San Diego Chargers midseason report card: C

MIDSEASON REPORT CARD

PASSING OFFENSE: B -- Philip Rivers has been spot-on for the first half, although he did have a hiccup in Sunday's loss with a career-high tying three interceptions. Some weren't all his fault and Rivers is working with a unit that is missing two key targets in wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back Danny Woodhead -- both gone with knee injuries. Hunter Henry, at tight end, has been a rookie coach-pleaser. Antonio Gates doesn't have many receptions (21) but he has three scores. Tyrell Williams leads the team with yards per catch (16.6) and Travis Benjamin in receptions (38). Pass blocking has been leaky as the season progresses; Rivers has been sacked 21 times.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B- -- Melvin Gordon has had two critical fumbles, but he is a different runner than he was during last year's dismal rookie season. He has eight rushing and two receiving touchdowns, putting him among the league leaders with 10 scores. The loss of Danny Woodhead was key, but Gordon has picked up the slack. Run blocking is still hit-and-miss at best. Gordon still has to make negative plays into solid ones behind a unit that struggles with consistency.

PASS DEFENSE: B -- The addition of Joey Bosa at defensive end has been a tremendous boost as the rookie makes everyone around him better. So much attention is showed to Bosa, and rightly so, that others are given free lanes to the quarterback or ball carriers. Casey Hayward has been a great free-agent pickup for a secondary that lost its best cover man, Jason Verrett, to a knee injury. Brandon Flowers, the other corner, has had issues with concussions. Considering the injuries and fresh faces here, the pass defense has held up well.

RUSH DEFENSE: A -- The Chargers have the league's fourth-best run defense and much of it can be traced to the play of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane. His attitude and credentials are such that there is much respect from teammates and foes. With him keeping blockers off the inside linebackers, Denzel Perryman and rookie Jatavis Brown have been given a chance to shine. With the youngsters stepping in, the loss of Manti Te'o has been absorbed well.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D- -- Every game, it seems, the special teams has a crucial blunder. Josh Lambo, the kicker, has nailed 17 of 19 field-goal attempts and has been fairly solid. But punter Drew Kaser has had his share of shanks at the wrong moment and his mishandling of a snap on a field-goal attempt was among the creative ways the Chargers failed to close out games in their waning minutes. The return game stinks, and that's with the addition of returner Travis Benjamin, a non-factor.

COACHING: D - Mike McCoy has been on the hot seat since the first game and it's easy to see why when eyeing his won-loss record. It's not good and the Chargers haven't been very stellar in the season's first half under a coach in his fourth year. McCoy still is excruciatingly conservative and never seems to have the intuition to roll the dice when the game calls for it. The Chargers have found many ways to blow games and that falls on the coach that he wasn't able to find a rip cord in time. Defensively, John Pagano is dialing up some nifty packages with a playmaker in his midst in Bosa. But overall, the Chargers are still making game-changing mistakes over and again. And once again, that falls on the head coach.

OVERALL: C

Most Valuable Player: Quarterback Philip Rivers. Even with a three-interception stinker to cap the first half, the Chargers' big dog remains Rivers. His steady play and will to win give a youthful and often overwhelmed Chargers' team a chance to win. Few players, on any team, are more important to a squad being competitive than Rivers.

Most Disappointing Player: Right tackle Joe Barksdale. Barksdale was the team's offensive player of the year last season, the only San Diego lineman to play in all 16 games. But it has been a struggle for Barksdale this year when he goes to the post. He's been beat repeatedly and Philip Rivers has the bruises to prove it. Barksdale needs to rebound in the second half.

Most Surprising Rookie: Tight end Hunter Henry. While all eyes and headlines go to defensive end Joey Bosa, the draft's third overall pick, it's no shocker he is producing -- once he got signed. The real surprise is how quickly tight end Hunter Henry got up to speed. Henry was going to gradually replace the veteran Antonio Gates. But when Gates battled early-season injuries, Hunter seized the opportunity. He had a three-game stretch of catching a touchdown reception in each game, the first rookie tight end to do that since Jimmy Graham in 2010. The Chargers have a keeper in Henry.