Los Angeles Chargers: Late rally doesn’t mask overwhelming loss
The Los Angeles Chargers lost by 13 points at New England on Sunday. Anthony Lynn’s team was outplayed by a big margin. Can this be a learning experience?
The final score read: New England Patriots 41, Los Angeles Chargers 28. If you didn’t see the contest, a 13-point setback would not appear to be so bad.
But appearances can be deceiving. And in a game that saw the reigning AFC champions roll up 347 total yards and 35 points by halftime, Anthony Lynn’s team appeared to be horribly overmatched. Just one week after winning at Baltimore and limiting the Ravens to 90 yards rushing, Chargers’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley allowed 114 yards on the ground by halftime.
Yes, the Bolts found themselves by 31 points in the third quarter. They scored 21 of the final 27 points of the contest. But the bottom line is that a team many felt could reach Super Bowl LIII failed to reach the AFC title game. The last time the Chargers got that far was 2007, ironically a loss to the Patriots at Foxborough. And this is a franchise that remains one of 12 that has yet to hold up a Lombardi Trophy.
Still, it was a season of positives for a club that reached the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and won at least 10 games for the first time since winning the AFC West with a 13-3 mark in 2009. The team finished 11th in total offense and ninth in the NFL in total defense. Including the playoff split with Baltimore and New England, this is a club that owns an impressive 22-8 in its last 30 games following their 0-4 start in 2017.
The club played the first half of the seasons sans defensive end Joey Bosa and late in the year without running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. There were the offseason injuries to cornerback Jason Verrett and tight end Hunter Henry, the latter who finally made his first appearance of the season on Sunday at New England.
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Don’t feel too bad for the Chargers. Yes, they were humbled on Sunday at New England by the league’s current dynasty. But it’s the kind of loss that can be a jumping-off point for 2010. This is a club that still hasn’t won a division title since 2009 and that should be motivation for resilient Philip Rivers, wide receiver Keenan Allen, defensive end Melvin Ingram and a very talented team that may be just scratching the surface in terms of what it could achieve in the coming seasons.