n streak hangover today. Most are probably wondering where that hot chick that they crashed with last night is and who snuck this ugly lady into their bed.Oh yeah.Sunday felt that bad. The Chargers laid an egg against the Broncos on Sunday. What really stings here is not just that they lost Joe Barksdale Color Rush Jersey , but how they lost. The dreams of home field advantage for the playoffs are out the freaking window.The hopes of winning the AFC West are smashed to pieces.It will be a difficult road to the Super Bowl for the Chargers. Here is why they will not make it:Lack of disciplineThis has been a mark of the Chargers for the last decade.They have had plenty of talent but they never seem to get out of their own way. Sunday was no different as the Chargers committed 14 penalties for a total of 120 yards. The most harmful ones came in the first quarter when penalties single-handedly stalled two drives and the Chargers had to settle for field goals.Then there was the end-of-game meltdown. Melvin Gordon ran the wrong way on second and three. If he hadn’t, the Chargers would have run the ball on third down. Even if they didn’t get a first down, they would have run 40 more seconds off the clock.However, one mistake led to another.On third and seven the Broncos sniffed out the screen, and Rivers chucked it into the dirt instead of scrambling or taking a sack, which gave the Broncos 40 seconds of much needed time.You need to focus when it matters most, and the Chargers have lacked this discipline for a long time.Poor special teams playThe season started with a Tyreek Hill punt return for a touchdown.Later that game Casey Hayward Color Rush Jersey , the Chargers fumbled a punt that the Chiefs turned into a touchdown.Then Caleb Sturgis took center stage.The Chargers, in what could be considered one of the most bizarre football moves in the last decade, fired their punter. It comes as no big surprise that this didn’t solve the problem. One of the Chargers’ top goals at the end of last season was to fix their kicker problem, but now they have regressed and need to fix their punter problem and their kicker problem.The Chargers did catch a bit of luck on special teams when they moved Desmond King into the punt returner role.However, in true Charger fashion they have mysteriously replaced him with Travis Benjamin who has historically made poor decisions in returning punts. Special teams has been a problem for the Chargers for too long of a time.I know George Stewart is a good friend of Anthony Lynn, but I’d rather Lynn have a friendly beer with him on the weekend than ask him to run the special teams unit.Strange personnel decisionsIf you thought getting rid of Caleb Sturgis would have removed the elephant from the room, you were wrong. Jahleel Addae is the new elephant. You only need to look at two big plays from the Chargers game to see why. On Phillip Lindsay’s 41-yard touchdown scamper Melvin Ingram Color Rush Jersey , Addae was playing 15+ yards deep and yet he failed to see Lindsay come straight up the middle of the field.He was one-on-one with him with a 15-yard head start and he failed to get within 5 yards of Lindsay. The other play is Keenum’s pass to Sanders on the final drive. After the completion, Addae totally whiffed the tackle, which allowed Sanders to pick up an additional 25 yards. This play was similar to the whiff that Addae made in the Titans game on their last drive of the game which allowed Lewis to run for 36 yards.The knock on Addae is he takes bad angles, he misses tackles, he has poor tackling fundamentals, he is always lunging instead of keeping his feet and wrapping someone up, he is poor in coverage and he does not have good speed.Yet for some reason Craig Mager Color Rush Jersey , he still plays 100% of the defensive snaps. I do not see how Adrian Phillips could be any worse.My only guess is that someone is trying to save face because they gave Addae a fat contract.You can also put Travis Benjamin on this list.The team was better when he was inactive.He has been back the last two weeks taking offensive snaps from Mike Williams and punt returning duties from Desmond King.A downgrade at both positions.Poor play callingI am not sure how the wide receiver screen is even on the table when you are facing third down and seven yards.The wide receiver screen is one of those all-or-nothing plays.It’s a gadget. You use it on first down to catch a team off guard.When you need seven yards, you put the ball in the hands of one of your best players, Philip Rivers.You give him protection and time to make a good decision.With Allen, Williams, Williams, Ekeler and Gordon as possible