Los Angeles Chargers: 5 burning questions for 2018

The Chargers came up just shy of a playoff spot in 2017 so what needs to happen for Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon and Joey Bosa to get to the playoffs in 2018?

In 2017, the Los Angeles Chargers (still weird to say or type) finished second in the AFC West with a 9-7 record. Due to tiebreakers with the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, the Chargers did not make an appearance in the postseason, despite being more talented than arguably both of those teams.

Heading into 2018, the Chargers are a hot pick to be in the playoffs, and for good reason. Injuries have plagued the roster in the last few seasons, and plagued is putting it lightly. The team has been ravaged by the injury bug, and it is really the only reason they haven’t been wildly successful.

The defense is top-tier, with one of the best cornerbacks in the league as a cornerstone. Casey Hayward has held down the back seven, while young gun Joey Bosa has been bolstering the pass rush. The offense, led by old reliable Philip Rivers, has quite a bit of talent as well.

With that said, there are still some major questions surrounding the Chargers heading into training camp.

5. Can they improve their division record?

Back in 2016, the Chargers finished with a 5-11 record, going 1-5 against their AFC West opponents. In 2017, the record improved to 9-7 and their divisional record slightly improved to 3-3. If the Chargers have aspirations of winning the division and making the playoffs, it begins by getting better within the division.

A 3-3 record against rivals isn’t going to cut it. No team is going to win a division by going .500 against their biggest rivals. Luckily for the Bolts, the AFC West is shaping up to be much worse than it has been in the last few years.

If the Chargers can find a way to have a winning record within the division, there’s a good chance they will find themselves in the postseason.