At the start of the season, many NFL insiders expected the Los Angeles Chargers to emerge as one of the primary challengers for the AFC West crown. The Chargers had been AFC playoff participants each of the past two years, and it seemed that Jim Harbaugh had a team that was capable of going much further than an early loss in the Wild Card round.
The first three games of the season indicate that the Chargers may have been overrated by the preseason prognosticators. They dropped a 24-16 decision to the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 3, and that means the Chargers have started the season with an 0-3 record.
While the team still has 14 games to turn their season around, an 0-3 start is usually an indicator that a losing season is at hand. There are already indications that the Chargers are starting to lose faith that the season can be successful.
Starting left tackle Rashawn Slater said the team is making too many mistakes at crucial moments. “We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Slater said after the game, per Chargers beat reporter Kris Rhim. “We have all the ability in the world and we're falling short when it comes to the critical time to execute. We have to keep getting better. We must do better. And we can't just keep saying that. We have to actually do it.”
Quarterback Justin Herbert has been unable to trigger the Los Angeles offense in the loss to the Bills. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 226 yards, but he had just one TD pass and no pass play longer than 29 yards.