Chargers among ‘best of the rest’ as a Super Bowl contender

We have seen a lot of “tier” discussions across social media platforms this offseason as it is one of the easiest ways to spark discussion amongst the masses and, to be honest, it’s a bit more fun and leaves fans a bit more content than just a black-and-white ranking of 1-32 that opens the door for plenty of criticism as to why this or that player isn’t exactly one spot higher than he is.

In that spirit, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora went about ranking the 32 NFL clubs into different tiers based on his thoughts of which teams are are truly in the running for a Super Bowl in 2020 and which ones are still stumbling or struggling to find their way. For this exercise, La Canfora used five different tiers. I listed them below with his own explanation of each:

• Tier 1: True Lombardi contenders – ‘Nuff said.
• Tier 2: Best of the rest – Could see these teams making the playoffs or getting close ... just not winning it all. Basically, they’re the NFL’s middle class.
• Tier 3: Rebuilding and rebounding – They seem to have a cogent, or at least semi-cogent plan and understand who they are and where they need to go.
• Tier 4: Stuck in the middle – Still have enough talent to mess around and maybe finish .500, but given their lack of assets and strange decision making and the pressure they are under, I don’t envy their position.
• Tier 5: Is this rock bottom? – Would anyone be shocked to see these teams picking in the top 10 again next year?

As the title of the article already stated, the Chargers were selected as part of the “best of the rest” tier, which including eight other teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Indianapolis Colts. Next to the Chargers’ name, La Canfora simply wrote “Plenty of wild-card potential here.” I’d have to agree with him. After the emergence of Patrick Mahomes and his immediate rise to stardom in the last two seasons, the Bolts look to be stuck in the new AFC East for the foreseeable future. In other words, they look to be in a perpetual fight for second place in the division.

Good news for them, though. Second place in the AFC West is surely worth one of the three wildcard spots year in and year out. After going winless within the division in 2019, positive regression is also on the horizon, along with some better team health. It by no means points towards a really successful season in L.A., but the numbers would certainly point to having a better year and a rock-solid chance at making a splash.

Let’s face it. With all the talent, experience, and pedigree that was brought in during this offseason, a less than ideal 2020 campaign would no doubt mean some staff members’ would start to heat up.

Did La Canfora do right by the Chargers in tabbing them in the “best of the rest” group? Do you think they belong somewhere else? Let us know.