San Diego Chargers 2014 Report Card
Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) gets up after being sacked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 19-7. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
After going 9-7 and narrowly making the playoffs last season, the San Diego Chargers made it a priority to be better prepared for 2014. The Bolts were 8-4 after week 13 and only needed two more wins in order to make the playoffs. Unfortunately though, the Chargers went 1-3 in their last four games and lost in another week 17 “win-or-go-home” situation to the Kansas City Chiefs.
2014 was Mike McCoy’s second 9-7 season. While there were many bright spots on this ball club this season, there were also a lot of areas that could have been drastically improved.
I will be ranking this 2014 San Diego Chargers squad overall and then at each individual offensive, defensive and special teams position.
SDG. San Diego Chargers. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS OVERALL TEAM. C. As a NFL writer, you must give credit where credit is due and credit is definitely due to these San Diego Chargers. They were able to make it interesting despite some devastating injuries to RB Ryan Mathews, OC Nick Hardwick, LB Manti Te’o, CB Jason Verrett, and P Mike Scifres. The only other team that suffered that many injuries and was able to make the playoffs was the Arizona Cardinals. <p> </p> <p>The main reason though that the Chargers missed the playoffs was inconsistency and lack of execution. While many may point to injuries as the primary cause, the Chargers failed to execute on a consistent basis and when it counted in crunch time. This season the Bolts lost one game, won five straight, then lost three straight, then won three straight, then lost three of their last four games. The Chargers were 8-4 at one point in the season with the ability to win 12 games and make the playoffs. But, in true San Diego fashion, the Chargers boofed it.</p> <p>Philip Rivers was too inconsistent and inaccurate during the latter part of the season for the Chargers to mount a real playoff push. In River’s last four games of 2014, the former NC State QB threw for 59.75% completion and eight interceptions. A starting QB cannot throw that many interceptions in the midst of a playoff run.</p> <p>Another bad note was the Chargers defensive line which seemed to be stagnant and could not get pressure on a QB all season. The weak defensive line coupled with an incredibly inconsistent offensive line combined for a type lackluster play that eventually doomed the Chargers in 2014. </p>
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