Quote:
Originally Posted by Bearcat
Experience, consistency, and as already mentioned, coaching, and probably leadership.
FFS, Herbert's never even won more than 9 games in a season, much less played in a playoff game or won a playoff game, or won a really tough playoff game.
I'm sure you remember the Chiefs being shutout at home in their first AFCCG in decades, or being down 24-0 the following postseason... the Chargers haven't even gotten to the point of shitting down their leg in the first quarter of postseason game (besides losing to the Raiders last season).... not sure why anyone would have a ton of faith in them until they actually prove they aren't just the Ravens or Titans or another one of these pretenders (and I know you didn't specifically mention the playoffs, but I'm just assuming you don't have a "ton of faith" that they would win 13 games and then immediately flame out).
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I've joined the chorus for years that the Chargers are overhyped and will never be as good as the talent on that team suggests it should be.
But I've left the chorus this year, perhaps to my peril. I just can't look at this Chargers roster and say "this team is going to flame out." I think they're a top 3 team in the NFL with the talent on this roster.
Honestly I felt they had a better squad than us last year, and we eked out a win from them by simply having the best players in the world make some of the best plays we've ever seen. Mahomes has done that a couple times to them. He has a bottomless magician's hat.
I just... I think this is the year it clicks for the Chargers. They have a great passrush, a great secondary, a great quarterback, great skill positions, and they're solid everywhere else (except linebacker). And I like Staley's coaching, though clearly it is not on Reid's level.
They have everything I think it takes to be an amazing football team and a Super Bowl contender (except experience). I simply can't look at all of these factors and say it's going to all collapse again for them somehow. It feels unreasonable to conclude that.
We also all believe in Mahomes, but the things you need to beat him are almost all there for the Chargers. The only thing they really lack to beat him are a clock-chewing run game, but they go for it on 4th so much they may be able to supplement that.
I want to stress that this is the Reid-Mahomes Chiefs, and even with my concerns, I love that duo so much they deserve a 50% expectation to reach the AFCCG.
And to add to that, I don't know how to feel about the Chargers in the playoffs yet. I think the Bills, Chiefs, and Bengals have that pedigree, but the Chargers haven't proven it yet. But they have everything you need to do a ton of damage in the regular season, including to us.