鈥?Although the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense is constantly running over its opponents these days
http://www.pittsburghsteelersteamstore.com/chukwuma-okorafor-jersey , Philip Rivers wasn’t sure how he ended up as a lead blocker for receiver Travis Benjamin on a 22-yard reverse run .“Gracious, I’ve never been this far down the field in my life since high school,” Rivers thought to himself as he looked for somebody to hit 鈥?and his coaches cringed.But just about everything the Chargers do is working out well lately. After a 30-13 rout of the Redskins on Sunday for their fourth straight victory, they’re finding themselves in prime position to compete for a playoff spot.After their 0-4 start, that’s something that seemed even more unlikely than Rivers becoming a blocker.Rivers passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chargers continued their ferocious playoff push with their seventh win in nine games.Tyrell Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and Hunter Henry had another scoring grab for the Chargers (7-6), who have been largely outstanding ever since that rocky start to their relocation season. This one wasn’t in much doubt for the Chargers as they took a 24-point lead and racked up 429 yards of offense midway through the third quarter.“It’s exactly where we want to be,” said Williams, who had four catches for 132 yards. “We hold our own destiny.”While outscoring their opponents 131-53 during their winning streak, the Chargers also moved above .500 for the first time since September 2015 with a dominant offensive performance against Washington.With their fourth straight home victory
Isaiah Oliver Jersey Elite , the Chargers stayed atop the AFC West alongside the Chiefs (7-6), their opponents Saturday in Kansas City.“I want players to always know what they’re playing for, and right now, we’re playing for our division,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said.Kirk Cousins hit Vernon Davis with an early TD pass for the Redskins (5-8), who have lost two straight and six of eight. Washington was officially eliminated from playoff contention with three games to go, and this effort rankled several veterans.“There’s no excuse why we’re playing like this, because we’ve played good in the past,” Washington safety D.J. Swearinger said. “You’ve got to prepare for when you step out on the field Sunday, or you’re going to get embarrassed. We got embarrassed today
Vita Vea Youth Jersey , so guys didn’t prepare. Guys didn’t take it in. … We’ve definitely taken steps back (on defense). We had 30 put on us today. Dallas put (38) on us last week. We’ve taken major steps back.”Although Bashaud Breeland returned an interception of Kellen Clemens’ pass 96 yards for a touchdown with 2:36 to play, Washington’s defense had few answers.“I’m at a loss for words, quite honestly,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “I never thought we’d get beat like this two weeks in a row.”Melvin Gordon rushed for a third-quarter score before several Los Angeles regulars took most of the fourth quarter off, banking rest for Saturday.They earned it: Rivers’ offense played with confidence and flair, executing reverses and flea-flickers while thoroughly entertaining a crowd with distinctly fewer fans of the opposition than in the Chargers’ first few games at StubHub Center.Los Angeles jumped to a 13-0 lead while scoring on its first three drives and getting a first-quarter interception by Kyle Emanuel, but Washington kept it close by forcing two field goals.But on the Chargers’ first snap after Davis’ TD catch, Rivers hit Williams deep downfield for an untouched, 75-yard score.MISSED CHANCELos Angeles had a 23-6 lead when it drove 81 yards in the final 1:25 before halftime. The Chargers only missed out on even more points because Austin Ekeler was tackled on a 33-yard run at the Washington 4 as time ran out. Lynn blamed Ekeler for risking a run to end zone despite knowing he needed to get down.KEENAN AGAINKeenan Allen had six catches for 111 yards in his quietest performance during the Bolts’ four-game winning streak. He still set single-season career highs for receptions and yards during the first half for Los Angeles.BIG PHILRivers passed for 256 yards in the first half. He also moved ahead of Warren Moon for ninth place in NFL history in career yards passing. During the four-game winning streak, Rivers has passed for 1
Jihad Ward Color Rush Jersey ,348 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.INJURIESRedskins: Kick returner Byron Marshall’s leg buckled underneath him while he moved to field a kickoff in the first quarter. He injured his hamstring and didn’t return. … Key LB Zach Brown sprained his toe in the second half and left in a walking boot. He blamed the StubHub Center turf: “That field is crap. It’s made for soccer.” … LB Chris Carter broke his leg in the second half.Chargers: Left tackle Russell Okung went down heavily in the first quarter and limped off the field with a knee injury. He returned later in the first half, however.UP NEXTRedskins: Host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.Chargers: Travel to Kansas City on short rest for a first-place showdown with the Chiefs on Saturday. When Houston’s offense gets going, the Rockets are nearly impossible to beat.
