Where Do Chargers Go From Here?
By Dave Thomas
Okay, so the roof is not exactly falling in after all.
That said the San Diego Chargers will regroup and try to get back on the winning side of the ball this coming Sunday when they visit the Miami Dolphins.
After a two-game span in five days that left them sitting at 5-3, the Bolts are hoping that their game two days after Halloween does not continue a frightful trend that appears to be emerging.
With a home-opening win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in early September, the Charger bandwagon grew rather quickly.
That was followed by four straight wins, albeit against competition that could be considered anywhere from average to downright awful. The win in Buffalo looks better now that the Bills have moved to a 5-3 record, but no one is going to put Jacksonville, the New York Jets or Oakland on a Mount Rushmore of the best teams in the league anytime soon.
Dolphins Will Pose Problems
After a pair of setbacks to Kansas City and Denver the other week, the Chargers now must prepare for a Miami team that seems to be gaining some confidence.
While the Dolphins beat a bad Jacksonville team last weekend, they also have wins over New England (season opener) and a victory at Soldier Field the other week. Yes, the Bears may not be the cream of the crop, but winning in the Windy City is always an impressive thing.
So, what would a loss to the Dolphins in South Florida do to a team that some thought was possibly one of the top if not the best team in the AFC after streaking to a 5-1 mark?
If the Chargers suffer their third straight loss this Sunday, it will send them into their bye week possibly tied with Kansas City (4-3) for second place in the AFC West, depending of course on how the Chiefs do with the lowly New York Jets this Sunday. If both the Bolts and Chiefs do tie for second, Kansas City would own the tiebreaker due to its 23-20 win earlier this month in San Diego.
Meantime, the 6-1 Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning appear to be on a roll that may not end anytime soon. If that's the case, San Diego and Kansas City will then end up fighting to finish second in the division and grab a potential wild card spot.
In past years, the Chargers struggled out of the gates, only to turn up the heat with strong late-season rallies, including a 4-1 mark last December that got the team into the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Could this year be the reverse? Could the Bolts have gotten out too far in front early in the season, only to start to drop off as the competition gets tougher?
When you look at San Diego's December slate, it includes dates with New England, Denver, San Francisco (away) and Kansas City (away). Yes, all four teams have a great shot at again being playoff teams this season.
For San Diego, a win in South Florida this weekend would boost confidence, giving the Chargers a leg up on yet another potential AFC rival to a playoff spot come late December.
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
