314.1 yards per game at home with 16 touchdowns against four interceptions.Rivers’ 69.4 completion percentage is the second highest of his career. He also has one of the deeper receiving corps in the league with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams. The Chargers, though, are facing a Baltimore defense ranked first in the league overall and third against the pass.Rivers has five 300-yard games this season; Baltimore has allowed only three the past two years.“A lot of those guys, the secondary, are high draft picks that can cover you, and there’s the linebacker that can really run,” Rivers said. “You’ve got big boys on the interior that can stop the run and penetrate. So it’s a top defense in the league for a reason.”Jackson has rushed for 566 yards this season, tops among quarterbacks. Since becoming the starter Tytus Howard Jersey , he has 427 yards, fifth most by anyone in the league. Jackson, though, shouldn’t be totally overlooked as a passer. He has a 58.9 completion percentage and a 79.1 passer rating.Chargers safety Derwin James, who faced Jackson twice in college, said the biggest improvement he has seen from Jackson is in understanding defenses.“You’re not seeing as many home run balls from him. You are still seeing the big gains and people attacking him, but the running ability is always going to be there,” James said, “You think because he’s a quarterback he can’t take those hits, but he can.”Here is what else to watch as the Chargers host the Ravens:BATTLE OF THE BACKSSaturday also features an intriguing running backs matchup between LA’s Melvin Gordon and Baltimore’s Gus Edwards.Gordon returns after missing the past three games due to a sprained MCL in his right knee. He is sixth in the AFC in rushing with 802 yards and is second in rushing average per game (80.2).Edwards has rushed for 486 yards the past five games, fourth most in the league. Baltimore is the first team since the 1976 Steelers to have 190 rushing yards or more in five straight games.THIRD-DOWN SUCCESSThe Ravens are 37 for 72 (51 percent) on third down since Jackson took over five weeks ago.One reason is that the running game has provided more manageable situations on third down. But when it’s time to pass, Jackson is ready and able to fling it.“Lamar has done a really good job when we’ve passed the ball in most of those third-down situations,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.Converting third downs keeps the offense on the field, and the defense has done a good job making the opposition punt. Baltimore is allowing a 34.2 success rate on third downs, third-best percentage in the NFL.CARDIAC CHARGERSThe Chargers have won four straight, but they fell behind by 10 points or more in the first half of three games. With Baltimore’s reliance on the run and controlling the clock Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey , Los Angeles will need to avoid another slow start.“I wish there was a switch that we could just flip and turn on. But I think it’s just guys sticking to the plan, doing their job and just believing that if we keep doing the right things that the game will turn,” coach Anthony Lynn said.JUST WINThere are many, many playoff scenarios for the Ravens, who can still get in as AFC North champions or a wild-card entrant.They can also be eliminated this weekend with a loss to the Chargers and victories by Tennessee, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.But Jackson doesn’t expect the Ravens to engage in much scoreboard watching, because there’s only one game they care about.“Ours and the Chargers,” Jackson said. “We have to have the most points at the end of the game, so that’s what I’m going to focus on. I don’t really care what the other teams are doing. We’re trying to win.”KEEP AN EYE ON .The kickers. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker has only two misses in 30 field goal attempts this season, with both being blocked. Tucker also has provided the winning field goal in the past two meetings against the Chargers.Los Angeles’ Michael Badgley has provided stability to the Chargers’ kicking game, which has had seven placekickers the past two seasons. The rookie is 14 of 15 on field goals and set a team record with a 59-yarder in the last home game against Cincinnati on Dec. 9. Most every NFL player knows that a quick way to get ushered to the sidelines – or beyond – is participating in a fight. Yet in three games Sunday, punches were thrown. No, not the variety that Deontay Wilder used to score a first-round knockout the previous night. Enough flying fists and other misdeeds, however, to lead to five ejections. NFL fights pretty much make no sense. Armored up, players aren’t particularly vulnerable to punches. Indeed Ugo Amadi Jersey , the usual damage that comes from such bouts are bruised or broken hands and fingers from slugging helmets or shoulder pads. That said, nearly all of the men involved in the near-brawls reasoned that the fighting was a necessary evil. At least on this day. Which led to short days for such standouts as Bengals receiver A.J. Green and Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey in Jacksonville; Cardinals first-round pick LB Haason Reddick and veteran DL Frostee Ruckerand 49ers running back Carlos Hyde in San Francisco. No one was thrown out in New Orleans, where Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans laid out Saints rookie CB Marshon Lattimore from behind in a skirmish. That doesn’t mean further discipline from the NFL isn’t possible. Everyone involved certainly will be fined, and suspensions could be in the offing for anyone who threw a punch. Starting with Green. With the Bengals trying to run out the clock late in the first half, Green jogged through his route. Ramsey, bona fide trash talker, knocked him down. Up jumped Green, grabbing Ramsey around the neck, then slamming him to the ground before punching away at Ramsey’s helmet. ”As a player, as a man, and a father, that’s a reflection of me,” Green said. ”I should have walked off in that whole situation. I definitely learned from this experience. It’s never going to happen again. I regret my actions. Whatever the punishment, I accept it. I put myself in that situation.” Ramsey didn’t stick around to talk. ”That’s not football,” Green said of how Ramsey handled himself. ”I’m not going to tolerate disrespect like that. I know we can’t fight on the field. He got under my skin and I can’t let that happen.I’ve been the ultimate pro this long and I can’t let little things like that get to me. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, and I apologized to my teammates. That’s not who I am. It just got the best of me today.” Ditto for Reddick Devin White Jersey , Rucker and Hyde. With 3:36 remaining in Arizona’s 20-10 victory, Niners QB C.J. Beathard scrambled for 10 yards and slid. Arizona safety Antoine Bethea hit him anyway and was penalized for unnecessary roughness. Niners guard Laken Tomlinson immediately coming to his quarterback’s defense by shoving Bethea, then the scuffle broke out. Bethea claimed he was simply playing football. San Francisco’s players vehemently – and physically – disagreed. ”I didn’t see Carlos throw a punch, I don’t know exactly what he did,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. ”I did see him get punched, punches thrown at him. I did see him get knocked over a couple of times. I really loved how he went to our quarterback’s, went and got out quarterback’s back. And I thought our quarterback had a couple of helmets to the head when he was in the pocket a few plays before, and then he ended up scrambling and sliding and got one again. I think our players had had enough.” Evans clearly had enough when he believed Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston was being threatened, even though Winston no longer was playing because of a sore shoulder. The scuffle began in the third quarter when Winston vigorously pressed his finger into the back of Lattimore’s helmet during a dead ball. ”I told him to go to his sideline,” Winston said. Lattimore shoved Winston, and Evans raced over and took Lattimore to the ground from behind. Evans was penalized for a personal foul. ”I just let my emotions get the best of me,” he said. ”I saw (Lattimore) pick a fight with my quarterback. I shouldn’t have hit him in his back like that. That was kind of malicious.” Fights usually are. They also usually are senseless in football, with only ejections, injuries and suspensions emanating from them. It will bear watching not only how the coaches of the six teams involved handle these actions, but what the league’s disciplinary folks do. —