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Patterns!
Week 1: Chargers loss
Week 2: Chargers win!
Week 3: Chargers loss
Week 4: Chargers win!
Week 5: Chargers loss
Week 6: ?????
I'm no mathematician, but that diagram above seems to show that the 2013 San Diego Chargers only win on even-number weeks. WAIT A MINUTE.....THIS IS AN EVEN-NUMBERED WEEK.
Also, the Chargers have won each of the last two times they they've been the Vegas underdog and have lost each time that they've been the favorite. Guess who the favorite is this week.
Not a bad team
I hate playing the "what if" game, but let's play the "what if" game.
- What if the penalty against Cam Thomas was, correctly, not-called on the Texans FG try?
- What if Marcus Gilchrist doesn't drop the easy interceptions at the end of the Titans game?
Those two things could've very easily gone the Chargers' way, and both would've all but assured victory for the Bolts. That's two big plays away from being a 4-1 team and the talk of the league. It could've happened. For some teams that are 4-1 or 5-0, they've gotten those lucky breaks. I'm not saying the Chargers are as good as them, but there's not a lot separating them from those teams.
Defense, Schmefense
Here's how the offenses that San Diego has faced so far this year rank, according to DVOA:
What I'm seeing is that the Chargers play better against teams with good offenses. They're 2-0 against teams with top 10 offenses, and facing a third tonight in the Colts. Could this be because the team makes more of an effort to keep opposing offenses off the field? Maybe it's just a coincidence and the teams with good offenses are also the ones with bad defenses (like the Chargers!). Either way, the Chargers aren't going to win this game with their defense. They're going to win it the same way they won against the high-flying Eagles and Cowboys, by churning the clock and picking up first downs whenever they're faced with a third down.