Not So Special Teams or Team

The Raiders didn’t win against the Chargers on Sunday the Chargers lost against the Raiders.

Before Sunday afternoon the Raiders hadn’t beaten the Chargers since September 28, 2003. A mere 5 months before that day Syracuse had just captured the College Basketball Championship. In other words the Raiders hadn’t beaten the Chargers in over 2,372 days.

I myself am a Charger fan so I would love to give excuses for the Chargers. But, they have the best offense in the NFL and the second ranked defense and they are still 2-3.

The Chargers have two main problems. The most important is their special teams, although, their fumbles seem to be just as costly. The Chargers are ranked 29th in kick offs and 29th in punts. Apart from their 2 allowed kick return touchdowns against the Seahawks last week they have allowed 3 blocked punts. The Chargers have also lost 9 out of their 11 fumbles. That ranks worst in the NFL. Not to mention that’s two more than they had all last year!

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It is a little bizarre to see the Chargers 2-3. I mean, it’s the 4th straight season the Chargers start 2-3. The reason it’s weird is because, they have the best offense in the NFL. Phillip Rivers already has 1,759 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and a 63% completion percentage. This is one of Phillip Rivers’s best starts to a season he has ever had. Seeing a team with one of the best Quarterbacks in the league at a 2-3 start is like seeing an MLB team with 3 great pitchers to lose 10 straight games. It just doesn’t happen too much.

The Chargers next game is against the St. Louis Rams. That should be a pretty easy win but as we have been seeing recently you can’t really bet on the Chargers. All The Chargers have to do is have better ball control and better special teams. They have a #1 offense and a top 3 defenses. If they were to get a top 10 special teams they would be my favorites to win the superbowl. The Chargers need to prove to the fans and the NFL that they are no joke! That they are a good team! That their special teams is good! The Chargers need to show they are a force to be reckoned with.

By: Fernando Stepensky
ProFootball-fans.com San Diego Chargers Correspondent