Sunday's tilt against the Miami Dolphins may be the final game the San Diego Chargers ever play at Qualcomm Stadium. Too bad it will be completely meaningless.
Dolphins vs. Chargers 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Sunday could be the Chargers’ last game ever at Qualcomm Stadium. Too bad it will be meaningless.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way for either team. The Chargers, who are currently in the cellar of the AFC West, have one of the premier quarterbacks in football in Philip Rivers. But after a torrid start, Rivers has tailed off dramatically as of late, only completing 60.1 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions over his last five games. His quarterback rating is 80.7 during this stretch.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Rivers' struggles over the last few weeks has been the porous play of the Chargers' offensive line. Rivers has constantly been under pressure in recent games and was sacked a season-high five times last week in San Diego's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He's been sacked an average of 4.5 times per contest over the last two weeks.
Injuries have been the main culprit for the Chargers’ offensive line failures. San Diego has played seven different offensive line combinations this season.
That’s one of the reasons why the Chargers’ offense has stalled in 2015, sinking to 28th in the league in points scored. Another major factor is the lack of a running game: San Diego backs only average 3.4 yards per carry, which is worst in the league. The bad running game and poor offensive line are almost certainly connected.
Things aren't much better for the Dolphins, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Monday. Miami won two straight games when interim head coach Dan Campbell first replaced Joe Philbin, but those days seem like a distant memory now. The Phish have dropped five of their last seven contests.
It's been a profoundly disappointing season in Miami, given how much the team spent in free agency during the offseason. The biggest signing of them all was nose tackle Ndamukong Suh, who scored a $114 million contract. He has just four sacks this season
Suh may be the biggest bust of the year in Miami, but it's difficult to surpass Ryan Tannehill in the disappointing category. Tannehill, who inked a $96 million contract extension with $45 million guaranteed in the spring, is on pace to put up numbers worse than last season's. His completion percentage is down and his quarterback rating is nearly five points lower as well. Tannehill has never led the Dolphins to a winning record, and at 5-8 so far this season, they're guaranteed to finish .500 or below again.
Though the jury still appears to be out on whether Tannehill is a franchise quarterback, the Dolphins are paying him like one. But so far, he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to carry a team.
Unless Tannehill makes that leap, it’s difficult to imagine the Dolphins becoming much of a threat in the AFC. Contractually, they’re wedded to him for the long term, but one has to wonder how many more playoff-less campaigns the Dolphins will suffer before considering a new starting quarterback.
How to Watch
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
TV: CBS
Commentators: Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein
Online: NFL Game Pass
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