Chargers in Carson: Great stadium, poor performances

The Chargers will be playing their last game in Carson this Sunday as they host the Oakland Raiders. Despite a great venue, the team rarely played well.

The Chargers were gifted with a unique venue in their transition from Qualcomm to  SoFi Stadium. Formerly known as the StubHub Center (and Home Depot Center before that), Dignity Health Sports Park offers what this writer considers an incredible football experience. How often do fans get the chance to be that close to the players on the field?

Well, the fans were close alright. To a hot mess, nearly every other week.

The Chargers are 11-10 in Carson, and would it surprise anyone if they lost to the Raiders this weekend to make it a nice even 11-11? Though they’ve currently won more than they’ve lost, a near-.500 record at home is not the recipe for consistently making the playoffs.

Here’s some of their “Greatest Hits at Home” over the past three years:

• Three straight home losses from Weeks 2-4 (their first three games in Carson)
• The missed-kick loss to Miami
• The 2018 loss to the Broncos that kept them out of the No. 1 seed
• Prime time loss to the Ravens in 2018
• The most recent 39-10 embarrassment facing the Vikings

Wonder why the Chargers can’t fill a stadium full of their own fans? Look no further than moments like these, which served as massive disappointments for all attending Chargers supporters.

Was it all bad? No, not quite. Fans fondly remember Joey Bosa and company shaving 10 years off of Nathan Peterman’s life, the overtime win over the Colts, and the record-setting performance (now broken) that was Philip Rivers dissecting the Cardinals.

But, it could have been so much more. Carson provided a great venue for the Chargers to gain some footing in the Los Angeles market. Instead, they’ve squandered most of their opportunities to put on exciting performances against great opposing teams, and are now officially limping as an organization heading to SoFi Stadium.