Before last weekend, the San Diego Chargers season was all but over. The team was 4-6 with 3 to 4 likely losses upcoming on their schedule. A playoff spot seemed just out of reach and many fans were ready to throw in the towel.
But then something unexpected happened. Against the 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs, Philip Rivers and the Chargers marched down the field at the end of the 4th quarter to score a last minute touchdown and win the game. The Chiefs had previously taken the lead with under 2 minutes left, but the Chargers were able to overcome the odds.
Seyi Ajirotutu #16 Celebrating his touchdown catch (Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America)
Not only was this victory a shock to all those whom were watching, but this drastically changed the AFC playoff picture. After this win, the Chargers now have a legitimate chance of becoming the second wild card in the AFC. Here is why.
First, the win against the Chiefs puts the team’s record at 5-6 as opposed to 4-7. With a win this weekend, they will have the same record as the Baltimore Ravens, the team currently with the second wild card.
Second, the win shows that the Chargers have the ability to win big games and are a pretty good football team. This is a necessity for the Bolts because the remainder of their schedule includes three likely playoff teams: the Cincinnati Bengals, the Denver Broncos, and the Chiefs. San Diego needs to have a win against at least one, but preferably two to secure a playoff spot. If they can’t beat playoff teams in the regular season they probably won’t in the playoffs, but it wouldn’t even be an issue because they wouldn’t make it to the playoffs to begin with.
Thirdly, the defense has been really struggling to defend the pass. This last sentence might seem a little confusing. How could a bad pass defense be a good thing for any team? Well, it might just be a blessing in disguise in this case. Since the pass defense has been so terrible this season, it has been reported that head coach Mike McCoy has put the starting spots in the secondary up for grabs. This means that every single defensive back will be trying to prove that they should be a starter. In the best case scenario, the entire secondary will elevate their level of play to compete in this competition for job security. Ideally, this will help the weakest point of the team become slightly stronger.
The team definitely has their work cut out for them. The road to the playoffs is never an easy one, especially in the lane the team is currently driving in. However, if the Chargers can win this weekend, San Diego fans should be excited for the playoff hunt.
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