A win over Denver puts Chargers back in the mix

After losing their first four games to start the season, the Los Angeles Chargers are now on the rise after winning back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 6-7 of the 2016 season. Competition in the AFC is mediocre, which gives the Chargers a better chance to come back from the dead.

If I were to ask you who the best team in the AFC is right now, who would you pick?

It’s tough because the NFL is all over the place. The most logical choice would be to go with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the AFC’s best record at 5-1. But the Chiefs, who were undefeated going into Week 6, just got beat by the Steelers, the same Steelers team who got trounced by the Jaguars one week prior. Have the Chiefs looked good? Absolutely. Are they a dominant force? Meh.

What about the Patriots? The Steelers? The Titans? The Bills? The Dolphins? Those five teams join the Chiefs as the AFC’s current playoff teams, but do any of those teams actually scare you? Even the rest of the teams in front of the Chargers (Jaguars, Ravens, Jets, Texans, Bengals, Colts) are inconsistent at best.

My point is, the AFC is so scrambled that any team can lose at any given moment (unless you’re playing the Browns).

And the Chargers? I don’t know if you’ve seen it since they are only being televised on ESPN 8: The Ocho, but they’ve been winning!

Their season looked to be over after starting 0-4, but they are starting to rally. Have they looked perfect in their wins? Far from it. But there’s something about this Anthony Lynn-led Chargers team, one that is featured by star running back Melvin Gordon and backed up by Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa and their underrated defense.

When you think about it, the 2-4 Chargers are probably better than the 4-2 Patriots.

— Dave Dameshek (@Dameshek) October 16, 2017

We all know the only team to make the playoffs after starting a season 0-4 is the 1992 Chargers. Could the 2017 Chargers join those 1992 Chargers? I don’t know. We’re not even halfway through the season yet.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s zero reason to boast about being 2-4. But I will tell you that a win against the visiting Broncos on Sunday, giving L.A. its third consecutive win, changes a lot of things. The Broncos, Chiefs and Raiders all lost last week. In Week 7, the reeling Raiders and first-place Chiefs battle each other on Thursday Night Football, so two AFC West teams will add to the losing column.

This is a Chargers team that could be above .500. Two of the four losses they suffered were heartbreakers. That’s in the past, and it appears the Chargers are finding out ways to win those close games, which is a great sign going forward.

Winning is contagious, and beating the Broncos could be the turning point for the Chargers.