The San Diego Chargers had a tremendous chance to remain in the playoff hunt on Sunday, but once again they failed to get the job done. For Norv Turner’s team, that is certainly nothing new. But this loss may have stung a bit more than some of the others, as San Diego forced the Baltimore Ravens into a 4th and 29 situation with less than two minutes remaining, only to let Ray Rice pick up 30 yards on a miraculous catch-and-run.
There are few teams who could blow a game like the one the Chargers blew to all but eliminate themselves from the wild card hunt, but they have turned it into an art form. As linebacker Jarret Johnson put it, San Diego just isn’t a winning team.
“It’s just really frustrating because we’ve shown we can play,” Johnson said according to the North County Times. “I’ve been on bad teams, riddled with injuries, bad guys, dysfunctional. This team is every bit the opposite of that … We’ve shown we’re a talented team, offensively and defensively. And at the same time, we’ve turned around and proven time and again that we just don’t know how to win.”
Whether it be Philip Rivers throwing a crucial interception, Ryan Mathews putting the ball on the ground or the defense letting up a 4th and a million, the Chargers seem to be better than any team in the league at finding new ways to lose. I’d be shocked if this isn’t the year that it costs Turner his job.
