Following their most recent win over the Tennessee Titans 20-19 on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers are now 5-2 as they head into their bye week. And for them, life is pretty good at the moment. Sure, there aren’t many Chargers fans showing up to the home games. But their only two losses have come to teams with a combined record of 13-1 (Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs). And they’re getting star defensive end Joey Bosa back soon, possibly after the bye week. And that 5-2 record is no joke either. The only true concern is the kicker position, but Michael Badgley has been quite solid so far through two starts. The Chargers do indeed look to be headed towards a playoff berth. Let’s look at some of what’s helping this team look this good.
Los Angeles Chargers Look Like Playoff Contenders as Bye Week Approaches
Philip Rivers: MVP Candidate?
This isn’t the first year that quarterback Philip Rivers has been considered a low-end Most Valuable Player (MVP) candidate. Still, through seven games, he is playing a lot better than most quarterbacks this year. He currently has 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Currently, he has the third most touchdown passes in the league, behind Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck. He also has the second highest quarterback rating in the league (117.8), behind only Drew Brees.
Furthermore, Rivers is currently on pace for almost 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions. If he kept his performance up and finished anywhere close to those kinds of numbers, it would unquestionably be the best season of his career and would certainly put him in higher MVP consideration than in previous seasons.
Deadly Duo at Running Back
The Chargers’ most recent game against the Titans was really the first time the running game actually struggled that much. But that was because their main running back, Melvin Gordon, was out with a hamstring injury. Still, between Gordon and Austin Ekeler, they’ve built a deadly rushing attack. The overall team is currently sixth in the league in rushing yards, and they’re only a couple weeks removed from a game with almost 250 rushing yards.
What’s made this duo even better is the fact that they are both threats in the passing game. That was part of Ekeler’s appeal all along, but Gordon has gotten a lot better in the receiving game. When you have not one, but two running backs you can dump it off to, that only makes the offense better and helps open things up for everyone else.
The First-Round Rookie Safety
Normally, I would probably address the deadly pass-rusher duo of Bosa and Melvin Ingram here when discussing standouts on defense. But Bosa has been out all year and while Ingram’s been doing better lately, the pass-rush is still just not quite the same. This has had an effect on the overall defense as well, although they have been improving the last few games.
Some parts of the secondary haven’t held up as well as others. But first-round pick Derwin James has been all over the place this year. He was drafted as a safety and has pulled down a lone interception. But he’s been all over the field in general, even getting three and a half sacks so far. Furthermore, he also has 44 tackles – the second most on the entire team. Not bad for a rookie.
AFC Contenders?
It certainly seems at this point like the Chargers are playoff bound, especially with the impending return of Bosa, which should only make the team better. Now the question remains if there is the possibility of a Super Bowl berth. It’s hard to say yet if they can stack up with the yearly contenders—the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. (That question might be better answered when Bosa returns.) There is also the matter of the 6-1 division rival Chiefs. While they have the best record in the AFC and Mahomes is playing out of his mind, it’s hard to forget that they only have one playoff win in almost 25 years.
However, beyond those three there actually isn’t a whole lot of competition. Aside from maybe the Baltimore Ravens, no one else seems equipped to get past the first round. If the Chargers remain one of the top four AFC teams, it’s possible we’ll at least see them in the AFC Championship. Whether they win that or not, who knows. But after five years out of the playoffs, they are in good position to make a run now.
