NFL San Diego Chargers

5 Things the San Diego Chargers Must Improve Over the Offseason

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By @ogab_3

5 Things the San Diego Chargers Must Improve This Offseason

San Diego Chargers
John Rieger - USA Today Sports

The San Diego Chargers had a very promising start to the season, and by the end, put themselves a game away from the playoffs. But their second half was undeniably inconsistent. They finished 9-7, and they ended up missing the playoffs. In light of that, here are five things that the Chargers must do to get better for the 2015 season.

5. Winning Close Games

gates
John Rieger - USA Today Sports

5. Winning Close Games

gates
John Rieger - USA Today Sports

One big problem of the Chargers -- not this year but in many others - has been winning games they should win or put themselves in a good position to win. It is almost as if most of the games they win are the ones where they start off down. You could look back at their Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, where they blew a big second half lead. Or their first game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where they only managed six second-half points.

4. Defensive Line

Chargers defense
Matt Kartozian - USA Today

4. Defensive Line

Chargers defense
Matt Kartozian - USA Today

Last year, the Chargers' big defensive problem was their secondary. They made strides in that area this year (although they still only had seven sacks). Their next stop is their defensive line. This year, they ranked 29th in the league with 26 sacks. They did a good job against the run, but their inability to get to the quarterback leads to a better passing offense for the opposition.

3. WR Depth

Keenan Allen
Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

3. WR Depth

Keenan Allen
Jake Roth - USA Today Sports

In his rookie season, Keenan Allen was a revelation at wide receiver and created an interesting pass offense. This year, due to injuries and lack of production, Allen slipped a lot. Overall, their WR corps were severely limited. Allen was ok, Malcolm Floyd was inconsistent and Eddie Royal was a decent slot option. They need another consistent producer from that spot, especially as Antonio Gates inevitably nears his end.

2. Team Health

Eddie Royal
Danny Medley - USA Today Sports

2. Team Health

Eddie Royal
Danny Medley - USA Today Sports

Injuries are an old excuse for a team's lack of success. However, the Chargers were truly crippled by them this year. Philip Rivers played a lot of the season with multiple injuries. They may have set some sort of record for number of centers used, as Ryan Matthews and Keenan Allen both spent time injured. And that was just on offense. Injuries will happen, but they need at least some players to stay healthy to remain competitive.

1. Offensive Line

Chargers Offensive Line
Joe Camporeale - USA Today Sports

1. Offensive Line

Chargers Offensive Line
Joe Camporeale - USA Today Sports

This is the undeniable weakness of the team. A rash of injuries didn't help, but this unit was bad all year. They allowed 37 sacks and 75 quarterback hits. In the last game alone, Rivers was under such constant pressure he could never look downfield for a receiver. The struggles here don't all show up in the stats. They show up when you realize how limited the offense was because the line couldn't give their quarterback or backs enough time.

Owen Gabbey is a baseball writer who also contributes for the NFL for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ogab_3, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google. 

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