Week 4 AFC West Roundup
By Justin Smith
San Diego Chargers
Last Place in AFC West
Record: 1-3
Last Game: Lost at home to New Orleans Saints (1-3) 35-34
Next Game: at Oakland Raiders (3-1), Sunday ,October 9th at 4:25 pm EST
Of all the craziness this early NFL season, perhaps nothing is crazier than this: if they weren’t so self-destructive, the Chargers could easily be 4-0 right now and tied with the Broncos.
Yes, despite all their injuries and bad luck, the Chargers three losses have all seen them leading with less than five minutes left. Yes, that is correct. They have blown three leads in four games during winning time.
Turnovers have been costly, as has poor clock management and questionable late-game decisions. Coach Mike McCoy is 3-12 in games decided by 8 points or less, and the Chargers are 5-16 in their last 21 under McCoy. His seat is a bit warm at the moment.
They’re hoping to right the ship this weekend in Oakland, but have lost their last nine games against AFC West opponents. Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon are playing at a high level, and the Raiders defense will be in tough against a talented Charger team despite the absence of top wideout Keenan Allen.
The Raiders have improved on defense the past two weeks after being historically bad in the first two weeks. But they are still last in the NFL in total defense, giving up 460 yards a game. However, they have been a bend-but-don’t-break unit, as they are 21st in the NFL in scoring defense at 26.5 points per game.
The Chargers really need this game, as Denver is looking quite good and the Raiders have already won three gritty road games this season. The Chargers can’t get out of their own way, and keep losing key players to injury. It’s hard to see this team winning many more games, let alone challenging anyone for a playoff spot.