It was nearly disastrous, but the LA Chargers escaped Miami with a nail-biting win to stay atop the AFC West. As far as Derwin James is concerned, the Dolphins shouldn't have even been in the game down the stretch.
James was quick to point out the mistakes the Chargers made in the game, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. While James and his teammates are glad to escape Miami with a win, he was rather blunt in pointing out what the final score should have been.
" We supposed to blow them out today. I feel like we had a great start to blow 'em out," James said after the game, via ESPN's Kris Rhim.
Derwin James buries the Dolphins after nail-biting Chargers win
This one is going to undoubtedly upset some Dolphins fans.
The Dolphins were in this game all the way through. There was never a point where the Chargers definitively had the game in the bag, even with a 13-point lead in the second half. Miami easily could have won this game, so James saying it should have been a blowout is pretty bold.
It's even more bold considering James had a rough day (for his standards). While James secured the game-winning interception on the final play of the game, his overall play left more to be desired. With a typical James-like performance, Devon Achane wouldn't have ran the ball down the Chargers' throat like he did.
When healthy, the Chargers probably should have blown out the Dolphins. Los Angeles has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations while Mike McDaniel is one of the favorites to be the first coach fired. These teams simply aren't on the same level.
That being said, the Chargers rolled out an offensive line that a college team would struggle with and were down their RB1, RB2, WR3, and various defensive positions.
In a perfect world sure, the Chargers would have blown out the Dolphins. But you don't draw pictures in the record books and they all count the same. The Chargers escaped with a much-needed win that fans should feel great about, even if it wasn't the blowout Derwin James expected.