The 2017 NFL season was an absolute rollercoaster for the newly relocated Los Angeles Chargers, who traded the concrete bowl of San Diego for a tiny 27,000-seat soccer stadium in Carson and a brand-new head coach in Anthony Lynn. Expectations were mixed, but entering the year with a healthy core, the Bolts expected to at least threaten in the AFC West. Instead, they cratered immediately, stumbling to a horrific 0-4 start defined by late-game kicking nightmares. Yet, in classic Chargers fashion, just when everyone left them for dead, they flipped a switch to win nine of their final twelve games, scratching and clawing their way to a respectable 9-7 record. They ultimately missed the postseason on a brutal tiebreaker, finishing second in the division, but proved they were one of the most dangerous teams in football by December.

Offensively, the Chargers ran a pass-heavy attack that finished the year ranked fourth in total yards and thirteenth in scoring offense with 355 points (22.2 ppg). Philip Rivers was the maestro of the operation at age 36, throwing for 4,515 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions on his way to a Pro Bowl selection. His favorite target, Keenan Allen, put together one of the great comeback stories in recent memory, catching 102 balls for 1,393 yards and six touchdowns, earning him Comeback Player of the Year honors. On the ground, Melvin Gordon acted as the reliable workhorse, churning out 1,105 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while adding another 476 yards through the air, giving Los Angeles a balanced dimension when teams tried to blanket Allen.

Over on defense, the Chargers morphed into an absolute elite unit under coordinator Gus Bradley, finishing third in the league in points allowed by yielding a microscopic 272 points (17.0 ppg). The identity of this group was a terrifying, suffocating pass rush spearheaded by the edge-rushing duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Bosa was unblockable, racking up 12.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, while Ingram complemented him beautifully with 10.5 sacks of his own. Behind that ferocious front seven was a ball-hawking secondary featuring lockdown cornerback Casey Hayward, who picked off four passes and broke up 22 more, alongside free safety Tre Boston, who led the team with five interceptions. While they struggled on the ground - ranking 31st against the run - their third-ranked passing defense meant nobody could drop back and throw on them without paying a heavy price.

If you want to know how the Chargers missed the playoffs, you have to look at the self-inflicted wounds during the first month. They blew a late lead to Denver in Week 1, missed a game-winning field goal against Miami in Week 2, and fell to 0-4 after Younghoe Koo struggled on special teams. The turning point arrived in October with three straight wins, including a 21-0 shutout of the Broncos. After a mid-season speed bump, they went on a spectacular tear, highlighted by a 54-24 demolition of the Buffalo Bills where the defense forced six turnovers, followed by a 28-6 Thanksgiving blowout of the Dallas Cowboys. A painful 30-13 loss to Kansas City in Week 15 ultimately broke their backs, rendering consecutive blowout wins over the Jets and Raiders to close the season ultimately meaningless in the playoff race.

The legacy of the 2017 Chargers is one of immense ‘what-if’ frustration, a team that played like a top-five contender over the final three months but was doomed by a historic kicking carousel where four different kickers combined to convert a miserable 66.7 percent of their field goals. Despite missing the playoffs, the year serves as a milestone for individual greatness: Keenan Allen secured his place as an elite receiver, Bosa and Ingram established themselves as arguably the best edge duo of the decade. They left their fans with a blueprint for the future, but also the agonizing realization that a single made field goal in September was all that separated them from a potential Super Bowl run.