More issues for Chargers than missed field goals

Sep 21, 2017 - 8:04 AM Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was pretty certain about one thing when chatting up Sunday's game with the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.

"Well, it's really simple," Rivers said. "It's just that nobody is going to feel sorry for us."

Rivers, as usual, was on target. The Chargers have had their chair pulled out from behind them in each of their first two games, losing both in heartbreaking fashion.

The Chiefs? Everything has been rainbows and roses for the undefeated bunch from the Midwest. They come to Los Angeles looking to stay among the three teams in the AFC West with no blemishes on their records.

"We've got a division opponent coming here that is not going to have any sympathy for us losing two tough ones down at the buzzer," Rivers added.

The Chargers are potentially two field goals away from having a spotless mark like K.C. But rookie kicker Younghoe Koo had one key kick blocked in the loss at the Denver Broncos and he missed two in Sunday's defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

Koo's second misfire from 44 yards would have pushed the Chargers ahead of Miami with seconds remaining.

"There are a lot of plays that could have made a difference in the game," first-year coach Anthony Lynn said. "It was not just the missed field goal everyone is focusing on."

Truer words could not have been spoken, and that gives Chargers insiders pause, even while acknowledging the shortcomings in various areas on special teams. The team is having trouble stopping the run, and the pass rush has been hit or miss. The running game is stuck in the mud and all of this comes with a rookie coach.

So Lynn is right: There's more wrong with the Chargers than a young kicker who's scuffling while trying to earn his NFL stripes.

Come Sunday, the Chargers can prove they've tightened up their play and can salvage a season that might be slipping away before it really gets started.