The Los Angeles Chargers came up short in the playoffs, which has laid out an important offseason ahead of them.
Philip Rivers walked off the Gillette Stadium field with yet another disappointing playoff loss under his belt. The now Super Bowl champion New England Patriots had just handed the Los Angeles Chargers a 41-28 loss in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
This loss came after the Chargers had a great regular season. The team, led by head coach Anthony Lynn and a rejuvenated Rivers, went 12-4 and at times looked to be the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Injuries then hit the team hard. Star running back Melvin Gordon missed a chunk of time, while the defense was hit too. Of course, the Chargers were already without tight end Hunter Henry and cornerback Jason Verrett due to season-ending injuries sustained prior to the regular season.
However, there were bright spots. The secondary had three players named to All-Pro teams (Derwin James, Desmond King and Adrian Phillips), and Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa wrecked games as pass rushers. Offensively, Rivers turned the clock back on father time, Gordon, when healthy, and Ekeler formed a nice dynamic-duo out of the backfield and receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams had themselves nice years.
Now, the Chargers prepare for a very crucial offseason. With Rivers entering the back end of his career and a solid defense in place with weapons on offense, the team will look to add in order to be contenders once again.
With not much money to work with in cap space, the team will have to cut some players and let others walk away in free agency. Regardless, adding is the key, and the defense may be the area of focus in free agency.