It hasn’t been the season the Chargers were hoping for, but there is still hope that they can play in January.
Here’s four reasons why they could still make the playoffs.
The standings
Despite being 4-6, when looking around the rest of the conference the Chargers are still well within the mix. The team is only two games back from the Chiefs, who are 6-4 after losing the last four of six. Meanwhile, the Steelers have the second and last Wild Card spot at a 5-4 record.
Getting playmakers back
A plethora of players had season-ending injuries, including center Mike Pouncey and guard Forrest Lamp. But there are a couple difference-makers that’ll be back after the bye, safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips.
The Chargers defense is already one of the best in the league, allowing only 19.4 points per game. But the team has still struggled in close situations where they’ve been notorious to give up critical yards and points.
Having James and Phillips back will be huge because there presence brings the players that are capable of defending the run, manning up on position players and locking up the middle of the field, which is an area that they’ve struggled to defend.
As for the other side of the ball, having offensive tackle Russell Okung back has made all the difference in the world. When he got hurt in the Thursday night game, the pass protection collapsed, but Okung should be ready to go for Monday night against the Chiefs.
After an uninspiring few weeks, running back Melvin Gordon is starting to come into his own, while tight end Hunter Henry continues to be consistent at reeling in passes thrown his way on a weekly basis.
Benefitting from the bye
The upcoming Monday night game against Kansas City will mark the 11th straight game played. There’s no denying that playing that many consecutive contests is not an easy task.
For the Chargers, it’s one that’s much-needed. Players have been banged up throughout the course of it, including key members like Okung, Sam Tevi, and defensive tackle Justin Jones. The bye week will allow Phillips and James to caught up to being in football shape, as well.
Most importantly, the bye week will allow coaches and players to regroup with the game-planning for the last five games of the season. There have been a handful of blunders and things that need to be polished on both sides of the ball, so it’ll be beneficial to use that time to do so.
The Chargers have done this before
Being in a situation like this isn’t a new episode for the Chargers. In 2017, they overcame being 0-4 and finishing with a 9-7 record. In 2018, the team was 2-2 before ending with a 12-4 record. Along the way, they beat some of the league’s best in the most hostile environments.
In both seasons, Los Angeles found themselves dealing with injuries to key players, offensive inconsistencies, kicking woes among others. But they still managed to dig themselves out of the hole.
The Bolts are a frustrating team for fans to watch because they are notorious for playing up and down to their opponent, winning games they aren’t expected to and losing games that should be a gimme for them.
This season has been a whirlwind with a serious of unfortunate events, but they’re capable of making a run because things are clicking under new offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, the defense will get a boost with James and Phillips, and the bye week will do them wonders.
It won’t be easy having to play the Chiefs twice, the Vikings and the Raiders once more. But they have shown they can do it in the past, they have all the weapons to do it and the coach to guide them to the postseason.
[lawrence-related id=30424,30408,30397,30389]