By The Los Angeles Chargers entered the NFL season projected to compete for the AFC West.
Eight games in, they're just trying to avoid becoming one of the worst teams in NFL history.
A campaign of Chargers futility continued Sunday as they lost in a 44-22 blowout to the Houston Texans that dropped them to 0-8. They finally scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But by then, they were meaningless, and the Chargers never challenged the in contest.
The late scores broke a streak of 37 consecutive drives without scoring a touchdown. The Chargers didn’t find the end zone in consecutive losses to the Chiefs and Rams prior to Sunday’s game. In the process, they passed the 2024 Dolphins, who went 30 offensive possessions without finding the end zone. That team was coached by Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Sunday's loss will further increase pressure on McDaniel, Head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Sunday’s loss wasn’t all about a bad Chargers offense. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had a field day, completing 21 of 35 passes for 384 yards with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception against a sieve of a Chargers secondary. But the offense bears plenty of the blame.
Herbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 193 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in a passing line that didn’t tell the full story. He was sacked eight times for a loss of 40 yards. The sacks repeatedly stunted Chargers drives, including a fourth-quarter possession that ended with a fourth-down sack and the Chargers trailing 31-9.
The Texans extended their lead to 38-9 before the Chargers finally made it into the end zone.
Herbert, meanwhile, finished his day battered and on the bench. He appeared to sustain an injury to his non-throwing hand late in the game and watched late from the sideline in favor of backup DJ Uiagalelei. With the game far out of reach, it wasn’t clear if Herbert’s exit was more about the score or his hand.
Prior to their first fourth-quarter touchdowns, Chargers drives on Sunday finished like this: field goal, punt, field goal, field goal, punt, punt, interception, turnover on downs, fumble. It resembled nothing like a unit led by a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback in Herbert or guided by a touted offensive mastermind in McDaniel.
Harbaugh was asked about the offensives struggles at halftime.
“We’ve just gotta keep digging deep,” he told the CBS broadcast. “Dig even deeper. One play at a time. One drive at a time. One play, one life.”
They didn’t dig deep enough on Sunday. They’ll have to hope that upcoming games against the Ravens, Jets, Patriots and Buccaneers will provide a window to break into the win column.
