Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Just one week after blowing out the Jaguars in Jacksonville 45-10, the Chargers were trounced at home by the Minnesota Vikings 39-10. The loss included three interceptions by Philip Rivers and a trio of fumbles, two committed by Melvin Gordon and one by Rivers.
This game could have been an even bigger blowout if the Chargers defense didn’t stand tall time and time again in the red zone.
With two games remaining this season, both of which are division games, the Chargers are staring down the barrel of a season in which they could be swept in all six division games. If the Chargers lose out, there may be some serious personnel decisions made this offseason. However, the prospects of a top-10 pick in next year’s draft could bode well for a team whose lost season may be blamed on a rash of improbable injuries.
I’m not sure what there is left to look forward to in these final games but we all have to find something. Whether it’s being able to see those Powder Blues one last time, or maybe just getting to hear “Touchdown Chargers!” a few more times before the off-season hits, we’ve all got to have something to keep us afloat the next two weeks.
With that being said, here are your “Surge or Static” players of Week 15.
Surge
At this point, I don’t remember the last game that Williams didn’t have a huge play through the air. On multiple third-and-longs, Williams’ number was called and he delivered each and every time.
Number 81 finished with 71 yards on four catches with a touchdown and is still on pace for his first 1,000-yard season. His score on the day was his second in as many games and also his only two on the year which remains a far-cry from his 11 total touchdowns in 2018.
Currently sitting with 912 receiving yards, i’d say it’s a safe bet to put some money down on Williams reaching his first 1,000-yard season.
WR Keenan Allen
Allen was targeted early and often in this one due to the fact that the Chargers were playing from behind since the opening drive of the Vikings. The sixth-year veteran was able to take advantage of the young Vikings corners after Xavier Rhodes left the game early with a hamstring injury.
His final line on the night was nine catches for 99 yards and no scores. He did, however, surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark on the season for the third consecutive year. Which honestly is amazing to see after many believed he would never get back to normal following his lacerated kidney in 2015 and the torn ACL to start 2016.
Static
After a turnover-less game against the Jaguars last week, Rivers looked like his usual self for most of the evening, especially when things started to look pretty bleak following the team’s second lost fumble of the day.
I’ve mentioned this quite a few times, but Rivers tends to play this concept we like to call “hero ball” when the chi[s are stacked against him and the teams finds themselves down by 10+ points. He starts to throw wild passes into double-coverage that give the receiver zero chance to make a play. Half the time, he just throws it up with a hope and a prayer, but the only players whose prayers he’s answering are the defenders who were hoping for an interception.
As of right now, Rivers is back to second in the NFL with 18 interceptions on the year, including 11 in the last five games.
Some on social media were wondering if that was Rivers’ final snap with the Chargers, even with two games left on the schedule. Now, I highly doubt that it was, but there are numerous amounts of fans who would kill to see Tyrod Taylor finish out the year.
Even after his first few games back from his holdout, which were some pretty poor performances, this game against the Vikings may just take the cake for Gordon’s most forgettable outing of the season.
With the team playing from behind from the very beginning, Gordon didn’t get a lot of run with the rock. He finished with just seven carries for 28 rushing yards and a pair of fumbles. Putting the ball on the ground twice eventually led to Gordon getting benched to start the second half and Justin Jackson taking his place for the rest of the game. Gordon did receive another carry late in the game when all hope was lost, which was surprising given Anthony Lynn’s usual propensity to punish those who turn the ball over.
Gordon also chipped in five catches for 36 yards, but couldn’t find the end zone. He has six total touchdowns this year and 739 yards from scrimmage. These final two games may as well be his last chances to put together some sort of lasting impression on other NFL teams because there’s
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