The Chargers might not be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but sitting at 4-7, their chances are slim.
Following the Week 11 matchup, coach Anthony Lynn said that his team had no desire to throw the season away even though they’re on the outside looking in.
However, even though Los Angeles may not be among the 12 teams to be playing in January, they could shake things up by affecting the teams that are in the running.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar compiled a list of teams that could be spoilers the rest of the way out and among them is the Chargers.
The Chargers haven’t lost a game by more than a touchdown all season, and they’ve had the usual number of heartbreaking, late-game meltdowns that brought them to their current 4-7 record. In their past two games, losses to the Raiders and Chiefs by a combined nine points, the obvious issue was Philip Rivers’ hurling the ball all over the place, especially in ultimate crunch time. Per Sports Info Solutions, Rivers has four interceptions in the last two minutes of games this season — no other quarterback has more than one except for Dak Prescott, who has two.
The Chargers have an above-average defense, a good group of receivers, and a strong running game with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. Their situational awareness has been nightmarish all season, but they have enough in the tank to make things interesting for the Packers, Raiders and Chiefs in the last three weeks of the regular season … if Rivers can get his bearings.
Among the five teams that the Bolts have remaining on their schedule, three of them are in playoff contention — Vikings, Chiefs, Raiders.
Even though the Chargers have been belittled by injuries throughout the course of the season, they showed that they can play with the best of the best, as they have not lost a game by more than a touchdown all season.
But heading into the final stretch, Los Angeles will likely get back two of their best defensive players in safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips and their starting left tackle, Russell Okung.
With just those additions alone and coming off a bye to physically and mentally refresh after a handful of late-game blunders, you could be looking at a potential run by the Bolts.
Who knows, that run may be enough to knock off some team’s playoff hopes, but revive theirs. In the NFL, there are plenty of crazier things that have happened.
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