Surge or Static: Mike Will made it!

Man, oh man, I’m really not sure how to begin this article, or any article in the near future since I still find myself screaming and hollering over the last-second victory from this past Thursday.

I mean, wow. Just wow. It actually happened.

However, just like the Chargers, we as a fan base can hold onto this victory for a few days but will inevitably turn our attention to next Saturday;s bout with the Baltimore Ravens and that intimidating, top-five defense.

The good news heading into this week is that Melvin Gordon should be good to go and will likely bring the offense back to its’ explosive former glory. On the other hand, Keenan Allen is sure to miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a hip-pointer injury in the first half against the Chiefs.

(Enter all the “Here comes the injury bug” comments.)

It’s obviously a tough trade off but, with the Chargers clinching a playoff spot with their last victory, they can afford to rest Allen for the next couple weeks. Which is really, really huge.

Surge

WR Mike Williams

What an absolutely spectacular day by the second-year receiver out of Clemson.

In a game that saw the Chargers’ top receiver go down and finish the game without a single reception, the former seventh-overall pick did more than enough to justify his selection in the top-10 as he collected a trio of touchdowns, finding pay dirt through the air twice and once on the ground.

His rushing touchdown was probably the most impressive of them all. On a nifty end around, Williams took a short inside toss from Rivers after they faked another toss left to Justin Jackson. Williams found some running room off the right side thanks to a nifty block by Virgil Green on Justin Houston and number 81 did the rest.

On the night, Williams had a career-high 98 total yards from scrimmage and the aforementioned three touchdowns with the game-winning two-point conversion.

If Allen really does miss time into the playoffs, Williams is going to have to maintain his level of play that he exhibited against the Chiefs or this offense is going to take a significant blow at he most important time of the season.

QB Philip Rivers

It’s hard to believe, because it’s what we are all used to, but it finally finally happened.

On Thursday night, Old Man Rivers rid himself of the Kansas City monkeys that have made their home on his back over the last five years and led his team to a walk-off victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead, their first win in KC since the end of the 2013 season.

At the end of the night, Rivers finished with a 26-of-38 of line that went for 313 yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions. It was also the first time since 2013 that number 17 threw for multiple touchdowns while also eclipsing the 300-yard passing mark against the Chiefs.

This is the type of play by Rivers that the team will be looking for as they rev up for the playoffs. He did throw a pair of interceptions against Thursday night but he found a way to make up for them down the stretch and still willed his team to a victory despite his shortcomings earlier in the game.

That is the quarterback this team needs. That is the quarterback this team deserves.

Static

S Jahleel Addae

He dropped an interception that went through his hands and hit him in the facemask. I’m not sure how else to put this. He is bad and had been bad and will likely continue to be bad as long as he is allowed to be on the field.

There is no speed. There are no ball-skills. There are no instincts. He has yet to make a single play this year that forces the fans to go “oh yeah, that’s why the Chargers signed him to an extension several years ago.”

On the year, Addae is currently the #52 safety in the league according to Pro Football Focus.

G Dan Feeney

Feeney, Feeney, Feeney....

What a disappointing sophomore season it has been for last year’s third-round selection out of the University of Indiana. If you guys recall, Feeney was a two-time All-American during his career in Bloomington and was talked up as one of the top players at his position heading into the 2017 NFL Draft.

But now, going into week 16 of the regular season, Feeney is currently the 72nd-graded offensive guard in the entire NFL. Do you want to know why that is extremely #bad?

If there are two starting guards for each of the 32 NFL teams, then there are 64 starting guard spots in the NFL. According to PFF, there are eight non-starters that grade higher than the former-Hoosier.

That is...no bueno.

From whistle to whistle, number 66 had himself rough night going up against Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones, arguably the leagues biggest breakout player of the 2018 season. He collected 2.5 sacks while constantly applying pressure on Rivers, forcing more than one errant throw in the process.