The Los Angeles Chargers know their Super Bowl window with Philip Rivers under center is closing. Nonetheless, the 2019 season is another year where the Chargers are a team who absolutely has a chance to make some noise in the AFC.

In 2019, third-year head coach Anthony Lynn believes he has a roster that can take home the Lombardi trophy next February. Last season, the Chargers were impressive throughout the regular season, finishing with a 12-4 record.

Crazy enough, a 12-4 record was good enough for second in the AFC West since the Kansas City Chiefs were also 12-4 (the Chiefs held the head-to-head tiebreaker and division record tiebreaker).

Therefore, the Chargers found themselves in a Wild Card spot even though they held a better record than the other three divisional winners. In the first round, Los Angeles took down the Baltimore Ravens to advance to the AFC Divisional Round.

Then, in the AFC Divisional Round, the Chargers were sent home by the New England Patriots. It was yet another season where Rivers couldn't get past Tom Brady—with his record being 1-5 against Brady now.

It seems like every quarterback has had their struggles with the Patriots and Brady though. Although, this year could be different if the Chargers can see some improvement from a few of their players. Here are three players who must take the next step for the Chargers in the 2019 season.

3. Jatavis Brown

Forgotten among their high-powered offense, the Chargers defense was actually very good in 2018—ranking ninth among the entire NFL. The scary thing is, their defense could be even better in the 2019 season.

Last season, Jatavis Brown started the majority of the season as the Chargers weakside linebacker. In his 10 starts, the third-year linebacker had 97 tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack. Now, heading into his fourth season, Brown will need to be even better.

This offseason, Los Angeles was able to add Thomas Davis to their linebacker corp. The veteran linebacker will slot in as the strongside linebacker but will be helpful to the young guys like Brown in meetings.

After all, Brown can learn a lot from the three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro. If Brown can improve upon his impressive 2018 campaign, the Chargers defense could be even better in 2019.

2. Trevor Williams/Michael Davis

Before training camps begin, it seems like Lynn and the Chargers are going to have a competition for the second cornerback spot. As of now, it's a two-man race between Trevor Williams and Michael Davis.

Regardless of who wins the competition, they are going to have to play at an unbelievable level next to Casey Hayward. Hayward is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the NFL but could use some help on the opposite side of him.

Currently, ESPN has Davis as the starter since he started in more games than Williams last season. Davis is heading into his third season with the franchise after racking up 50 tackles, eight pass deflections, and one forced fumble in 2018.

In comparison, Williams had 23 tackles, four pass deflections, and one interception in one less start than Davis. Again, whether it's Davis or Williams, whoever it is is going to have to step up their game to help the Chargers become more prominent on defense.

1. Mike Williams

Having Mike Williams on this list doesn't mean he's been awful to begin his career. On the contrary, Williams has the potential to become a star wide receiver if he can take the next step in his game.

In his rookie season, Williams only managed to start in one game and rarely saw the field. Then, in 2018, he saw the field more and became a deadly weapon for Rivers and the Chargers. Last season, Williams had 43 receptions for 664 yards and 10 touchdowns.

What is really impressive is that Williams was third on the depth chart, started in five games, and still managed to put up 10 touchdowns. Now, with Tyrell Williams out of the mix, Williams has a surefire shot at being a top target in the offense.

Williams' 6-foot-4 frame allows him to make catches against smaller defenders and he has enough speed to run past them too. Coming out of college at Clemson, people expected Williams to be a star receiver in the NFL.

If Williams can continue his growth as a receiver in 2019, we could witness that come into fruition for the third-year wideout.