Kansas City Chiefs: 2019 predictions for the rest of the AFC West
By Cullen Jekel
Los Angeles Chargers
2018 Record: 12-4; Defeated Baltimore Ravens in Wild Card; Lost to New England Patriots in Divisional Round
Key Player: Philip Rivers, Quarterback
Before leading the Chargers to the playoffs last season, Rivers & Co. hadn’t been the postseason since 2013. That 2014-2017 period included two very particular ugly seasons in which the Chargers went 4-12 in 2015 and 5-11 in 2016. Despite going 9-23 in that time period, the Chargers stuck with Rivers as the team’s quarterback.
He rewarded them with a 9-7 record in 2017 that had them just missing the playoffs. But last year, as the team finished 12-4, losing a divisional tiebreaker to the Chiefs for the AFC West crown, Rivers once against topped 30 touchdown passes while limiting himself to just 12 interceptions. Unsurprisingly, he had his highest completion percentage (68.3) since 2013 (a league-leading 69.5).
Will Rivers be able to keep it going in 2019? He’s another year older, he’s without his solid running back Melvin Gordon (holdout), the team is without budding superstar safety Derwin James for most, if not all, of the season (injury), and the Chargers face a rather daunting schedule.
Perhaps the question should be this: which is the new Philip Rivers–the one who faltered badly in 2015 and 2016, or the one who shined in 2017 or 2018?
Swing Game: Week 13, at Denver Broncos
Entering this game, I’ve got the Chargers at 6-5, having just come off an open week after losing to the Chiefs in Mexico City on Monday Night Football. If they lose this game in Denver, things look bleak with another road game in Jacksonville in Week 14 before finishing the season with two of three games against the Minnesota Vikings and the Chiefs.
If Rivers and the Chargers march through Denver and come out 7-5, things look pretty. But if they lose, I can easily see the losing streak reaching four games with losses against the Jags and Vikings following this one. That would drop L.A. to 6-8 and out of the playoff picture.
To answer my own question, Which is the real Rivers? Well, I’m going with the one that comes close to the playoffs, but just misses them. It’s tough to overcome a four-game losing streak in the NFL. Rivers won’t be able to do it.
And thus begins the search for the franchise’s next quarterback.