Wheels Not Falling Off Thread

[Boltx]

I like that were going into Denver after a loss. They will be pissed. Don't expect us to beat Denver on the road on short rest but I think they'll put up a good effort.

Still feel that way on a short week after the display they put on against the 49ers?

The good news is that we get 10 days to get ready for the Dolphins game....which IMO is a must win especially heading into the bye week. 6-3 at the bye with a chance to get healthy is a very good spot to be in IMO.

[Beerman]

Everyone does realize we lost by a FG right? That despite having the ball for 15 minutes, playing with what was seemingly a 3rd string D, and a terrible offensive performance.

Yes we lost, but c'mon this team is right there ONCE we can get some of our key players back. The D basically reverted to our unit from last season with our pass rushers and CB's all out for the game. Getting Ingram, Attaochu, Flowers, Verrett, etc. back is a BIG deal.

If we would have lost with all our starters on the field, then we could start with the sky is falling stuff. As it is, we simply didn't have that next man up available today.

Our losses this year are by a combined 4 points.

[SFW]

Everyone does realize we lost by a FG right? That despite having the ball for 15 minutes, playing with what was seemingly a 3rd string D, and a terrible offensive performance.

Yes we lost, but c'mon this team is right there ONCE we can get some of our key players back. The D basically reverted to our unit from last season with our pass rushers and CB's all out for the game. Getting Ingram, Attaochu, Flowers, Verrett, etc. back is a BIG deal.

If we would have lost with all our starters on the field, then we could start with the sky is falling stuff. As it is, we simply didn't have that next man up available today.

Our losses this year are by a combined 4 points.

To me the the Chargers losses always tell me more about our fans than the team itself.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

1st, we have wheels?

2nd, it looked like a flat more than a lost wheel or four...

[richpjr]

....

Chargers not as good as their record?
By Matt Calkins8 P.M.OCT. 19, 2014

"The Chargers are 5-2. Abandon ship!"

That was the fan tweet that came seconds after the Chargers' 23-20 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. It was funny and cute and clearly satirical toward a sports culture that overreacts to everything.

So with San Diego's five-game winning streak coming to a halt, it's important to keep perspective and know that the season has been a success up to this point. It's also important to face reality -- that this ship may be a lot flimsier than we thought.

Two Sundays ago, the Chargers played what may have been their worst game of the season. Yes, they eked out a 31-28 victory, but it was against a winless Raiders team that hadn't scored more than 14 points all year.

The refrain in the locker room afterward was that, in the NFL, everybody has a game like that. Well, now the Chargers have had two in a row -- and the schedule is only getting harder.

It may be a stretch to say that San Diego was universally projected to have at least five wins by this point, but their record isn't terribly surprising. Aside from the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, there wasn't a particularly daunting foe on their slate through the first seven games of the year.

In fact, at 3-3, Seattle doesn't appear to be anywhere near the force that last year's title team was, and if you look closely, you'll notice that the Chargers' five game streak came against opponents that are a combined 9-25.

That doesn't spell dominance, it casts doubt. That doesn't scream supremacy, it prompts skepticism. And considering that their next game comes on the road against a 5-1 Denver team, this dream first half of the season is perilously close to becoming a mediocre one.

So where do the problems lie?

The defense is probably the best place to start.

Before the Raiders game, the Chargers had allowed fewer points than any team in the NFL. Since then, they've given up 51 points and are lucky it's only been that many.

The pass-rush has ranged between awful and so-so, they got killed on third down on Sunday, and if not for Junior Hemingway dropping a pass and A.J. Jenkins stepping out of bounds, the Chiefs could have scored 11 more points than they did.

The offense has been far more consistent, but fell well short of its standard Sunday. Before taking on Kansas City, Philip Rivers was the leading candidate for league MVP, but the quarterback had his worst game since the season-opener, completing just 17 of his 31 passes and taking two early sacks.

One week earlier, Rivers became the first QB in NFL history to post a passer rating of 120 or higher in five straight games, so ascribing any blame his way would be an impetuous reaction. What Sunday's loss did do, however, was show that even the Chargers' most dependable figure can misplace his magic from time to time.

