2018 NFL Power Rankings: Brandin Cooks, Ndamukong Suh puts Rams on top

12. Los Angeles Chargers

For a team that struggled to close out games over the last few years heading into 2017, the Los Angeles Chargers felt all sorts of frustration towards their poor play from the beginning of the season when considering they were one of the hottest teams in the NFL towards the end, yet still missed out on the playoffs. Most teams that won six of their final seven games would almost seem like a lock for the postseason, but the Chargers can’t help but wonder what could have been if it wasn’t for that horrendous start.

On a positive note, Los Angeles is already considered to be one of the most competitive teams in the AFC heading into 2018, and when looking at all of the talent on both sides of the football, it’s easy to see why. While Philip Rivers looks to continue taking advantage of having players like Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen to work with, the Chargers’ defense should continue to work their way to being one of the top units in the league.

The duo of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa are absolute nightmares for opponents when looking at the high level of pressure these two apply to quarterbacks on a weekly basis. Hopefully, Los Angeles can learn from last year’s mistake of realizing the significance of a poor start to avoid another letdown at the end of next year, assuming they live up to the hype of being contenders.