The Los Angeles Chargers can be a tough team to figure.
Even after losing arguably their best offensive lineman in the preseason for the year, left tackle Rashawn Slater, they opened the season with a win over the defending American Football League Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Three weeks into the season, Jim Harbaugh’s squad had already beaten all three of their AFC West Division opponents. Following up their win in Brazil over the Chiefs with victories over the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.
Then, in Week Four, they got upset on the road against the New York Giants, a game that represented New York’s first win of the year for their soon-to-be fired head coach, Brian DaBoll.
The Chargers were also not done getting hit with injuries that sidelined key players for the year. They lost two starting runnigbacks, Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton, and another top offensive lineman when Joe Alt was knocked out for the year. Their trouble on the scoreboard wasn’t over either. Back home, after their East Coast loss to the Giants, they got run down and run over by the visiting Washington Commanders, 24-10, then required a last second field goal in Miami to avoid a three-game losing streak.
The high perch the Chargers were sitting on after three weeks came crashing down in the succeeding four weeks capped by a home two-touchdown loss to the Indianapolis Colts in mid-October.
That was rock bottom.