Former NFL head coach calls the Chargers what no team wants to be called at this time of year
The Los Angeles Chargers are having a great season and are currently in the playoff race, but an unimpressive win over an imploding Atlanta Falcons team and a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back weeks have some people questioning what they're really capable of.No one wants to be labeled a "playoff pretender" […]
The Los Angeles Chargers are having a great season and are currently in the playoff race, but an unimpressive win over an imploding Atlanta Falcons team and a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back weeks have some people questioning what they're really capable of.
No one wants to be labeled a "playoff pretender" at this time of year, but former NFL head coach Jay Gruden certainly sees Jim Harbaugh and co. as such.
"They really haven't beat anybody," Gruden said on Underdog Fantasy's Clean Pocket broadcast. "So it's really hard to tell. Now you got to play the teams on your schedule, I get it, [but] that's my biggest concern. Obviously, Harbaugh's done a great job. They have an elite quarterback, in my opinion, [in] Justin Herbert. They can run the ball, but losing JK Dobbins hurts. They just don't have any go-to receivers. I think they're pretenders, right now, [and] until they get some help for Justin Herbert on the outside, other than Ladd McConkey, I think they're going to be pretenders for a while."
Gruden isn't completely off. Herbert could certainly use some more help at the skill positions. But, the hope there is that former first round pick Quentin Johnston can develop into what made him a first-rounder and then Josh Palmer isn't a bad option as WR3, at all. He's not going to take over games on a weekly basis or anything of that nature, but he is a very good complement to other wideouts when he's used in the right way.
And if none the above is sustainable, the Chargers are currently projected to have more than $76 million in cap room next year. That's obviously well more than enough to bring in a weapon or two for Herbert.
The former Washington Commanders coach did have some positive things to say about the Chargers on the other side of the ball, however, which will receive a big test this weekend when it goes up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.
"Defensively, they're pretty damn good. They play great red zone defense, and they stop you from scoring. They give up yards here and there, but they do a great job of limiting the points that other teams score, which is the goal of a good defense. So that'll keep them in a lot of games and then Justin Herbert, as good as he is, will keep them in a lot of games. But overall, I just don't think they have the talent to win big games against really good teams."
The Chargers may not be an uber-talented team, but they play winning football and that's why they are where they currently are. During a time like the playoffs when every little moment is amplified even more, that formula can carry a team further than a talented roster can. We've seen it happen before, plenty of times. Will the Chargers be able to do it themselves in 2024?
We'll certainly see.
