The Los Angeles Chargers have hit a low point no NFL team has ever reached before.
After falling 24-9 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, the Chargers dropped to 0-7 and became the first team in league history to start a season that way after winning at least 11 games the year before. It’s the kind of stat that sticks out for all the wrong reasons, and it comes with the season already veering sharply off course.
The offense has been part of the problem from the start, and the latest loss only deepened that concern. Los Angeles has now gone 27 straight offensive drives without a touchdown, and the team has failed to reach the end zone in back-to-back games. That’s not just a slump - it’s a full-blown drought.
Justin Herbert’s numbers reflect the mess. Against the Rams, he threw two interceptions, and his season total now sits at 10, the most in the NFL. For a team that entered the year with playoff hopes, the production has been nowhere near good enough.
That has put offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel under heavy scrutiny as the losses pile up. Still, head coach Jim Harbaugh has no plans to alter McDaniel’s role, even as the results continue to disappoint.
The 0-7 start is also Los Angeles’ worst opening stretch since 2000, when Harbaugh was the team’s quarterback. That season began 0-11 before the Chargers finished 1-15.
Now the focus shifts to Week 9, when the Chargers return home to face the Houston Texans, who are 2-5. Houston has its own issues, but Los Angeles is the team that badly needs a win just to stop the bleeding.
Seven straight losses, no touchdowns in two games, and a historic hole to climb out of - the Chargers are running out of room for this season to turn around.
In Other News...
Rams Punt Return Decision Could Reveal What They Really Trust
The Rams latest roster shuffle says a lot about how they are trying to balance immediate needs with special teams stability. By moving Alex Bachman to the practice squad to create room for cornerback Cam Lampkin on the active roster, Los Angeles opened up a question it has been carrying quietly for a while: who do they actually trust to handle punt returns if the game turns on field position?
For now, the options are all familiar ones. Bachman remains in the mix, Brennan Presley is waiting on the practice squad, and Tutu Atwell is still a possibility as a receiver who can add return value. The Rams could also look outside the building for someone who offers both return ability and offensive help, which would be a sign they want more certainty than the current group provides. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Just Became The Face Of The Chargers' Latest Embarrassment
The Chargers rough start has become impossible to ignore, and it has only added another layer to the pressure surrounding Justin Herbert. Los Angeles is off to an 0-7 record, the offense has gone cold, and the team has failed to score a touchdown in its last two games, making every mistake feel magnified as the losses pile up.
Quentin Lake added to the chatter this week when he took aim at Herbert on a podcast, pointing to the quarterbacks interceptions in a recent game. Herbert has thrown 10 interceptions against five touchdown passes this season, a jarring line for a player expected to steady the Chargers through this kind of stretch, and the criticism is only going to grow louder until the offense shows some kind of answer. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Face One Big Defensive Question Against Surging Commanders
The Rams head into their matchup with Washington riding a two-game winning streak and sitting tied for second in the NFC West, a stretch that has helped steady them as the division race tightens. The Commanders, meanwhile, are coming off a statement win over the Philadelphia Eagles and are trying to string together consecutive victories for the first time this season, so this one carries a little more weight than a typical early-November meeting.
Injuries are part of the backdrop on both sides, with several key players getting back on the practice field in limited fashion while others remain out after surgery or lingering ailments. For Los Angeles, the bigger concern is how its defense handles a Washington team that has found some momentum and is starting to look more dangerous by the week, especially with both clubs trying to keep pace in crowded division races. [Read more 🡒]