But perhaps the biggest concern of all is this team's health. Whether it's Melvin Ingram, Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, Shareece Wright, Manti Te'o, or Jason Verrett, it seems as though there's a new player sitting out every week.

Sunday, the Chargers lost cornerback Brandon Flowers to a concussion in the first half, allowing the Chiefs to pick on his replacement, Richard Marshall, for the remainder of the game. The result was Kansas City dominating the time of possession and coming out victorious.

May looking at this as anything more than an off day is unfair. As Rivers said, "I think to expect to expect that we're going to up and down the field and never punt and just win all the time is unrealistic."

Still, you can't ignore how much better the competition is going to get. No one's abandoning ship, but the seas will get rougher.

[6025]

Everyone does realize we lost by a FG right? That despite having the ball for 15 minutes, playing with what was seemingly a 3rd string D, and a terrible offensive performance.

Yes we lost, but c'mon this team is right there ONCE we can get some of our key players back. The D basically reverted to our unit from last season with our pass rushers and CB's all out for the game. Getting Ingram, Attaochu, Flowers, Verrett, etc. back is a BIG deal.


If we would have lost with all our starters on the field, then we could start with the sky is falling stuff. As it is, we simply didn't have that next man up available today.

Our losses this year are by a combined 4 points.

Pretty much this.

[Millionaire Wussy]

We need a bye week more than anything. With all these injuries we're still playing team's pretty close. Will we get healthy enough to get into the playoffs...I don't know. But I'm proud of their effort, whatever happens.

[MakoShark]

No, the wheels aren't falling off. We were due for a stinker, especially with the injuries we've had. A stinker game like this in December could be a back breaker, but not in October before we've had our bye. Lots of football left to play.

[richpjr]

No, the wheels aren't falling off. We were due for a stinker, especially with the injuries we've had. A stinker game like this in December could be a back breaker, but not in October before we've had our bye. Lots of football left to play.

This is very true, but the problem is the timing of the stinker and our team's health. If we lose in Denver which seems likely to me, we now have back to back division losses making winning the division almost impossible sans a Manning injury. Then we then have to play in Miami where we haven't won since the 1982 or whatever that is so the 5-1 start could be 5-4 going into the bye with some tough games left. And that would leave us fighting for our playoff lives, seemingly like we do every year recently.

[Panama]

This is very true, but the problem is the timing of the stinker and our team's health. If we lose in Denver which seems likely to me, we now have back to back division losses making winning the division almost impossible sans a Manning injury. Then we then have to play in Miami where we haven't won since the 1982 or whatever that is so the 5-1 start could be 5-4 going into the bye with some tough games left. And that would leave us fighting for our playoff lives, seemingly like we do every year recently.

How quickly we lose faith!

Our defense is beat up, yes, and if we are forced to have to start Marshall Thursday could be a very long night indeed.

But their defense isn't very good. And there is no reason we can't play keep away from them. And if we successfully play keep away, Manning will have to be perfect on practically every drive. Yes, it's Manning and he's capable, but that's still a tall task, even against Marshall.

Add to that that they are coming off an emotional win and we are coming off a frustrating loss. Based on that alone, there's a better chance they aren't clicking on all cylinders.

I'm not saying we're going to win -- ok, yes, I have been saying that a lot, but I'm trying to put aside my homerism for a sec -- but it's not exactly a foregone conclusion that the Donkeys will win.

And as for Miami... Remember a couple of seasons ago we hadn't won in Pittsburgh and Rivers gave an inspired speech about that? Well, now we've won in Pittsburgh, and there's no reason we shouldn't win in Miami. I expect 7-2 going into the bye.

[KNSD]

TIME TO FALL THIS SKIES!!!! :sprite:

Oliver is an excellent asset, needs to improve pass blocking.
Lots of great negative plays by defense. Penalties extending drives.
Team fights like crazy. Team is a M.A.S.H unit right now.

Marathon, not sprint.

[CTrout]

Are teams starting to take away a lot of the short passing game or is it a shift in the gameplan? Seems like since the Raider game, Rivers has been throwing down the field much more.

I also noticed this...and don't like it. The last 2 games Rivers has been forcing the ball downfield. Often to
guys who are well covered. This offense looks sooooooo much better when we stick to the short "ball control"
passing. Hope we get back to it.