In a battle of two West Coast teams from separate conferences, Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers host the Seattle Seahawks and their stingy defensive unit.
Rivers had a return to form in 2013 as he earned a +28.1 overall grade, third-best among quarterbacks, and also led the league in completion percentage. His 94.72 PFF QB Rating ranked him third in the NFL behind only Nick Foles and Peyton Manning. The Chargers’ quarterback has to be at his best this week, though, facing off against a tough Seattle defense that was able to shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the 2014 season opener.
The Seahawks front-four will look disrupt Rivers and continue their strong start to the season. Michael Bennett’s 13.5 and Cliff Avril’s 11.0 Pass Rush Productivity had them ranked third and fifth, respectively, among 4-3 defensive ends last season. The two pass rushers picked up where they left off in Week 1, compiling pass rushing grades in the top six at their position (+2.8 for Bennett, +2.4 for Avril).
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch – His 63.8 Elusive Rating ranked him second in the NFL in 2013. Showing no signs of slowing down in Week 1, Lynch forced nine missed tackles against Green Bay.
Richard Sherman – Posted a league-best 18.9 Coverage Snaps per Reception last season. He was not thrown at while in primary coverage in Week 1.
Brandon Mebane – Earned a +18.5 run defense grade in 2013, which placed him second among defensive tackles.
San Diego Chargers
Manti Te’o – Had a strong showing to begin his sophomore campaign, earning a +1.4 overall grade in Week 1 while ranking third at his position with an 18.2 Run Stop Percentage.
Keenan Allen – Quarterbacks had a 118.1 passer rating when throwing to Allen in 2013, which was tops amongst rookie wide receivers and fourth-best overall. That number was 73.4 against the Cardinals.
King Dunlap – Was PFF’s sixth-highest rated offensive tackle last season with a +22.7 overall grade. His +19.6 Run Block grade was the best mark in the league at his position.
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