And just like that, Super Bowl LVII has come and gone – but the game will live in history forever. From the late-game dramatics orchestrated by the Referee committee, to the post-game praise of Patrick Mahomes’ heroics; Super Bowl LVII was definitely one for the books. And how could it not be? At least, for both the victorious Chiefs, and the oh-so-close Eagles…
However, for the other 30 teams that weren’t involved, it was still a momentous event – whether it be out of spite like the salty 49ers, a step further for their next Head Coach like the Colts, or even a watch party for the tribute to Damar Hamlin from the Bills. So, how do the Chargers fit in to Super Bowl LVII?
Well, it I’m so bold to assume they’d actually do this – it was a teaching lesson…
How do you build a Super Bowl winning team? How do you create the dynasty of the future? How can we match up to these goddamn Chiefs?!? All of these lessons could be learned, just by watching this game.
Super Bowl LVII Lesson 1: The Importance of Coaching
While you cannot take a single thing away from Patrick Mahomes – one must also take into consideration the reason why he’s been able to dominate the league in his first five years. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like he only won Super Bowl LVII because of Andy Reid; but let’s look at the history… Andy Reid was able to take Donovan McNabb to the Super Bowl, as well. He brought Alex Smith pretty damn close, too.
Furthermore, there’s no proof or evidence of how Patrick Mahomes plays without Andy Reid, so one can only wonder… what would that look like? Who knows. But while you certainly can’t take the glory away from Patrick Mahomes; you also can’t take it away from Andy Reid. So, let’s look at this from a Charger perspective.
Justin Herbert has only played with a defensive-minded coach in Brandon Staley. Which, again, begs the question – what could he do with an offensive-minded coach like Andy Reid? Or, even further, what could he do with a competent, creative offensive coordinator like Eric Bienamy? Unfortunately, we’ll never know – but if Kellen Moore is able to open up his mind — and the playbook — we might get a slightest glimpse of how Patrick Mahomes was able to become… well, Patrick Mahomes.
Super Bowl LVII Lesson 2: A Duo of Stars
In addition to the superb coaching staff Kansas City has been able to assemble around their young super star quarterback – equally important has been his running mate. And that couldn’t have been proven more this year after the subtraction of Tyreek Hill. Many thought Patrick Mahomes would’ve finally been vulnerable without an All-World receiver… nope.
Well, technically, we didn’t get to see it – let’s remember, Mahomes (and more importantly, the Chiefs) still had arguably one of the greatest tight ends of all time. Keep in mind, too, that tight ends are the safety valve – a go-to for every quarterback (especially the young ones). But when your safety valve is an All-Pro who gets 100+ yards and close to 2 TDs a game; it’s more than a safety valve… it’s a full blown marriage.
Now look at the Chargers – who’s Justin Herbert had? Keenan Allen? Mike Williams? Sure, there’s no doubting their talent – they’re Pro Bowl caliber receivers who have game that is respected all across the league. And while they may be talented – they also don’t have nearly the same rapport. They don’t share the same mind like Mahomes and Kelce – they don’t seem to trust each other like them, hell, they aren’t even on the same page with hot routes a lot of the time! To build a Super Bowl winning team – this must be solved…
Super Bowl LVII Lesson 3: A Sturdy Defense
This one applies for both the Chiefs, and the Eagles. Ironically, though – the Chiefs had the defensive unit with less big names; and overall stats throughout the year… And yet, their defense still held up. Against an evolving quarterback who’s looking more and more like a generational talent by the game.
Sure, the Chiefs may not have the most dominant defense in the world – but sturdy, sturdy is the key word here. Throughout the season, they definitely had their fair share of flaws – a pass defense almost as bad as the Chargers run defense; and prone to letting the opposing offense put up points. But would the Chiefs defense ever blow a 27-0 lead? Probably not. It just wouldn’t happen – have you seen it? I sure haven’t.
Thus, while the Chargers defense didn’t perform as well as the Chiefs’ – they definitely have the talent to perform as well as them — if not better. The Chiefs have Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and Nick Bolton. Whereas the Chargers have Bosa, Mack, James, and *JC Jackson. The Chiefs aren’t only able to win because of Patrick Mahomes – it takes two to tango – and their defense is constantly giving him enough space to win; and that’s all the Chargers need from their squad.
Super Bowl LVII: Conclusion
Lucky for the Chargers, they’ve already figured out the hardest part of building a dynasty: the quarterback. And while it wasn’t pretty – last year was Justin Herbert’s first time to the post-season. He’s coming up on his fourth year. Sure, he didn’t make it to Super Bowl LVII – but you can’t put all of the blame on him. Not at all.
This upcoming season better come with a short leash for Brandon Staley, as well as *hopefully* a weapon who Justin Herbert can share a camaraderie with to (one day) ride off into the sunset with. Do the Chargers have that partnership with Austin Ekeler? Maybe so. With Kellen Moore’s effectiveness of turning Tony Pollard into a pass-catching, dual threat super star; maybe Ekeler can too. He has the talent for it…
It says a lot about Brandon Staley when the guy is a defensive-minded coach, and the defense is the worst part of this team. It goes without saying that the Chargers need to improve on Staley’s side of the ball. Big time. Too many blown leads, too much time where Herbert is stuck on the sideline.
Point is – Staley aside, the Chargers have what it takes to build a dynasty – and maybe, just maybe, Staley can be the guy, too. We’ll see this year. I hope he learned something watching Super Bowl LVII from the comfort of home; because if he’s no where near the next one, then he’ll be watching them from home for good.
For More Great Football Content
Follow us on Twitter at @GridironHeroics for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Football news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
