Chargers Start 2nd Half Of Season 3-5

So the Chargers start the second half of the season 3-5, fresh off another loss in London.  With the exception of the New England game, any game the Chargers have been involved in has gone down to the wire...which shouldn't be the case with a team that was considered to be among the NFL's best. 

New for the second half of the season is Ron Rivera taking over the controls of the Charger defense that so far this year has done nothing to stop opponents from moving the ball and scoring at will.  Most observers of the Chargers, me included, have noticed that there is absolutely no pass rush and no pressure on the passer at all.  It seemed as if the Chargers rarely blitzed and mostly dropped into a zone coverage that, with no pressure on the quarterback, allowed for routine gains for their opponents.  Some are saying that the loss of Merriman was that impactful to this team's defensive pressure, and if that is the case then it really exposed how 'thin' this defense is.  That without one player this defense goes from a top-tier defense to the league's worst would clearly expose that their are more issues then anyone could have guessed.

But that is not my thought.  I don't think a player like Antonio Cromartie, who led the league in interceptions and looked like a pure stud last year, now look like complete crap this year.  Shaun Phillips who was a prominent pass rusher is now rarely even seen near the quarterback.  The young defensive backs Weddle and Cason are oftentimes seen missing tackles or chasing receivers.  Are these things that Ron Rivera can rectify and turn this defense around?  His first test is this weekend against Kansas City, a team that the Chargers should beat at home...but didn't last year.

The Chargers don't have much room to give if they want to win the AFC West, which will likely be the only path into the playoffs this year for the Chargers.  The Browns couldn't help the Chargers out even though they were up 23-10 in the third and get outscored 24-7 in the last 25 minutes of the game to lose to the Broncos.

A loss to the Chiefs this weekend will show that there is more wrong with this team than the defense.  It will show that this team has lost it's heart and has given up on this season.  We'll see how the Chargers approach the second half of this season with this game.  If the Chargers come out and win convincingly it will regain the confidence of the fans of this team and likely energize the players.  Next week it is a trip to Pittsburgh so it won't get any easier...