Jim Harbaugh is staring at a piece of Chargers history he probably wanted no part of.
After Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Chargers dropped to 0-7, and ESPN quickly pointed out just how ugly the comparison is. The last time this franchise opened a season with seven straight losses was in 2000, when Harbaugh was under center for a team that stumbled through a 1-15 year.
That season, Harbaugh made five starts and lost all five. The Chargers were still trying to sort things out with Ryan Leaf, and the team didn’t get its first win until after falling to 0-11.
This version of the Chargers was supposed to look very different. Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert were expected to push Los Angeles to another level, and the team entered the season with dark-horse Super Bowl buzz. Instead, the record is the same kind of wreckage, only with a proven quarterback in Herbert, who came into the year fresh off a Pro Bowl season.
Herbert’s afternoon against the Rams only added to the mess. He finished with zero touchdowns and two interceptions, another rough chapter in a season that has gone off the rails.
ESPN also highlighted a brutal number tied to McDaniel’s offense: the Chargers have now gone 27 straight drives without a touchdown. According to the post, that hadn’t happened in the NFL since 2004, when McDaniel’s offense in Miami went through a similar drought.
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Chargers are looking at a situation that could force major changes. At this point, keeping McDaniel in place much longer may not make much sense given how badly the offense has collapsed.
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Chargers Collapse Just Put Their Trade Deadline Direction Under A Spotlight
The Chargers 0-7 start has pushed the front office into an uncomfortable spot, with a season that has gone sideways fast now forcing a hard look at the trade market. When a team falls this far behind, every veteran on the roster starts to look like a possible deadline chip, especially with other clubs around the league dealing with injuries and searching for help.
Khalil Mack has been the name most often tied to that conversation, while other players such as Keaton Mitchell, Daiyan Henley and Dalvin Tomlinson have also surfaced as possible assets. For a team trying to salvage value from a lost season, the next move is less about chasing a turnaround and more about deciding which pieces can still bring back something useful before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious About This Offense
Seven straight losses have left the Chargers with nowhere to hide, and the latest 24-9 defeat to the Rams only sharpened the focus on an offense that has gone nowhere fast. Under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the unit has looked stuck in neutral, while Justin Herbert has had a season full of frustration as the defense under Chris OLeary has done more to keep games respectable than the offense has done to support it.
The bigger issue is that the Chargers are no longer just dealing with a bad stretch, but with the kind of offensive stagnation that raises questions about the direction of the whole operation. Harbaughs decision to stick with McDaniel through the bye week has only added to the scrutiny, because the losses keep piling up and the offense keeps offering the same empty answers. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Have Hit A Breaking Point And Everyone Sees It
After Week 8, the Chargers are staring at a season that has gone from discouraging to downright alarming. Their loss to the Rams left Los Angeles at 0-7, and with the rest of the league sorting itself out, the Chargers have become the outlier no team wants to be, the only club still searching for its first win.
The latest league-wide power rankings reflect just how far things have slipped, especially when compared with teams like the Dolphins, who are still only 1-6 but have at least shown some fight under first-year coach Jeff Hafley. For the Chargers, the bigger issue is no longer a bad stretch or a few missed chances. It is the reality of where they stand now, and how little room there is left to turn it around. [Read more 🡒]