threats it seems that odds would be in the Chargers’ favor to get one of them open and make a completion.The problem with Whisenhunt is that sometimes he tries to trick the other team instead of just lining up and saying, “We are better than you. Here it comes. Try to stop us.”The Chargers were the better team on Sunday but they tricked themselves into a loss. During their six-game winning streak the Chargers might have been able to hide their blemishes Jason Verrett Color Rush Jersey , but they showed them on Sunday.The Chargers’ road to the Super Bowl will go through Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New England.It will be a tough task for the Chargers to hide their blemishes under the bright lights of those stadiums. Writer’s Note: I wrote this article at the beginning of the year and have updated it to include 2018 statistics. I believe it is timely considering the heat Rivers took for last week’s loss in which he threw for 400 yards and had an even TD-INT ratio.It is no secret that a team’s odds of winning are lowered if its QB performs poorly. However, many NFL franchises have shown over the last seven seasons that it is not impossible to bail out a QB who delivers a subpar outing. The Chargers do not fit into this group.If Philip Rivers is off, the Chargers have been incapable of overcoming his mistakes. September 25th, 2011 is the last time the Chargers won a game in which Rivers threw more interceptions than total touchdowns–defined as passing and rushing touchdown’s provided by the QB.There have been at least 104 instances since September 25th, 2011 of teams winning a game in which their QB threw more interceptions than total touchdowns. More examples could be found as the below list only focuses on QB’s who have enjoyed a successful season at some point this decade.The only other regular starters who can match what Rivers has gone through during this period are Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers Denzel Perryman Color Rush Jersey , and Colin Kaepernick. Each of them played in fewer games.2018Jared Goff (x2)Deshaun Watson (x2)Mitchell Trubisky (x2) Patrick MahomesNick Foles2017Matt Ryan (x2)Blake Bortles (x2)Marcus MariotaJimmy GaroppoloJameis WinstonTom BradyAndy DaltonCase KeenumMatthew StaffordDak PrescottAlex SmithJosh McCown2016Carson PalmerAlex SmithCarson WentzMarcus MariotaTyrod TaylorBen RoethlisbergerJoe FlaccoAndrew Luck2015 Peyton Manning (x5)Teddy Bridgewater (x4)Ben Roethlisberger (x2)Matt Ryan (x2)Jameis WinstonSam BradfordCase KeenumTyrod TaylorRobert Griffin IIIJoe FlaccoCam NewtonRussell WilsonAndy Dalton2014Andy Dalton (x3)Drew Brees (x2)Russell Wilson (x2)Matthew Stafford (x2)Peyton ManningCarson PalmerRobert Griffin IIIBlake BortlesRyan TannehillKirk Cousins (didn’t play entire game)Case Keenum2013 Carson Palmer (x3)Andy Dalton (x2)Tony RomoAndrew LuckDrew BreesCam NewtonBen RoethlisbergerAlex SmithJoe FlaccoRussell Wilson2012 Eli Manning (x2)Matt Ryan (x2)Russell WilsonAndrew LuckJay CutlerMichael VickMatthew StaffordJoe FlaccoCam NewtonAndy DaltonTony RomoSam BradfordMatt SchaubOct.-Jan. 2011Joe Flacco (x2)Carson Palmer (x2)Jay Cutler (x2)Drew BreesAndy DaltonHere is a quick breakdown of how many times certain quarterbacks appeared on the above list:Andy Dalton – 9 timesCarson Palmer – 7 timesPeyton Manning – 6 timesMatt Ryan – 6 timesJoe Flacco – 6 timesRussell Wilson – 5 timesMatthew Stafford – 4 timesDrew Brees – 4 timesTeddy Bridgewater – 4 timesBen Roethlisberger – 4 timesStats like this list are ignored when judging a QB’s win-loss record. Matt Ryan threw 5 interceptions in a 2012 game with 0 TD’s and emerged victoriously. Peyton Manning walked away with five wins in 2015 in which he threw more interceptions than touchdowns.Most quarterbacks only have a handful of wins via this scenario. It’s the total amount of wins that have been collected which is noteworthy.This is further evidence that Rivers has not been surrounded by well-rounded rosters this decade. The special teams unit, for instance, has been particularly disappointing and his rushing attack has paled in comparison to his peers.An in-depth breakdown of the circumstances Rivers has faced is rarely discussed on mainstream sports shows. There will be the occasional two-minute segment about him, but it doesn’t scratch the surface on the situations he has encountered. This hurts his standing with casual fans, who make up a sizable chunk of the football community.Digging deep into the weeds of his career reveals a treasure chest of ammo to support his Hall of Fame candidacy. That information needs to be given the proper amount of reflection it deserves.