F
or the first time all season, the Los Angeles Chargers are coming off of a loss. Starting 3-0 for the first time since 2002, the Chargers came up just on their quest to start 4-0– losing 21-18 to the New York Giants on the road. In rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s first career NFL start, the banged up Chargers were unable to contain the young superstar. Now, the Chargers will return home in week five and attempt to get back into the win column.
After the Chargers’ first loss, CBS Sports released its grades for each team in week four. And after receiving favorable marks through the first few weeks of the season, the Chargers got a grade that is lower than they are accustomed to.
Assessing the Chargers’ Grade
Favored to beat the Giants, the Chargers instead struggled to contain Dart and found themselves digging out of a hole. Despite missing several key pieces of their defense, including superstar pass rusher Khalil Mack, the Chargers put themselves in a position to win and were in the game until the very end– but ultimately could not seal the deal. As a result, CBS Sports handed the Chargers a C- for their performance in week four.
The Chargers got caught napping in this one. This team came out flat during a first quarter where the Giants jumped out to a 10-0 lead (L.A. had just 49 yards on three possessions in the opening quarter),” CBS Sports writer John Breech said. The Chargers have been using Justin Herbert’s right arm to win games this year, but Herbert couldn’t carry them on a day where it seemed like he was facing pressure on every other play.
Herbert threw two costly interceptions that led to 10 points for the Giants. The offensive line was bad and it might get worse with the loss of Joe Alt to an injury,” Breech added. With Alt going down, the offensive line could be a huge issue for the Chargers going forward. Through the first three weeks, the Chargers looked like one of the best teams in the AFC, so it will be interesting to see if this loss was a fluke or something more concerning.
Looking Ahead to the Rest of the Chargers’ Schedule
A loss is never a good thing, but the Chargers lost to a non-conference opponent– which may end up hardly affecting their playoff hopes. Still, the Chargers face a tough schedule the rest of the way and will want to make sure that they get some momentum back. Next up is a home game against the Washington Commanders before hitting the road again to face the Miami Dolphins.
Prior to their week 12 bye, the Chargers final five games after facing the Dolphins are against the Colts, Vikings, Titans, Steelers and Jaguars— with the Colts, Steelers and Jaguars all looking like playoff teams so far. But coming out of the bye week is where the Chargers could see their most problems. Starting with a week 13 game against the Raiders— a divisional foe– the Chargers will play the Eagles, Chiefs and Cowboys before ending the year with games against the Texans and Broncos.
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