Almost nobody thought that the LA Chargers, given the injuries they had dealt with and the rough stretch of games they had slated to end the season, would be in a prime position to earn a Wild Card spot, and even perhaps steal the division, by the start of Week 16.
Yet, with a pair of hard-fought wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers have vaulted themselves to a 10-4 record. This has the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, buying in.
Brady had great things to say about the Bolts in his latest power rankings video for NFL on FOX. The seven-time Super Bowl champion had the following to say about Jim Harbaugh's squad:
"I think they deserve some recognition for exorcising demons, going on the road to Arrowhead to knock the Chiefs out of the playoffs. I’m not sure they can chase down Denver, but this team is battle-tested and Harbaugh won’t be afraid of anyone next month."Tom Brady
In spite of their record, many pundits across the NFL still maintain serious doubts as to the viability of the Chargers as a playoff team, primarily as a result of the questions surrounding their offense. With Brady now fully bought in, it might be time for the rest of the league to wake up.
The Chargers have proved their status as a genuine playoff threat
Nobody should truly be faulted for doubting the Chargers this season. They have lost both of their star offensive tackles, leaving Justin Herbert vulnerable to untenable amounts of pressure. As a result, the Bolts' offense has not put up more than 25 points against a playoff-bound team at any point this season.
At the same time, however, just take a look at how LA's defense has played since the bye week. Although the Chiefs and Eagles both had their fair share of offensive struggles coming into their respective matchups, Los Angeles was absolutely excellent across the board, stuffing the run and smothering pass-catchers in the secondary.
This is a team that, at least on the defensive side of the ball, has a strong identity: one that looks poised to propel this team into playoff position.
Is it likely a long shot that the Chargers will be Super Bowl contenders this season? Sure. However, playoff games are won or lost by the plays that are made (or not made) in the biggest moments. This team has shown an ability to make plays when most needed, and it's not outlandish to think that they could conceivably come away with multiple playoff victories given the right matchups.
Brady has made it clear that he is no longer writing the Chargers off, and, soon, it might be time for the rest of the NFL to come to the same realization.