The Los Angeles Chargers have reached an ugly place early, and Joe Alt didn’t dance around it after Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Alt, now living through the worst start of his young NFL career, pointed straight at the problem that keeps showing up for the Chargers.
"We gotta score points, and it can't just be field goals. It's gotta be touchdowns."
— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) November 2, 2026
Joe Alt tells our @chrishayre about the Chargers' continuing offensive struggles after a 24-9 loss to the Rams.#boltup | @CBSLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/mrCSugi522
“We gotta score points, and it can't just be field goals. It's gotta be touchdowns,” Alt bluntly told reporters after the game.
That message fit the afternoon. Los Angeles opened 0-7 and has now gone nine straight quarters without finding the end zone. The Rams, along with the Kansas City Chiefs over the past two weeks, kept the Chargers bottled up and forced them to settle for field goals.
The offensive numbers were rough across the board. The Chargers finished with only 295 total yards and just 64 rushing yards. Justin Herbert was sacked twice, including once by Josaiah Stewart.
Alt was the closest tackle to Stewart on that fourth-quarter sack, as Stewart won the leverage battle and got enough penetration to make life uncomfortable for Herbert.
Josaiah Stewart gets the HUGE sack on Justin Herbert 👏
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 1, 2026
pic.twitter.com/5Afpf1DL8w
The slow start has also intensified the scrutiny on offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The former Miami Dolphins head coach has taken heat for the offense’s lack of punch, though Jim Harbaugh has said he has full confidence in McDaniel and has not taken away play-calling duties.
For now, Cameron Dicker has been the most reliable source of points on offense, doing his damage with his leg. But Alt and the Chargers know that can’t keep being the whole answer.
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