NBC 7's Derek Togerson takes a look at the remainder of the Chargers playoff-less 2016 season in this commentary
The Chargers are not going to the playoffs in 2016.
I mean, sure, mathematically they can still get there but they would need more help than the Justice League could provide for them to get in, even if they did finish 9-7 (with games against the Raiders and Chiefs still looming that seems like a long shot).
What’s really frustrating is last week at this time I wrote a piece about how dangerous of a team the Chargers had become. It’s true; they have the ability to beat anybody in the NFL.
They were a bad decision and a botched field goal from taking out the Raiders in Oakland … had a huge lead on the Chiefs at Arrowhead … out-physicaled the reigning Super Bowl champs … and beat two division leaders on the road (Atlanta and Houston).
All that makes them extremely dangerous.
However, they also blew a double-digit 4th quarter lead at home to a the 5-7 Saints … gave away a game to 5-6 Indianapolis … and lost more 4th quarter leads to the Bucs and Dolphins, both at home. So as we saw once again on Sunday the flipside is also true.
The Chargers are extremely harmless.
They can beat anybody but they can also lose to anybody. And now that they’ve done the latter enough the harsh reality of their season has set it.
“We couldn’t afford to lose any more,” said center Matt Slauson after Sunday’s loss. “That makes this one really hard.”
Every loss is difficult but when it’s the one that keeps you from achieving your goal for the season it hits with a lot more force. So now that the Chargers are basically playing out the string, where do they find motivation? How do they slough off the frustration and put a good product on the field the final four weeks of the year?
“I was taught a long time ago you’re playing to get better every week and for your future,” said head coach Mike McCoy, who is unsure of what his future with the Chargers is, no matter where they end up playing. “Regardless of what the score is, regardless of what your record is, it doesn’t matter. You have to make the most of every opportunity you get in this game.”
That is very true. If only the Bolts had done that the entire season, they might be in first place with the rest of the football world looking up at them. The question of why they ended up in this situation is not easily answered.
Is it because they simply don’t have enough talent to hang with other NFL teams for a full 60 minutes? Or is it because the coaching staff has not been able to make the necessary adjustments to maintain the leads they build?
It’s probably a little bit of both. I would lean towards the latter because if it was a true talent issue they would not be in every single game they play at all. They’d be the Browns, who have been ravaged by bad drafts and Paul DePodesta’s computer.
There is talent in San Diego. It’s young talent, sure, but it’s still talent. The question now is can they mold it in to a winning group? Much like the way they enter every game they play the answer is sure they can … but will they?
