Well, it’s time for the San Diego Chargers to travel East for an early morning football game. They have travelled East a couple of times this year. They went into Buffalo’s house and managed to get the win. They also went to Miami, and completely laid an egg…. literally. Earlier this year, I pointed out that we had a fairly light travel schedule this season. We played a tough NFC West division, with three out of four teams located on the West Coast. We didn’t even have to play the Rams in St. Louis. Nor did we have to go to New York to play the Jets, nor New England to play the Patriots. The only other teams we had to travel east to play were the Chiefs, and the Broncos. That’s something we do every year, and we have beaten both teams in their house recently. So, the Chargers should take advantage of this situation by beating the Ravens today, and going 2-3 on the East Coast this year.
Obviously, that’s easier said than done. The Ravens are also at 7-4, and looking to secure their spot in the AFC wildcard race. The Chargers are currently holding the 6th spot behind the Chiefs, and could swap places with them with a win today, and a KC loss to the Broncos. They could also fall dramatically down the playoff ladder, should they lose to the Ravens, and the rest of the teams behind them win. In the past, the Chargers have had the luxury of the other teams in the race faltering down the stretch. The wildcard race is very crowded this year, and the Chargers are holding to their spot with a narrow lead. A loss today could possibly end their season.
However, we said that last year, and the Chargers squeaked into the playoffs. It wasn’t pretty, but when they did get into the playoffs, they made some noise. They just need to punch their ticket into the dance. But, counting on teams like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Miami to tank over the next five weeks is not an option. The Chargers have possibly the most brutal schedule of any team in the league to finish off the season. They face the two best teams in the NFL when they host the Patriots, and the Broncos. The good news is that we are hosting them. Then, we would still have to travel to San Francisco and Kansas City to finish off two very good defensive teams. There isn’t a team that they play that isn’t in the playoff picture. But, we knew that before the season started.
The Chargers are 7-4, no matter how sloppy it may have looked. A win today would be a huge boost of confidence. The Chargers always get red hot to finish out the year, so they have that going for them. What they don’t have going for them is their inability to get the job done when it matters most. They are in the driver’s seat today. They have their chance to pull away in the AFC wild card hunt, and POSSIBLY even the division. They simply can’t come out and blow coverage on Steve Smith. They can’t let the Ravens run the ball down their throats. They can’t shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. They can’t let Rivers get sacked at will. They MUST control their own destiny!
If you have never been on one of our open threads, it gets a little cray cray, at times. However, everyone’s opinion is welcome here, as long as you can take what you dish. We are all Charger fans, so let’s try to be respectful. A lot of us live and die with the Chargers from week to week, so it gets passionate. But, we all want to see a win, and for this squad to step up and steal the bacon! We will be critiquing performances, evaluating players, cheering for heads up plays, and hopefully celebrating a “W” when this is all said and done.
Let’s do this San Diego! Today is the first day of the rest of the season. CONTROL YOUR DESTINY! CONTROL IT BY WINNING TODAY! WOOF!!!!!
Keep Bolting Toward Excellence!