The Los Angeles Chargers have been every bit of disappointing in 2019. After finishing the 2018 season with a 12-4 record and a win on the road against the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs, fans expected much more this year. The Chargers are currently third in the AFC West with a 5-9 record. If the Chargers have been good at one thing this year it has been creating new ways to lose every week. Eight of their nine losses on the season have been by single digits. So who is to blame for the Charger’s disappointing season? Let’s dig in.
Who Is To Blame For The Los Angeles Chargers 2019 Season?
Injuries
Once again, the injury bug hit the Chargers in 2019. Seems like that has been the case for quite some time now. The Chargers started the season hobbling on one leg and they missed key guys early in the year. Next man up mentality right? To an extent; yes, but it is hard to duplicate talented players like Derwin James. Adrian Phillips missed some time with a broken arm too. More important players injured throughout the season include Mike Pouncey, Travis Benjamin, Forrest Lamp, and Russell Okung. Eventually, the team got healthy but the hole they dug themselves was incredibly too hard for them to get out of it.
Coaching
Head coach Anthony Lynn has been a good hire for this Chargers organization. In three years as the lead man in charge, he has managed two winning seasons and a playoff win. When you watch the Chargers play, you can see how hard they play for Lynn. When you think of Lynn, you don’t think of the Xs and Os. That’s not to say he is bad at those things but in my opinion, that is not his greatest asset he brings to the team. Lynn is a motivator. He gets guys to buy-in to his philosophy. I do believe he has been outcoached at times during the season and that was evident in the second loss to the Denver Broncos. Lynn may not deserve all of the blame for his team’s failed season but he deserves some because he is the man in charge.
Philip Rivers
The Chargers currently rank 29th in giveaways per game with 2.1 per game. To put that into perspective, the only three teams that turn the ball over more than Los Angeles are the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philip Rivers has been a major let down this season and there’s no other way to put it. He ranks second in the NFL in interceptions thrown with 18 on the season. The team has had the ball late in games with the game on the line and Rivers has found ways to give the ball away. Throughout the season we’ve seen him force throws into tight coverage for absolutely no reason. He is showing signs of slowing down and the Chargers would be silly to not draft a quarterback in the first round. Rivers has a Hall Of Fame resume but it looks as if he is on a downward trend late in his career.
Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
