The San Diego Chargers Made Themselves Contenders

May 26, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; (EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) hands the ball off to running back Melvin Gordon (28) during organized team activities at Charger Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game-Changing Running Back

As great as Rivers and that passing game is, you can’t succeed in the NFL if you’re one-dimensional. Plus you need a solid running game in order to win playoff games in the inclement weather. So in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Chargers selected running back Melvin Gordon.

With 2,587 yards rushing in his last year at Wisconsin, he comes into the NFL expected to be a game-changer. He’s one of only four men in college football history to run for over 2,300 yards in a season. And of the other three, only one was successful in the NFL and that’s because he went to a horrible team.

That won’t be the case for Gordon so his chances of being a bust are slim and none with slim on the way out the door. Opposing defenses now have to decide if they want to stop Gordon from lighting them up on the ground Rivers through the air. You can’t commit to both so if you’re good at both making the defense make that choice is a recipe for success.

Next: Stopping the Run