{"id":97777,"date":"2020-11-11T20:33:10","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T01:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=97777"},"modified":"2020-11-11T20:33:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T01:33:10","slug":"2020-los-angeles-chargers-midseason-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/11\/11\/2020-los-angeles-chargers-midseason-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 Los Angeles Chargers Midseason Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re officially at the halfway point of the season for the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>, and it\u2019s been a rather bizarre and often frustrating season. After parting ways with long-time quarterback Philip Rivers<\/a>,<\/strong> they drafted Justin Herbert<\/a> <\/strong>in the first round \u2013 and after an absurd medical snafu<\/a> with stopgap quarterback Tyrod Taylor<\/a><\/strong>, Herbert got thrown into the mix and has arguably had one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in history. The problem? The Chargers are still 2-6, and all of their losses have come by seven points or less. Let\u2019s take a look at how they got to this point, and what lies ahead for them the rest of the season.<\/p>\n

2020 Los Angeles Chargers Midseason Report<\/h2>\n

Injuries, Injuries Everywhere (Again)<\/h3>\n

This is a familiar theme for the Chargers. For the second straight year, the secondary is decimated by injuries. Derwin James<\/strong><\/a> is missing the whole season with another injury. Chris Harris<\/strong><\/a> is currently on injured reserve as well. Then Desmond King<\/strong><\/a> got traded, leaving them without a reliable slot corner until Harris returns. Until then, the only other available corners after the starters Casey Hayward<\/strong><\/a> and Michael Davis<\/strong><\/a>\u2026 are Brandon Facyson<\/strong><\/a> (also currently on the COVID reserve list) and Tevaughn Campbell<\/strong><\/a>. Ouch. It\u2019s also not good when you have to bring back Jahleel Addae<\/a><\/strong> for depth among the safeties.<\/p>\n

But the offense has also been hit by some injuries \u2013 particularly on the offensive line. Trai Turner<\/a><\/strong> and Bryan Bulaga<\/a><\/strong> were brought in this off-season to shore up the right side of the line, but they\u2019ve both seen the field very little \u2013 especially Turner. They\u2019ve also had some running back troubles, as Austin Ekeler<\/a><\/strong> is on injured reserve as well (though not for the season). And due to other short-term injuries, it got to the point where Kalen Ballage<\/strong><\/a> was actually out there running for the Chargers on their most recent game. And what\u2019s even more bizarre is that it actually worked, because Ballage somehow scored a touchdown.<\/p>\n

Heartbreak After Heartbreak<\/h3>\n

Some of the ways in which the 2020 Los Angeles Chargers have been losing have got to be reminding fans of the 2016 season, where they went 5-11 and all but two games ended in one-score games. Four losses involved blowing double-digit leads. Michael Badgley<\/a><\/strong> did a Cody Parkey<\/a> <\/strong>impersonation on what would\u2019ve been a game-winning field goal in one game. Another game ended with an attempted hook-and-ladder that should\u2019ve ended with a walk-in touchdown \u2013 but Ekeler couldn\u2019t corral the ball. Their only two victories came against the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> and Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coaching Shakeup on the Way?<\/h3>\n

At some point, when you\u2019re losing this many games despite having extremely good quarterback play, you\u2019ve got to start looking at your coaching staff. Head coach Anthony Lynn<\/strong><\/a> and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley<\/strong>\u2019s seats are both starting to get hot. It\u2019s hard to say who\u2019s more responsible for the team\u2019s struggles. Lynn\u2019s had some questionable play-calling at times, but Bradley\u2019s been calling a rather conservative defense in second halves of games (though the increasingly injured personnel can\u2019t be helping either).<\/p>\n

Regardless, at some point \u2013 whether it\u2019s during or after the season \u2013 something\u2019s gotta change at this point. A team with Justin Herbert as its quarterback with the way he\u2019s playing simply should not be 2-6. It\u2019s much like when the Chargers went a combined 9-23 from 2015 to 2016 while Rivers was still in his prime \u2013 that just can\u2019t happen. Something has to change.<\/p>\n

Future Is Bright With Herbert<\/h3>\n

If there\u2019s one thing to feel good about as the season goes on, it\u2019s the play of Justin Herbert. He has been playing at a level well beyond what anybody expected. In just seven games (since Tyrod Taylor started the first game), Herbert has 2,146 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only five interceptions (plus two rushing touchdowns). He\u2019s largely lacked the rookie mistakes that one would expect. Not that they haven\u2019t been there, but they\u2019ve been fairly minimal for a rookie. And it\u2019s not even like the offense is that conservative \u2013 he throws the ball deep a lot and doesn\u2019t miss that often.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe the Chargers lucked their way into another great quarterback immediately after Rivers, but Herbert looks very much like he\u2019s going to be a top-ten quarterback in the future. Some might even say he\u2019s already there, though it might be too soon for that. And when he\u2019s got the likes of Keenan Allen<\/a><\/strong>, Mike Williams<\/a>, <\/strong>and Hunter Henry<\/strong><\/a> plus some of the promising new faces to throw to, he\u2019s pretty well set with weapons. Despite the problems the Chargers have right now, there\u2019s a lot to look forward to.<\/p>\n

Promising New Weapons<\/h3>\n

Speaking of the promising new faces earlier\u2026 there\u2019s been a few brand-new players or unknown ones making plays early in the season. Jalen Guyton<\/strong><\/a> has been an unexpected breakout player with two 70+ yard touchdowns, essentially taking the role Tyrell Williams<\/a> <\/strong>used to have. But Tyron Johnson<\/a><\/strong> has also made a big play or two. Then there\u2019s the former XFL tight end Donald Parham<\/strong><\/a>, who\u2019s made a couple of big touchdown catches as well thanks in part to his ridiculous height (6\u20198\u201d). Even the rookie fullback Gabe Nabers<\/strong><\/a> has had a couple of touchdowns as well. Rookie running back Joshua Kelley<\/a> <\/strong>has been quite inconsistent, but we might still see him improve over time.<\/p>\n

And that still leaves this year\u2019s rookie wide receivers Joe Reed<\/strong><\/a> and K.J. Hill<\/a><\/strong>, who were expected to be a bigger part of the lineup. They haven\u2019t, mainly because they haven\u2019t really fit Anthony Lynn\u2019s ideal scheme. But if there ends up being a new head coach this year or next, we may still yet see them out there more often in the future.<\/p>\n

Last Word<\/h3>\n

This has been a rough season for the Chargers \u2013 a very snake-bitten type of year. While it\u2019s hard to be optimistic about the rest of this year despite the play of Herbert, there is still reason to look forward to the future of the franchise with this new quarterback at the helm. Unfortunately, if the heartbreaking losses continue, it may indeed feel like a long road to that point.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>