Why the San Diego Chargers Want to Be the No. 2 Seed Come Playoffs

In previous years, the Chargers were beaten in the playoffs by the more experienced teams of Pittsburgh and New England.

With three consecutive playoff years under their belt, the more experienced Chargers look to return the favor against the less fortunate.

If the playoffs were to start today in the AFC, there would be four new teams (Cincy, NE, Denver, Jax) to reach the playoffs out of last year's six teams, with only Indianapolis and San Diego returning.

The Chargers, along with the Colts, are the most experienced of the bunch due to reaching the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and this the fourth.

Five out of the seven teams fighting for the last four spots relatively have little to no playoff experience, which bodes well for the Chargers.

Cincinnati reached the playoffs in 2006 after missing the playoffs for 15 seasons straight and lost in the AFC Wild Card game to Pittsburgh.

The last time the Broncos were in the playoffs was 2005, losing in the AFC Wild Card game to Indianapolis. However, none of this year's skilled players on offense were on the 2005 team, and very few on defense still remain.

Jacksonville has reached the playoffs twice in the past nine seasons (2005 and 2007). In 2007, Jacksonville gave up a 28-10 lead to lose 29-28 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Two years ago the Dolphins were the worst team in football, posting a 1-15 record, but reached the playoffs last year, getting bounced out by the Baltimore Ravens.  

The two teams the Chargers should be concerned about the most are Baltimore and New England simply because of their experience in the playoffs. Although I know the Chargers can throw on both of the secondaries with ease, one advantage the Chargers have over the rest of the field is experience.

Since the turn of the century, the No. 2 seed or better in the AFC has reached the Super Bowl six out of nine times, and each time the No. 2 seed reached the Super Bowl, they won it (Pittsburgh 2009, New England 2005, New England 2002).

Therefore, there are three reasons why No. 2 in the AFC is a favorable seed for the Chargers.

1) They maintain home field advantage unless they play the Colts for the AFC Championship Game. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t mind it because Philip Rivers and the gang won there in the playoffs two seasons ago. Home field advantage is vital for the Chargers and their offense to escape treacherous weather from the cold-weather stadiums of Cincinnati, New England, or Denver.

2) It takes any pressure off from being the No. 1 seed, something the Chargers experienced three seasons ago in 2006. The last No. 1 seed in the AFC to win the Super Bowl was the 2003-04 New England Patriots.

3) Many would say that the bye week in the playoffs is a prelude for disaster to come. I would say not for this team. Remaining healthy and adding an extra week of rest is best for the Chargers.

Currently, the Chargers are the most experienced playoff team in the AFC from top to bottom. Momentum is important heading into the playoffs—that’s why many argue for playing in the first week—but experience is often overlooked in this situation.

The reason the Patriots and Steelers won the Super Bowl as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in this decade was because of experience gained from previous playoffs.

The Chargers are now what the Steelers and Patriots once were. The Chargers' core players have the experience and most of all a mental edge on teams like Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Miami, and Denver.

With talent and a lack of experience in the playoffs, these teams are like the 2006 Chargers. Talent is important, but the understanding of how to mentally prepare yourself for the unexpected in the playoffs can only be experienced if you have played in the playoffs.

With a one-game lead over Cincinnati, the Chargers can clinch the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a win this Sunday at home against the Bengals.

In five out of the last six games, the Bengals scored less than 20 points, with their only game over 20 points coming against Detroit, scoring 23. The Chargers are yet to score under 20 points this season, averaging 28 points at home.

Unless Cedric Benson has a field day with the front seven of the Chargers, expect the Chargers to lock up the AFC West and No. 2 seed this week.