James Harden had 25 points and 12 assists to lead Houston to a 113-92 win over Utah in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Friday night.
Eric Gordon added 25 points and Chris Paul had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Rockets. Houston beat Utah in Salt Lake City for the third time this season to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is on Sunday.
The Rockets attacked the Jazz everywhere en route to rolling up 70 points before halftime. When Utah drove Houston off the perimeter, it yielded repeated slashes to the rim for layups. When the Jazz dropped back in to shore up the interior, the Rockets came up with well-timed 3-pointers to keep the heat on.
”We’re just not going to force anything,” Harden said. ”Whatever they give us, we’re going to take and we’re going to have confidence in our guys and we’re going to make shots.
Royce O’ Neale scored 17 points. Alec Burks chipped in 14 points while Rudy Gobert added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz.
Utah never got on track on offense. The Jazz shot poorly over the first three quarters and committed 16 turnovers. Houston scored 19 points off those miscues.
”I thought our defense was superb,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. ”We were hitting shots all over the place. We just got a hold of it, kept the crowd out of it and kept them on their heels. You could see the guys feeding off good defense after good defense. When you do that and your energy is right
Seahawks Ed Dickson Jersey , the shots start to go down and good things happen.”
Houston could not have scripted a much better start than what the Rockets produced on Friday night.
A listless first-half effort ultimately sealed Houston’s fate in Game 2. The Rockets avoided enduring another slow start by clamping down on defense and playing efficient offense.
Houston picked apart Utah’s defense practically from the opening tip. The Rockets opened the game by scoring baskets on six of their first seven possessions. Harden capped the flurry with his first basket to put Houston up 15-5.
It only grew worse for the Jazz from there. The Rockets led by as many as 22 in the first quarter, taking a 37-15 lead on back-to-back baskets from Harden and Gerald Green.
Houston made 16 of its 26 shots in the first quarter and totaled 39 points in the period.
”They were focused and determined to do what they wanted to do,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. ”We just didn’t provide enough resistance in a lot of areas.”
As effective as the Rockets were on offense, their defense proved equally troublesome for Utah. Houston forced the Jazz to commit six turnovers before the start of the second quarter and scored nine points off those turnovers.
”They just took us out of our rhythm and we can’t let that happen,” guard Donovan Mitchell said. ”They were the aggressor all night and we got to be able to understand they’re gonna be aggressive and we’ve got to be able to counter.”
Utah cut Houston’s lead 49-34 midway through the second quarter after O’ Neale scored three straight baskets to fuel a 9-0 run. Clint Capela ended the run with a dunk and the Rockets proceeded to outscore the Jazz 31-9 over a 10 minute stretch extending into the third quarter.
They pushed their lead to 80-43 on a driving layup from Ariza with 8:01 left in the quarter.
TIP-INS:
Rockets: Gordon finished with a postseason-high in points. …Houston did not commit a turnover in the first quarter. … The Rockets outscored the Jazz 20-10 in fastbreak points after totaling just five in Game 2. … Houston finished with 50 points in the paint for the second straight game.
Jazz: Derrick Favors exited with an ankle sprain in the third quarter. Favors totaled two points, two rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes. … Houston’s 39 first quarter points is the most given up by Utah in any quarter in a playoff game this season. … Mitchell scored only 10 points after going just 4-of-16 from the field.
BACK TO FORM
Eric Gordon got his shooting groove back in Game 3. Gordon attacked the rim early and then hit several key 3-pointers as the game progressed. He ended up going 8-of-13 from the field and shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line.
It marked a big change of pace for Gordon who has struggled to find his shot at times during the postseason. Coming into Friday night, he had shot just 31.4 percent from the field and averaged 12.9 points over seven playoff games
”I just got to continue to be aggressive,” Gordon said. ”It doesn’t change for me.”
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