6 things to know about Rams-Chargers in Week 3...

6 things to know about Rams-Chargers in Week 3

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The “Fight for L.A.” is something that’s been talked about since the Chargers moved to Los Angeles, and on Sunday, they’ll finally get to face their crosstown rivals, the Rams. It’s their first regular season matchup since 2014 and the first with both teams in L.A., which heightens the excitement.

Here are six things to know heading into Sunday’s battle, which kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Marcus Peters is 6-0 against the Chargers

We typically don’t look at head-to-head records when it comes to cornerbacks, but Peters has flat-out owned the Chargers in his career. He owns a 6-0 record against San Diego/Los Angeles, picking off four passes in his last three starts. In total, Peters returned those four interceptions for 128 yards, which is more than any other team he’s faced in his career. Surprisingly, he hasn’t scored a touchdown against the Chargers, but that could change this weekend.

Rams and Chargers have each scored 290 points in all-time series

These two teams have squared off just 11 times in their history, but the series has been very close. The Rams hold a 6-5 advantage all-time, but the Chargers got the better of them the last time they met in 2014 with a 27-24 win. In those 11 meetings, each team has scored a total of 290 points, which is crazy to think about.

Chargers rank 25th in points allowed but ninth in yards

Despite being riddled with injuries, the Chargers defense has been rock solid. Although they rank 25th in points allowed at 29 per game, they’ve only surrendered 327.5 yards per game thus far, which ranks ninth. Derwin James has been an absolute stud as a rookie, leading the team in tackles (11) and sacks (2.0). Joey Bosa won’t be back this week, but there are still playmakers on that defense.


Melvin Gordon leads Chargers in receptions but not rushing yards

Raise your hand if you had Gordon leading the team in receptions but not rushing yards through two weeks. That’s what I thought. He has 15 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns this season, which is one more reception and touchdown than Keenan Allen, and only 35 fewer yards. Austin Ekeler tops the charts for Los Angeles with 116 yards rushing on only 16 carries, which is 24 more yards than Gordon.

Rams have scored 131 more points than Chargers since 2017

Since the Chargers moved to Los Angeles, there’s been a fight to win over the city for each team. The Rams are clearly winning that battle in terms of success, fans and radio coverage, but they also lead by a wide margin in another category: scoring. Since the start of last season, the Rams have scored 131 more points than the Chargers, leading the league in that span. In order for the Chargers to pass the Rams in points scored by season’s end, they’ll need to outscore Sean McVay’s squad by at least nine points per game the rest of the way. Not happening.

Rams have been unstoppable in third quarter

Halftime adjustments are a huge part of the game, both on offense and defense. It falls on the shoulders of the head coach most often, but also his coordinators. McVay and his staff have been better than any other team in terms of coming out strong after the midway break, leading the NFL in third-quarter scoring. Last season, they scored 119 points and allowed just 41 – good for a 78-point differential, which was 26 more than any other team.

This season, they’ve outscored their opponents 18-0 and haven’t allowed a single point in the second half in two games.