Are the Chargers Really This Bad?

But the Chargers find themselves among the league’s worst teams in pretty much every offensive category, and heading into Sunday’s loss, they were the only team in the league that still hadn’t scored more than 100 total points so far this season.

The addition of Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator was supposed lauded as a massive win in the offseason, but the results just haven’t matched the expectations. Herbert in particular appears to have regressed to an unrecognizable degree, with just six touchdown passes and 11 interceptions following Sunday’s loss.

The absence of right tackle Rashawn Slater (another first-round pick) due to an ankle injury that required surgery last month has definitely had an impact, and go-to receiver Ladd McConkey has been banged off all year long. But it’s not enough to account for the overall ineptitude we’ve seen from the Chargers on that side of the ball.

On defense, the departure of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter (the Baltimore Ravens’ new head coach) has definitely had a negative impact, but the Chargers have been fairly serviceable in that department so far this season. Heading into Sunday’s game, they ranked sixth in the league in total defense, and their 11 takeaways were top-10 in the league through the first eight weeks of the season.

Unfortunately, their 17 giveaways prior to Week 9 still put them near the bottom of the league in overall turnover differential, playing a significant role in their winless record.

If Chargers fans want a glimmer of hope that their team isn’t actually the worst one in the league right now, it’s worth pointing to their schedule.

Opening up with back-to-back home losses to the Cardinals and Raiders were surprising at the time, but things have only gotten harder. The Chargers played four of their next five games on the road against the Bills, Seahawks, Chiefs and Rams, with their only home game coming against the Broncos. Even Sunday’s loss to the 3-5 Texans should come with the consideration that Houston is one of only two teams to beat the Jaguars so far this season, and they’ve looked much more like the team we expected them to be this season, winning three of their last four games after a shocking 0-4 start.

There are still some tough games ahead, as the Chargers still have to face the Chiefs and Broncos again, as well as the 49ers and the Patriots. But the next two weeks should tell us a lot about who the Chargers really are. Can they beat the Ravens, who are likely to start Jacoby Brissett after a desperation trade to salvage their season following injuries to both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley? Can they beat a 2-7 Jets team at home?

After that, the Chargers still get to face the Bucs (3-6) and the Dolphins (1-7), as well as a rematch with the Raiders (4-5).

Even at 0-8, I still don’t think the Chargers are the worst team in the NFL. They’ve got another half a season to prove me right.