The Los Angeles Chargers are 1-1, time for Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to step up and lead

The NFL season is a very long and brutal journey that is often referred to as a grind for a reason.

After a Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions that looked simply pathetic. I, like many fans, wanted to scream. Between the missed field goals, the touchdowns called back, dropped passes, goal-line fumble, I could go on. Needless to say, it was a tough game to swallow.

As a fan of the Chargers though, this feeling was oh so familiar. Until just last year the Chargers were known for the ways in which they lost games. Spectacular fourth-quarter collapses were the norm. These crushing and demoralizing defeats made it very a hard period being a fan of the Chargers.

In Detroit, the Chargers of old seemed to be rearing their ugly head. Panic raged through my entire body in the moments and days after the game. Was this going to be another long and painful season?

Relax fellow Charger fans. Things are going to be OK. The season is not lost. The Chargers can still reach the elusive Super Bowl.

It may be that the 2019 season will prove to be more difficult than many fans had expected. However hope is not lost, it is actually beginning to come into focus.

The Chargers have struggled out the gate on the season. Is anyone actually surprised?  Starting slowly is a Chargers tradition dating all the way back to their time in the vacation paradise that is San Diego.

When discussing the Chargers 2019 season it is best to think of the 2019 team like an animal that we are still being introduced to. As the animal emerges from its cage we will learn more as to what type of fighter it is.

Is it a predator like we had hoped, or have we been duped by a trickster into taking on a ferocious looking beast that will prove nothing more than a scavenger? Like a wolf’s silhouette in the night that proves to be nothing more than a coyote.

A coyote is a vicious animal to a house pet but does not present a match for the bigger and stronger wolf. As the season progresses we will find out if the 2019 Chargers are a true wolf capable of contending with any other beast or merely a coyote stalking the sidelines waiting to feast on whatever the true predators leave behind.

This Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans will present some opportunities for this Chargers team to re-establish itself as a dominant team capable of competing against anyone.

The Texans come into Los Angeles with the same 1-1 record as the Chargers. Like the Chargers the Texans are struggling early. The winner of this game will be 2-1 and in good shape moving forward. The loser of this game will be sitting at 1-2 and possibly in panic mode.

The Texans are a talented team, they have stars at every level just like the Chargers. This game could easily go either way. Both teams know the stakes, both teams will take the field ready to fight for that “W”.

The Chargers need to establish themselves in this game. It is time for this team’s defense to start showing us who they are. Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram need to get going early applying constant pressure on Deshaun Watson.

If the Chargers defense can take that next step and put it all together this unit could truly be a nightmare for any opposing quarterback/offense. It starts on the edges with Bosa and Ingram. Every week it is the same thing, “If Bosa/Ingram get pressure on said quarterback… if, if, if”.

It is time for these two star players to lead this team and be the disruptive forces that most expect. If they do then I believe the Chargers should easily win this game.

A signature win on the heels of a monstrous performance from Bosa and Ingram would be a welcome tonic for this team in need of a big win. It is time for these two players to step up and lead.

With all of the injuries occurring around the league, 2019 is shaping up to be a potentially unique opportunity. Will the Chargers prove to be a predatory wolf preying on the weak, injured and lame? Or will they prove to be just another coyote, a scavenger stalking the scraps?

Watson, Kenny Stills and J.J. Watt all present challenges for sure. I am a Chargers fan though and I believe that this team is just too talented to fall to a struggling Texans team on the road.

Call me a homer for my team if you want but I am picking the Chargers in this one and I am stepping out on a limb calling the players to step up and dominate this game. Los Angeles makes a statement:

Chargers 31, Texans 17

*I predict Watson will be sacked five times and will complete less than 60 percent of his passes for less than 250 yards.