Seven storylines that defined the Chargers 2018 season

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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 13: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers is tackled by Trey Flowers #98 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Following the close to the Los Angeles Chargers’ 2018 postseason run, it’s time to look at the seven stories that define their year.

The Chargers finish their season 13-5, winning one playoff game in Baltimore before being crushed on the road in New England. Much happened throughout the 2018 season, so much so that this article takes the time to go through some of its most important storylines. It’s not necessarily about plays; you can find that here. However, it’s a reflection on some bigger picture stories that truly define the year the Chargers just completed.

Here are the seven that stand out the most:

Collapse in Foxborough

Sure, why not? Let’s start with the worst part of the season.

No team wants to go home early, but despite the superior talent on the roster, the Chargers did just that. They fell in the divisional round of the playoffs, 41-28 to the New England Patriots, who out-classed them in nearly every category. Forget the final score; nothing went right for the Chargers on Sunday.

Two things are apparent following that game:

The lack of “in the trenches” players finally caught up to the Bolts.
The coaching staff needs serious re-thinking, if not change, in order to truly contend in the playoffs.

Expect to see the offensive line addressed in free agency, and the defensive deficiencies taken care of via the draft. And, if you’ve been waiting for this moment for a few years, you may just see the Chargers go “all-in” to win in 2019. Because unless the coaching staff decides to become brilliant overnight, the team might just have to push all their chips into the center of the table.

What in the world, Forrest Lamp?

Somewhere in an alternate dimension, 2017 draft-class steal Forrest Lamp is blocking every stunt imaginable en route to the Chargers dominating the Patriots in the divisional round. He’s healthy and looking every part of the man the Bolts drafted him to be in the second round.

In our dimension, however, he’s a healthy scratch on game day watching Philip Rivers get knocked down on almost every play in the freezing cold. I wish I could tell you why, and it’s clear the coaching staff believes or knows something different than we do. Two viable options present themselves:

The coaching staff prefers team chemistry over pure talent
Lamp isn’t producing in practice

I sincerely hope it’s the former because Lamp is reportedly healthy and a very good prospect at right guard. It’s one of the more bizarre stories of the year, and one to keep an eye on moving forward.