The Chargers opened the season with four straight losses, which is a good way to kill interest in a newly relocated franchise. That they head into the regular-season finale on Sunday with a shot at the playoffs … well, that’s a minor Christmas miracle.
Because 12 weeks ago, this was an 0-4 team playing before hostile home crowds after an awkward move north. And in all of NFL history, only one 0-4 team had ever reached the postseason: the 1992 San Diego Chargers.
After winning eight of their last 11 contests, the 2017 Los Angeles Chargers are a few steps away from joining them.
“We started 0-4, but we didn’t look back,” said defensive tackle Darius Philon. “We didn’t dwell on it. We just stuck together as a unit, as a team. Thought positive. And we made a turnaround.”
A 14-7 win over the Jets on Christmas Eve has pushed this team right to the edge of the playoff picture. But with Baltimore, Buffalo and Tennessee also vying for wild-card spots, they’ll need some help.
Assuming there are no ties, the Titans must lose to the Jaguars. The Ravens need to beat the Bengals, or the Bills need to lose to the Dolphins. Either way, the Chargers must avoid a multi-team tie — a scenario that would eliminate them based on their conference record.
And of course, the Chargers must beat the Raiders.
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The NFL announced Sunday night that all games with playoff implications will kick off at 1:25 p.m. Pacific time, which means the Chargers (8-7) will enter StubHub Center not knowing if a victory earns them another contest.
Coach Anthony Lynn, for one, likes the change: “I think you have to be completely focused on the task at hand and eliminate all the other distractions, or you’ll get your butts kicked or you can get hurt in this league. …No way do I want to get into that game knowing what our fate is, good or bad. We just want to play the game.”
For the past couple of months, the Chargers have turned inward — embracing a backs-against-the-wall, us-against-the-world mentality. They took it week by week. They controlled what they could control.
Painfully cliched, yes. But it’s worked so far.
“The 0-4 start sucked,” right tackle Joe Barksdale said after Sunday’s win at the Meadowlands. “It really sucked. But at the end of the day, I think it brought us together as a team. Everybody on the outside, people have already given up on you. So it’s easier to come together as a unit and rely on each other.
“I feel like that same kind of resiliency and team togetherness is what helped us today … It’s going to help us in the future.”
Added Lynn: “Once a team goes through a tough start like that, when we’re down again, we feel like we’ve been here before. We’ve done this.”
Injury report
After sitting out against the Jets, left tackle Russell Okung (groin), defensive tackle Corey Liuget (knee) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (hamstring) all have a chance to return for the Chargers’ regular-season finale against Oakland (6-8).
It was the first time Okung had missed a game since 2015, when he was in his sixth and final season with the Seahawks. Had Lynn thought Okung was able to make it through a full half at MetLife Stadium, the veteran lineman likely would have played.
“Russell, he was not ready,” Lynn said. “I never want to put any injured player on the field. There’s a difference between injury and pain.”
Okung was replaced in the starting lineup by sixth-round pick Sam Tevi. Liuget’s injury opened a spot on the depth chart for seventh-round pick Isaac Rochell, who appeared in his first game since Week 1.
Lynn saw promise in their performances, though he noted that both have plenty to improve on.
Melvin Gordon injured his left ankle against the Jets, and strapped on a protective walking boot shortly after the game. Lynn said doctors will examine the running back on Tuesday, adding that Gordon’s game availability might not be determined until the end of the week.
