September 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers cheerleaders perform during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Although we are only heading into the third week of action in the NFL, week two proved to be very beneficial to the Chargers.

The Bolts demolished the Titans with a score of 38-10.  If you take into consideration a poor second quarter, San Diego could have won by an even larger margin against an overmatched Tennessee team.

Seeing the other three teams in the division lose was obviously quite a treat to all of the BoltFam.  Kansas City and Oakland both stunk it up against Buffalo and Miami respectively.  Then, to close out week two, Peyton Manning and the Broncos lost to our week three opponents while playing Atlanta on Monday night.

Week three could provide the same spark that last week did; as far as the Chargers winning and the other three teams coming out on the losing end in their games.

Kansas City, 0-2, is facing a New Orleans team that is also winless and must be chomping at the bit to prove that they are better than their record would show.  The Chiefs face a tough task playing in the Superdome.  I expect them to fall to 0-3 this week.

Although Oakland is at home, they face a Pittsburgh team that is in a three-way tie for the division lead in the AFC North.  Baltimore will be playing a tough game against New England while Cincinnati is playing on the road against Washington.  The Steelers have a chance to take the lead in a division that should be all the way down to the wire.  Like the AFC West, each and every week is extremely crucial.

Despite injuries to Polamalu, Harrison, and Mendenhall, expect Pittsburgh to do their part in distancing themselves from their AFC North rivals by beating up the hapless Raiders.

The very same Oakland team that got manhandled by the Dolphins 35-10.  The Raiders….. 0-3…. sounds great to me.

Coming off a tough loss against Atlanta, the Broncos will now host the Houston Texans.  The Texans have been chosen by countless “experts” as the odds on Superbowl favorite from the AFC.

It is no secret that Manning struggles against teams that run a 3-4 defensive scheme.  Well, I hate to tell you this Peyton, but this 3-4 is called by none other than Wade Phillips.  He may never be a head coach in the league again, but it is my honest opinion that he is the best defensive coordinator in the league.  He’ll be sure to have a ton of plays drawn up that will have Manning glad that he now only has to face Houston once a year in the regular season.

And lastly, the Chargers host the Atlanta Falcons in a game between two 2-0 teams.  A game that will be blacked out in the local San Diego market.  Despite the blackout, and the fact that it is only week three, this will be a huge test for the Bolts.

It has been said that both Mathews and Gates are most likely going to play.  I loved Rosario’s performance in week 2 but he is no Gates.  Rivers has been deadly down the middle of the field and I expect no different against Atlanta.

With a healthy Mathews in the backfield, the dynamic of the Chargers’ offense completely changes.  Despite a strong showing against a tired and beaten up Titans’ defense late in week 2, Jackie Battle is not the permanent answer at running back.  Even if San Diego uses Ryan as a decoy, the threat of him being in the game is enough to force the Falcons to play on their heels.

I will stick to my prediction of a Chargers’ victory of 27-21 as I tweeted four days ago on Twitter.  This, in turn, would build, albeit still a small margin, but another game lead in a week that we could see each of the other teams in the AFC West fall to their opposing teams.

Here’s to hopin that the Chargers repeat week two’s performance by handing the Falcons a good ole fashioned rear-end whooping at Qualcomm on Sunday.

Thanks a lot for reading.

BoltUp!!!

BoogaP

The Chargers avoided a disastrous 0-3 start, sending Brett Favre out of town with a 48-29 ass-handing that lands the Bolts at second place in the division.

Philip Rivers continued to roll with a career-high tying three touchdowns. The guy looks mellow in the pocket and money with his passing game. With what’s-his-name riding the couch for New England and Indiana Manning looking feverishly timid, Rivers can make a claim as the elite signal caller in the AFC.

The rest of the offense is showing up, too. LT found the endzone (finally) scoring his first two touchdowns of the season. Chris Chambers and Antonio Gates each hauled in a TD as well.

The defensive foibles looked like a thing of the past as Antonio Cromartie had a pick six, and easily could have reigned in a few more errant Favre passes. Tack on three sacks and now this San Diego team is locked in and starting to resemble that juggernaut they were built up to be in the off season.

While there are still a few things that need to be worked out, this win was a leap in the right direction. The defense is beginning to gel in a post-Merriman era and is picking up speed.

Chargers fans that had their hand hovering over the panic button, please take one step back.

Not to take anything away from the Jets, but I don’t think it was a massive test of the Chargers fortitude at this point. It was a moralizing win that was in dire need, especially with the Broncos off to a hot start.

San Diego needs to build off this and go right back to work against Oakland. Can’t get cocky, can’t get over confident. The team is still in catch-up mode, and I’m sure Lane Kiffin would like nothing more than a job saving win against the Chargers.