The Los Angeles Chargers exceeded the expectations of many in 2017, earning a 9-7 record that was good enough for second place in the AFC West. The Chargers, led by first year head coach Anthony Lynn, ended the season on the outside looking in at the AFC Playoff Picture. However, one of the most exciting parts of the season to watch was the performance of the offense.
The Chargers’ offense rode on the back of 14-year veteran Philip Rivers, who averaged 276.9 passing yards per game, and threw 28 touchdowns during the regular season. This was good for first and sixth best in the NFL, respectively.
The rushing attack was less effective; ranking 21st in touchdowns with 10, 24th in total rush yards with 1,595, and 26th in rushing per attempt with 3.8. Overall, the offense were second best in the league with an average of 7.4 yards per attempted play, fourth best with an average of 376.6 yards per game, and 13th best with an average of 22.2 points scored per game.
One of the main differences in the turnaround from the 2016 campaign, where the Chargers finished 5-11, was the team’s ability to avoid giving up turnovers. The Chargers ranked fourth best in the league with 15 turnovers; a combination of four lost fumbles (2nd best) and 11 interceptions (9th best). These marks are phenomenal, especially when compared to 2016’s whopping 21 interceptions and 14 lost fumbles.
Los Angeles’ offense ranked fifth in first downs, earned with 337. 84 of those were produced with rushing plays, 220 with passing plays, and 33 by penalty. Additionally, they performed well on third down, earning the 12th most efficient third down offense in the league. The team converted 84 times on 209 attempts for a success rate of 40.2 percent. The offense was 16th best in the league on fourth down, with five conversions on 11 attempts. This totaled a success rate of 45.5 percent.
With the great overall performance by the Chargers’ offense in 2017, fans should be excited for the Bolts to continue to perform well under head coach Anthony Lynn moving forward.
–Andrew Hernandez is a Staff Writer for Full Press Coverage and covers the Los Angeles Chargers. Follow him on Twitter @achernandez17
