NFL Pre-Season Football – Dallas vs San Diego Preview
The San Diego Chargers will aim to build on their preseason success when they host a not so equally charged Dallas Cowboys team on Saturday in sunny San Diego.
When: Saturday, August 18, 2012 at 9:00 PM EST
Where: Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.
TV: NFLN
LINE: -4 (Chargers), O/U 37
Dallas escaped with a 3-0 win in their first preseason matchup in Oakland on Monday, despite a lackluster offensive performance, which saw quarterback Tony Romo complete just 50 percent of his passes.
And as for the backups. They were just as bad, as neither Kyle Orton nor Stephen McGee looked inspiring in the least.
But it wasn’t just the passing game that was awful.
The rushing attack was even worse, as DeMarco Murray failed to gain a yard on two rushing attempts, and Felix Jones had just four yards.
However, perhaps more than just a pathetic offense, the worst setback for Dallas had to be the loss of Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who left the game with a “slightly lacerated” spleen.
Witten had two catches versus Oakland, but will likely miss the entire preseason as he tries to get healthy for the games that count. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Meanwhile, San Diego opened their 2012 NFL Preseason schedule with a win over the Packers, but it could end up being a costly one, as running back Ryan Mathews broke his collarbone.
Green Bay will hope that Matthews can return for week one of the regular season, as none of the remaining backfield crew appeared all that ready to fill the void.
Quarterback Phillip Rivers was played sparingly, throwing an interception and a touchdown to Antonio Gates who had two catches, as Jarrett Lee saw the bulk of the action completing 15-of- 22 passes for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Defensively, both teams finished their first preseason bouts fairly equally, with the Dallas defense allowing 89 rushing yards and 164 yards through the air, and San Diego yielding just 51 rushing and 179 passing yards.
The Chargers also had 36 players record at least one tackle. So we can expect the competition on defense to heat up as the preseason progresses.
Matt’s Free Prediction: San Diego 35, Dallas 6 —This one’s easy. Plain and simple, San Diego is the better team here even without Matthews. The defense is better, and Dallas will find it hard to once again start their sputtering offense. You know the one that only put up three points against the Raiders.
