Bolts look to solve red zone woes

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Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is a big fan of Nate Kaeding, but the Bolts’ signal caller knows he needs to see less of the Pro Bowl kicker if the club wants to get on track in their final six weeks of the season.

“I can’t stand kicking field goals,” Rivers said. “It’s huge as accurate and consistent as Nate is, but I certainly would like to keep him on the sideline and let him come out for extra points.”

The Chargers enter their Week 12 contest against the Indianapolis Colts ranked 24^th in the NFL in red zone efficiency. They’ve scored touchdowns on 19 of their 39 trips inside their opponents’ 20-yard line and have kicked 16 field goals.

Each of the Bolts’ losses have come by nine points are less, and the Chargers missed opportunities in the red zone in each of them.

Had the Bolts scored a fourth-quarter touchdown last week in Pittsburgh, the Steelers would have been forced to do something they hadn’t all day: find the end zone. Instead, the Chargers had to settle for a 22-yard boot by Kaeding, which gave them just a two-point lead rather than a seven-point advantage.

“We wanted to score a touchdown,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “Looking at the situation, you figured they haven’t scored a touchdown all day. If we score a touchdown, it’s going to be pretty hard for them to come back down and score a touchdown. We knew how important it was. We just couldn’t get it done.”

What the Chargers experienced Sunday was a disappointment they’ve battled throughout the season. In Week 2 at Denver, the Bolts scored on their first four possessions of the second half, but rather than taking a commanding lead, two field goals allowed the Broncos to stay in the game and win it in the last minute.

In Week 5 at Miami, the Bolts drove the length of the field on their opening drive but had to kick a field goal. A touchdown could have changed the pace of the game in that situation. The Bolts dropped a five-point decision to the Saints in London after they were kept out of the end zone on three trips to the red zone, including two second-half field goals.

Two weeks ago against Kansas City, the Chargers could have put the Chiefs away with touchdowns but kicked two short field goals and escaped with a one-point victory.

“The difference between three and seven points is huge in this league,” offensive tackle Marcus McNeill said. “We’ve seen just how huge. When we get down there, we’ve got to put it in the end zone. We’ve got to finish those drives.”

With big receivers like Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates as well as a running back that has scored the third-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history, the Chargers certainly have the personnel to be more productive in the red zone and are confident in their scheme. They’re simply in search of better execution.

“Everything gets tighter down there,” Rivers said. “You’ve got to continue to find ways to get in the end zone. We spent a lot of time in the offseason on the red zone. We’ve got a lot of really good stuff down there. We just haven’t been able to execute well enough to score touchdowns when we need to. “

Mike Nowak, Chargers.com

Settling for field goals on key drives this season has contributed to a few of their close losses.

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