Fansided

Chargers have sights on Super Bowl despite rough summer

By Travis Wakeman

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 13: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Los Angeles Chargers are without Derwin James and Melvin Gordon. Still, enough talent remains for a Super Bowl run.

Best-case scenario

Win it all. Though that is the ultimate goal for every team, this team has the talent to get the job done.

After a crushing loss to the New England Patriots in the playoffs last season, the Chargers have had an entire offseason to stew on the defeat. In that time, the team has added a veteran in linebacker Thomas Davis while also shoring up the defensive tackle spot by drafting Jerry Tillery out of Notre Dame.

Coming off of a 12-4 season and an offseason in which many feel the team only got better, an AFC West title should not only be the hope, but the expectation. That would help the team have one of the AFC’s top seeds and perhaps home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Worst-case scenario

That the offensive line lets the team down. The line is easily the team’s Achilles heel and that was evident in the loss at New England last year. If that hasn’t been improved, it will be a huge letdown. But there is a good chance it won’t be improved.

Russell Okung is going to miss at least the beginning of the season and Sam Tevi is still at the right tackle spot. The only attempt at adding a new player was to draft Trey Pipkins out of Sioux Falls. The key will be Forrest Lamp. If he holds up and turns into the player the team thought it drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft, it will be huge for the team. If not, the Chargers will have to work around a poor unit and that will likely only last so long.

Confidence level (Low, medium or high)

High.

The Chargers have one of the game’s best leaders in Philip Rivers and Hunter Henry will be back at 100 percent. But the defense is where this team will really turn heads. Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Casey Hayward are All-Pro level players. The loss of Derwin James is crushing, although there’s hope he can return before December. Throw in draft picks Jerry Tillery and Nasir Adderley and Gus Bradley might be working with the best defensive unit in the league.

The Chargers have made a gradual climb up the NFL ladder since the second half of the 2017 season and there is a real belief that this is the year they break through and reach the top.

X-Factor

Desmond King.

A solid nickel corner, King gives the team a dynamic option in sub packages in the secondary. He’s a tremendous athlete with great coverage skills and he can make plays on the ball. When the ball is in his hands, look out. This is why the team uses King as a return man as he can break a game open with a huge return, as he did on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.

The secondary already includes Hayward, James and the rookie Adderley. Throwing King into that mix makes for an incredibly talented group.

Turning point

Week 8 at Chicago.

This will be a tough road test for the team in late October in one of the toughest cities to win a game in. The Bears are coming off a great season and many expect them to be one of the NFC’s best teams again this season. Most importantly, this is the kind of game that could easily be decided in the trenches. Can the Chargers’ offensive line hold up against a tough Bears defensive line? Can it keep Rivers upright with Khalil Mack on the other side of the field? Can the running game grind out a tough win on the road.

If the answers to those questions are yes, this team could be in business heading into the second half of the season.

Best moment in team history

LaDainian Tomlinson’s record-breaking 2006 season was memorable and him breaking the touchdown record in a season is hard not to put at the top, but the best moment is when the team defeated Pittsburgh to win the AFC Championship Game following the 1994 season.

The Chargers weren’t supposed to be there and few expected them to win, but the image of Dennis Gibson knocking down Neil O’Donnell’s final pass attempt at the goal line is one that will last forever. Although the team fell short in the Super Bowl two weeks later, the victory in the 1994 AFC title game is still the biggest win in team history.