Los Angeles Chargers: Four keys to steal a victory in Denver
By Jason Reed
3. Stay healthy
This one is so obvious that it is almost laughable, of course you want your team to remain healthy to take home a W. If everyone gets hurt, then of course the team will crumble and the second unit will lose to the opposing first unit. However, if you are a fan of the Los Angeles Chargers, you understand the struggles of injuries and how big of an impact they can have.
Just look at the Chargers’ season opener last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers were up 21-3 on the heavily favored Chiefs in the second quarter when Allen – who already had six catches for 63 yards – went down with a season ending ACL tear. Kansas City went on to capitalize on the Chargers defense, outscoring the team 30-6 to win in overtime.
Just missing that one piece completely shut down the Chargers offense. Even when Rivers was not throwing the ball to Allen, the defense was kept guessing and were doubling him. When they didn’t double him, he would catch the ball. With him out, Andy Reid’s defense was able to hone in on the Chargers offense and completely shut it down.
The Los Angeles Chargers are no stranger to injuries and they have already suffered some pretty big ones. As previously mentioned, first and second round pick Mike Williams and Forrest Lamp are out. Williams could come back sometime in October, but his timetable is foggy. Lamp is out for the season and is the much bigger blow to the offense.
If Los Angeles can go out and execute their game plan, and try their best to play it safe, they should be okay. *Knocks on wood.