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In 2022 the Los Angeles Chargers hype train finally pulled into the station and delivered everything no one on that train wanted — specifically an AFC Wild Card Round playoff loss to the underdog Jacksonville Jaguars.
I’m a firm believer that for a team to prove they deserve to be in the playoffs, they must win at least one playoff game. It’s the main reason, I think, there’s so much playoff turnover every season. Teams can get lucky, can benefit from an easy schedule or the injury issues with their opponents. In the postseason, none of that can help you.
Still, the Chargers did take a positive step in 2022, but it’s telling that only one of their 10 wins came over a team that made the playoffs, the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 11. The Dolphins were also the only team LA beat that finished with a winning record. Not only did they lose to the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and twice to the Kansas City Chiefs, they split their games with the Raiders and the hapless, pre Sean Payton, Denver Broncos, losing in the season finale in Week 18. If you’re keeping count, that means the Chargers lost two straight to end their season.
Herbert ended the year with a 10-7 regular season record, completing 68.7 percent of his passes for 4,739 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Disgruntled running back Austin Ekeler rushed for 915 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 107 passes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Mike Williams led the receivers with 63 catches for 895 yards and four scores. Defensively, Khalil Mack wrapped his year with eight sacks and 50 tackles. He added 12 tackles for a loss, two passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Drue Tranquill recorded 146 tackles, with 10 for a loss, five sacks, one interception, four passes defended and one forced fumble. Bryce Callahan picked off three passes to go with 47 tackles, two for a loss, six passes defended and one defensive touchdown.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
2022-23 Record: 10-7
Playoffs: Lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round
2023 AFC Championship Odds: +1400
NOW WHAT?
Yes, to much of punditry’s surprise, the magic has still not happened for the Chargers in spite of the fawning adoration for quarterback Justin Herbert. And, here’s the thing. I like Herbert and, if you’re one of the three Chargers fans on the planet, you should be thrilled to have him as your quarterback. I’m just going to need him to actually win when it counts to jump on that bandwagon with you. In the 2021-22 season, Los Angeles lost their play-on game to the Las Vegas Raiders, and their interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, in overtime. It was a must win, a playoff game to get into the playoffs, and the Chargers couldn’t get it done, again, when they were favored to do it.
So it’s a pattern, now. One that they must break this season, because the AFC is just going to become more of a gauntlet for years to come.
There’s been some discontent in the offseason they’ll have to deal with. Ekeler, in search of a new contract, was allowed to shop himself in a trade to no avail. He’s not given any indication that he’ll hold out, but it’s an annoyance that the team will have to deal with all through training camp. And, pretty much every time Ekeler has a great game this season. Which, to be real, will probably happen a lot.
Looking over their schedule, it’s not super friendly. They do get the benefit of what I call “break games” in between tougher opponents. For instance, they play the Dolphins at SoFi to open the season, a legitimate adversary, then follow that with a very winnable game over the Tennessee Titans. In Week 3, they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings at 1 p.m. (that’s Kirk Cousins time!), but then host the Raiders the very next week. After their bye, it gets significantly tougher with the Dallas Cowboys, Chiefs, New York Jets and Detroit Lions all showing up on the schedule over a five-week span. The only respite is a game hosting the Chicago Bears right before Halloween, but, if Justin Fields continues his own career trajectory, that one might be perceived very differently by the time the leaves change. There’s a real chance a return to the playoffs is not in the cards for LA, which would just prove my point about getting lucky in a short-lived playoff run. This is a team that could finish anywhere from 8-9 to 10-7 again, but I don’t see them contending for an AFC title.
THE DRAFT
As you’ll see when I get to the Free Agency section, Los Angeles decided to focus on the draft to add talent to the roster instead of raiding other teams. On paper, right now, it looks as if they did alright, earning a B+ draft grade in my rankings. They opened the draft taking TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, a move that probably means Keenan Allen is playing his final season with the team. In the second, they nabbed one of my favorite defensive line prospects, Tuli Tuipulotu out of USC and took a potential starting linebacker in the third, Daiyan Henley from Washington State. Later in the draft, they shored up their QB room with a guy that could become a solid career back up in Max Duggan, also from TCU.
FREE AGENCY
The Chargers didn’t do much in free agency other than re-sign their own key guys. The only two new additions to the team, as of this writing, are defensive tackle Nick Williams from the New York Giants and linebacker Eric Kendricks from the Minnesota Vikings.
AFC WEST
While the Chargers may have realistically been the best bet to catch the Chiefs in the AFC West over the past two seasons, reality has made that all but impossible. The problem now is, with Sean Payton in Denver, that No. 2 spot could be at stake. I don’t see LA winning the division, but a return to the Wild Card round wouldn’t shock me. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they’re watching the postseason on their Barcaloungers.
Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.
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