The Los Angeles Chargers have reached the kind of early-season corner nobody wants to hit: 0-4, offense stuck in neutral, and the pressure building fast. But the door is not shut yet. There is still a path, and it starts with a win over the Denver Broncos in Week 5.
That’s the immediate test for a team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations and playoff expectations, only to stumble into one of the most disappointing starts imaginable. The defense has held up its end, especially over the past two weeks, and the offense at least showed some pulse in the second half of the Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
That game could have unraveled completely. When Sam Darnold and Seattle opened the second half with a march to a 27-6 lead, the Chargers had every reason to fold.
Instead, Justin Herbert and company kept battling, helped along by Seattle penalties. The run game started to land, Herbert used his legs to create plays, and the Chargers showed a little fight.
That matters because this team has already lived through the alternative. Fans remember what it looks like when the Chargers run out of gas and give in, and that eventually cost the previous coaching staff and general manager their jobs after a Thursday night loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now the Broncos come to SoFi Stadium, and the choice is plain: swing hard, or fold again. With the injury situation piling up, that Week 5 game feels like a crossroads.
If Herbert and a patched-together offensive line can knock off Denver, there’s still a realistic route for Los Angeles to claw back into the season and maybe even the playoff picture. Time is running short, but the AFC landscape gives the Chargers something to work with.
There are five winless teams left in the NFL entering Week 5, and four of them are in the AFC. The Chargers have three of those winless teams on the schedule ahead, plus the New York Jets, who have just one win.
The next stretch is the key. Los Angeles gets Denver in Week 5, then Kansas City in Week 6, and then heads into its bye in Week 7. That bye could not arrive at a better time with the injuries the Chargers are carrying, and it also gives them a chance to reset before the final 10 games.
That back half of the schedule is where the opening can really appear. The Chargers still have the currently winless Texans, Buccaneers and Dolphins ahead.
The Jets and Patriots are also dealing with their own issues, and both are AFC opponents. If Los Angeles can get the season’s first win against Denver, especially with the Broncos having trouble on offense themselves, that could be the first step toward a turnaround.
Denver’s own injury situation adds another layer to the matchup. The Broncos will be without wide receiver Pat Bryant and top cornerback Pat Surtain II, and Riley Moss is likely out as well.
We asked @AdamSchefter for an injury update on Pat Surtain, Riley Moss, and Pat Bryant."I don't expect any of them to play this week.My guess is we'll see certainly Surtain [on IR], quite possibly Bryant, and I would guess not Riley Moss." #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/qCgkJuS4oS
The game may come down to which team handles its absences better. For the Chargers, the question is whether Herbert and the makeshift offensive line can hold up long enough to get the offense moving.
If they can beat Denver and then, in theory, handle four of the five games that look most winnable, they would still need five more victories to finish the job. That would put them in position to chase a 10-7 record.
The final stretch is not soft. The Chargers still have two games against the Chiefs, plus matchups with the Broncos and Raiders down the road.
They also have the Rams, Ravens and 49ers on the schedule. Eight difficult games, five wins needed.
It’s a steep climb. But if Los Angeles is going to rescue this season, the road starts now.
In Other News...
Chargers Face A Risky Marvin Harrison Jr. Question Worth Watching
Marvin Harrison Jr.s uneven start to his NFL career has already made him a speculative name in league-wide trade chatter, and the Chargers are one of the teams that naturally pop up because of the need for more upside at wide receiver. The appeal is obvious: a former top prospect who could look very different in a new environment, especially in an offense that might be able to put him in better positions to succeed.
For the Chargers, though, this is not a simple talent grab. Any real pursuit would come with risk, since Harrisons value around the league is still tied to projection as much as production, and the price would have to make sense for a team trying to balance urgency with caution. Whether the Chargers would be willing to take that swing is the question worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Bigger Problem Up Front Before Broncos Game
Joe Alts neck injury is shaping up to be the next concern for the Chargers as they head into a quick turnaround and a divisional date with the Broncos. Alt was hurt last week and is now rehabbing, a setback that leaves Los Angeles waiting on one of its most important pieces up front while the line continues to deal with a wave of other injuries.
The encouraging part for the Chargers is that Alt is not expected to land on injured reserve, so this does not sound like a long-term shutdown. Even so, his likely absence adds more uncertainty to a group already juggling health issues as it tries to get through Week 5 and Week 6 without the protection problems piling up any further. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Brutal Justin Herbert Problem At The Worst Time
The Chargers head into their matchup with the Broncos carrying a problem that goes well beyond one Sunday. With both starting tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, expected to miss the game, the protection in front of Justin Herbert is suddenly in a far shakier place, and wide receiver Ladd McConkey also sat out practice because of a foot injury. For an offense that has already had trouble finding rhythm this season, the timing could hardly be worse.
Herbert has been trying to steer an attack that has not produced at the level the Chargers need, and the pressure is only increasing as Week 5 arrives. Losing both edge protectors puts more strain on the entire offensive plan, and it leaves the Chargers needing answers fast against a Denver front that will surely test every weak spot. The bigger concern now is not just getting through one game, but figuring out how much damage this stretch can do to an offense already searching for a spark. [Read more 🡒]