San Diego Chargers only have one way to look, up – NFL Special
Despite some turbulent performances in the 2012 season, some may still believe that San Diego Chargers can go on and clinch a playoff spot if they manage to turn around their inconsistent performance to a more consistent one.
Chargers have now entered their most difficult part of their schedule as they face teams that are very strong and can hurt the opponents through.
It was expected at the start of the season that Chargers would finally be able to return to postseason, for the first time since 2009. However, it has been a totally different show on the field as Chargers have managed wins against only weaker opponents
like Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.
So although they do not look much far behind the division leaders Denver Broncos, they have made their aims merely impossible to achieve.
This makes us look into what exactly has gone wrong with the team that has been only one of three franchises that have finished all seasons since the 2003 season at .500 at least.
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, one can easily point out that the team leader has been the most upsetting performer this season.
Quarterback Philip Rivers is going through his worst rein of form since joining the Chargers back in 2007. The quarterback has continued where he left off the last season as he has again thrown plenty of interceptions.
The main reason behind Rivers’ lack of accuracy and ball control is that he is not protected by the offensive line which has led to the quarterback making most of the throws in hurry.
Moreover, the performance given by rest of the offence is not making things better. Tight end Antonio Gates is playing with a reduced sprint while running back Ryan Mathews has lost the coaching staff’s confidence of being a team leader in the offence.
The only good that has come out of the offensive team this season is the addition of wide receiver Danario Alexander. He has been way better than the person he replaced in the starting team, wide receiver Robert Meachem.
The defence has been double-edged sword this season. The running defence has pleased fans with some spectacular performances. This was apparent in the Week 10 game against Buccaneers when the running defence was able to control rookie running back Doug Martin
a week after he had broken the franchise record.
The passing defence has an opposite tale. Moreover, the failure to produce better pass rush has let the team down. Rookie Linebacker Melvin Ingram has been in and out of the field which has led to more burden on the team’s only remaining pass rusher, Shaun
Phillips.
Injuries have further dented their cause. The offence has been hurt by absence of outside linebacker Jared Gaither who seems to get injury every now and then.
Chargers’ another cause of concern in their inability to secure lead and they usually end up giving points to the opponents towards end of any game.
The team put up good number of points in the first half during their games against Buccaneers, Broncos and New Orleans Saints, but failed to retain it in the second half.
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