So what happened to the Rams and Chargers?

I think Whitworth is out and they lost another OL guy or two, their defense has been banged up, Stafford had the elbow injury before the season and hasn't played well under pressure this year, been out with an injury...  Lost Kupp for the season a couple weeks ago...  Allen Robinson is not an equivalent replacement for OBJ...  Just a completely different team than last year.

I didnt realize they lost Kupp...I quit watching Rams games, too boring. I kept waiting for them to get out of their post SB malaise and it never happened. 

Rams have not been able to keep up with the injuries and Stafford was not healthy from day 1.  The Chargers are a different story and could end up being a legit contender, they are 6-5 with two 3 point losses to the Chiefs and could easily be contending with the Chiefs for the division.  They are in the wild card race, if they improve down the stretch they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

@"JR44" said: Rams have not been able to keep up with the injuries and Stafford was not healthy from day 1.  The Chargers are a different story and could end up being a legit contender, they are 6-5 with two 3 point losses to the Chiefs and could easily be contending with the Chiefs for the division.  They are in the wild card race, if they improve down the stretch they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

@"StickyBun" said:

@"JR44" said: Rams have not been able to keep up with the injuries and Stafford was not healthy from day 1.  The Chargers are a different story and could end up being a legit contender, they are 6-5 with two 3 point losses to the Chiefs and could easily be contending with the Chiefs for the division.  They are in the wild card race, if they improve down the stretch they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

But in 4 of the Chargers wins, they barely beat: Broncos by 3 in OT, Raiders by 5, Browns by 2 and Cardinal by 1. So you can look at it both ways. They look very beatable. 

@"JR44" said:

@"StickyBun" said:

@"JR44" said: Rams have not been able to keep up with the injuries and Stafford was not healthy from day 1.  The Chargers are a different story and could end up being a legit contender, they are 6-5 with two 3 point losses to the Chiefs and could easily be contending with the Chiefs for the division.  They are in the wild card race, if they improve down the stretch they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

But in 4 of the Chargers wins, they barely beat: Broncos by 3 in OT, Raiders by 5, Browns by 2 and Cardinal by 1. So you can look at it both ways. They look very beatable. 

Agree, they are definitely very beatable, they make a lot of dumb mistakes and I am not sure about their coach and some of the decisions he makes, they seem to play a little out of control at times, going for 2 yesterday worked out for them, but a for a team that could not have afforded a loss was a really questionable move.  However, with a QB like Herbert who although at times has been a little erratic is also capable of having a Mahomes or Allen type game and that makes them a team that a lot of teams would not want to play in the playoffs.  

With the Rams, the decline all starts with the Oline: injuries, retirements.  This is followed by injuries to Kupp, etc.  

With the Chargers, it starts with the coaching.  Look for Sean Payton to be the Chargers coach next year.

@"Wetlander" said: I think Whitworth is out and they lost another OL guy or two, their defense has been banged up, Stafford had the elbow injury before the season and hasn't played well under pressure this year, been out with an injury...  Lost Kupp for the season a couple weeks ago...  Allen Robinson is not an equivalent replacement for OBJ...  Just a completely different team than last year.

@"VikingOracle" said: With the Rams, the decline all starts with the Oline: injuries, retirements.  This is followed by injuries to Kupp, etc.  

With the Chargers, it starts with the coaching.  Look for Sean Payton to be the Chargers coach next year.

@"StickyBun" said:

@"JR44" said: Rams have not been able to keep up with the injuries and Stafford was not healthy from day 1.  The Chargers are a different story and could end up being a legit contender, they are 6-5 with two 3 point losses to the Chiefs and could easily be contending with the Chiefs for the division.  They are in the wild card race, if they improve down the stretch they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.

But in 4 of the Chargers wins, they barely beat: Broncos by 3 in OT, Raiders by 5, Browns by 2 and Cardinal by 1. So you can look at it both ways. They look very beatable. 

Rams have suffered a catastrophic amount of injuries, no doubt. But, they weren't playing all that well earlier in the season. Was it simply a post SB malaise or was the loss of KOC from the coaching staff also a factor?

Chargers are loaded but the coach is a fraud and the cheapskate owner refuses to get someone better 

Just goes to show the difference between championship teams and everyone else is sliver thin.