Los Angeles Chargers

San Diego Chargers: Mike McCoy On His Way Out?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Diego Chargers have a pivotal game with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Could a loss spell the end for head coach Mike McCoy?

It wasn’t long ago that Mike McCoy was busy leading the San Diego Chargers to a playoff berth in his first year as the team’s head coach. At least it doesn’t seem that long ago.

Over the course of last season and the opening five games of 2016, the Bolts have become a bit unglued. A team that ran the table after a 5-7 start in 2013 to capture a Wild Card berth is now finding ways to lose rather than how to pull games out.

The S.D. in San Diego can now stand for self-destruction. First, the Chargers blew a 21-point third-quarter lead en route to an overtime loss at Kansas City. The team squandered a fourth-quarter advantage in a road loss to the Colts in Week 3. Seven days later, McCoy’s team was up 13 points in the final minutes against the visiting Saints and still found a way to lose, 35-34.

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Last Sunday at Oakland was more of the same. It was an afternoon that saw the Chargers commit four turnovers. Still in position to kick a tying field goal with just over two minutes to play, the team blew the opportunity thanks to a botched snap. It proved to be a 34-31 loss to the Raiders, San Diego’s 10th in a row to a division opponent.

So where does this leave McCoy? It’s already been an NFL season where we have seen a couple of offensive coordinators fired (Greg Roman in Buffalo and Marc Trestman in Baltimore). Could the Chargers be getting ready to make a move when it comes to their head coach?

Since the team reached the postseason in 2013, the Chargers have finished 9-7 (no playoffs) and 4-12. Now they’ve opened 1-4 in 2016. Keep in mind that this team opened 2015 splitting its first four games, meaning San Diego is a dismal 3-14 in their last 17 contests.

But it’s those 10 straight setbacks to AFC West foes that are particularly damning. The Denver Broncos come to town on Thursday having beaten the Chargers five straight times (including the playoff meeting in 2013). The defending Super Bowl champions have also won at San Diego in five consecutive years.

So if the Broncos leave town on Thursday with a victory, will there be another departure soon afterwards? At this point, it’s a fair question.

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