The third preseason game is usually marked as the most important one on the August schedule for each team, but the San Diego Chargers have elected to sit quarterback Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates on Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings. That means Charlie Whitehurst will start at QB for San Diego, so it seems the only reasonable assessment of the Vikings' defense will be whether they are bad enough to get torched by a backup QB. The big time starting talent simply won't be around as a suitable measuring stick for any positive progress for the unit.
Rivers and Gates have nothing to prove during the preseason, so this ultimately feels like a smart move by Chargers head coach Norv Turner.
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