NFL Football is finally back, and I couldn’t be more excited. The Los Angeles Chargers have been being talked about as being one of the best teams in the NFL. Vegas gave them the seventh best odds to win the Super Bowl1. Yet does it really matter what Vegas says if they can’t get passed the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers lost their 9thconsecutive game to the Chiefs in a game that slipped from their grasp early on. The Chargers started the first drive of the game with a punt that led to a Tyreke Hill touchdown. After that, Hill dominated the game with his blistering speed. He went on to have 268 total yards and 3 touchdowns. A devastating home opener loss to say the least.
However, there was bright spots throughout the darkness. Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon played up to the hype surrounding them, rookie Austin Ekeler surprised everyone with his performance, and Philip Rivers showed no signs of slowing down in his 15thseason in the league. Rivers finished the game with 424 yards passing (6thmost in his career) while converting on 34 of his 51 attempts. He did throw an interception on a key possession in Kansas City territory, but other than that the fiery QB did everything in his power to win the game. He could’ve used a lot more help from his receivers, whom seemed to have forgotten how to catch the ball at times. SIX drops in the first half, you got to be kidding me! Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin both dropped wide open touchdown passes that could have changed the outcome of the game3. Williams and Benjamin are both known for their speed, but it doesn’t matter if you’re faster than someone if you can’t catch the ball. Rivers took the blame and said he missed some of the throws, but that’s the leader in him lifting his teammates spirits2.
In the post-game interview, Rivers wasn’t upset because he knows the potential of his team; “I’m sure fired up about this year because there’s not going to be many times you can miss four touchdowns and turn the ball over down (in) the red zone, drop a punt inside the 10, get a 91-yard punt return on you and really, all that said, it should have been a three-point game with three timeouts left with a minute to play. We’re going to be just fine.” When Rivers is fired up, I get fired up. He is one of the fiercest competitors in the game and he knows what the Chargers can do this year. So, don’t let this game fool you, the Chargers are going to be just fine with Rivers under center. Keep an eye out for my next post analyzing the pre/post-game mindset and play of Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers.
[1]Borquez, G. (2018, May 25). Vegas sees Chargers among top-10 teams to win Super Bowl. Retrieved from https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/2018/05/15/vegas-sees-chargers-among-top-10-teams-to-win-super-bowl/
2 Why Philip Rivers Remains “Super Fired Up” Despite Loss. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chargers.com/news/why-philip-rivers-remains-super-fired-up-despite-loss
3 Padaon, E. (2018, September 10). Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receivers with the Case of the Drops. Retrieved from https://boltbeat.com/2018/09/10/los-angeles-chargers-3/
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