There were two ways for the winless Chargers to jump going into their matchup Sunday against the underachieving Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. First, they could have splintered in the wake of their dismal results. Second, they could have grown closer in the face of adversity.
“(Ticked) off for greatness,” was how Chargers first-year defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary phrased it, drawing on a line from Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis from a generation ago. “The second we start accepting the results and giving up hope, that’s when you ultimately fail.”
O’Leary smiled.
“I believe it, I believe it,” he said, repeating himself for emphasis.
There are plenty of reasons for the Chargers to have lost hope.
At least seven of them, anyway.
No team in NFL history has rallied from an 0-7 record to make the playoffs. The Chargers on Sunday hope to avoid the third 0-8 start in franchise history after they lost 11 in a row to start the 1975 and 2000 seasons. Their misery index climbed to new heights – or is it lows? – with last Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Rams.
“It’s been a tough season,” Chargers first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said, acknowledging the obvious. “When you have supreme adversity, you either splinter or you come closer together. I think this group is coming closer together. So, I have a reasonable expectation for things to improve.”
Could they possibly get worse?
Probably.
The Texans are a formidable opponent, their 2-5 record notwithstanding.
The Chargers are a disappointment, plain and simple. Expectations have not been met for a team that was a trendy pick to make the Super Bowl. The failure of McDaniel to click with quarterback Justin Herbert has been the Chargers’ most obvious weaknesses through the first seven games.
The Chargers haven’t scored a touchdown since the third quarter of their 23-17 loss Oct. 11 to the Denver Broncos, a run of 27 consecutive possessions over nine quarters. Herbert has thrown twice as many interceptions (10) as touchdown passes (five) this season.
There’s more.
Much more.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday and there’s plenty of chatter around the known football universe that the Chargers should start a sell-off, gain draft capital and start the rebuilding process now instead of in March, when free agency begins, or in April, when the draft is held.
They are, after all, the leading contenders for the No. 1 overall pick.
Jeremiah Smith, a talented wide receiver from Ohio State, could be just the right addition to bolster the Chargers’ offense for seasons to come, giving Herbert the kind of resourceful playmaker he lacks outside of Ladd McConkey this season. Smith and McConkey could be paired as a dynamic one-two punch.
General manager Joe Hortiz doesn’t seem to be inclined to be a seller at the deadline. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack, the biggest name in trade rumors involving the Chargers, doesn’t seem to wish to be dealt and it’s highly likely Hortiz will honor his wishes and keep him in the fold.
“They know how I feel,” Mack said of Hortiz and third-year hcoach Jim Harbaugh.
The Chargers’ immediate concern is dealing with the Texans, a team that humiliated them 32-12 in an AFC wild-card game that ended their 2024 season in no uncertain terms. Herbert was intercepted four times in the game, one more pick than he tossed for the entire regular season.
Houston also defeated the Chargers, 20-16, in Week 17 last season, another humbling defeat that started their current 10-game losing streak. The Chargers haven’t won a regular-season game since defeating the Dallas Cowboys 34-17 with a second-half surge in Week 16 last season.
“It’s the biggest game because it’s the next game,” Mack said of facing Houston.
Is using anger over the Chargers’ lowly state a motivational tool?
“Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely,” Mack said when told of the comments of O’Leary and McDaniel about sticking together. “Using everything as motivation. Finding a way, finding a way to climb out of this deficit by focusing on what’s in front of us, which is the Texans.”
CHARGERS (0-7) vs. TEXANS (2-5)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: KCBS (Ch. 2); 640 AM/103.9/98.3 FM (Spanish)