The Denver Broncos have two games on their schedule against the Chargers, and they look a. lot easier.
It’s usually not a good idea to draw conclusions three games into an NFL season, but there’s one that seems unavoidable. There’s a new world order in the AFC West, with the Los Angeles Chargers being the division’s new punching bag, and the Denver Broncos will almost certainly benefit.
The 0-3 Chargers are a mess, and the situation is bad and getting worse. LA blew a 10-0 lead on the road on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and lost 24-16 despite five Bills turnovers, and according to Kris Rhim of ESPN, quarterback Justin Herbert looks like “a shell of himself” in the offense of new coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Herbert had 226 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception against Buffalo, but Bills defenders dropped two potential interceptions. The Chargers quarterback has been making terrible decisions, and even Fox analyst Tom Brady went off on Herbert, saying, “poor awareness, poor decision. Throws him a meatball sub.”
Meanwhile, there’s embattled coach Jim Harbaugh, who’s done a complete 180 on Herbert lately. Harbaugh has praised Herbert to the heavens throughout his struggles, saying he thinks Herbert is “the greatest quarterback of all time." The former NFL quarterback turned head coach has also said he wishes he could trade genes with Herbert because of how perfect a player and person he is.
But his only comment about the quarterback’s decisions against Buffalo was “be better.” Harbaugh walked his comment back a little after that, saying the drive to be better also applies to himself, McDaniel and the rest of the organization.
Divisions between the defense and the offense have also surfaced, which is another sign that things are going completely south. Star Safety Derwin James has criticized the sloppy play after the Chargers’ 27-13 loss to the Raiders, although he stopped short of criticizing Herbert directly.
For the Broncos, this is great news, especially right now as they continue to run the gauntlet of their brutal early schedule. They’re currently 2-1 and struggling to find their footing in the first month of the season, and that whole schedule thing just got a lot easier. The Broncos are currently preparing for a Week 4 road tilt against the San Francisco 49ers, but after that they’ll head down to LA for a contest against the Chargers that suddenly looks like a get-right game if they happen to need one.
It’s important to note that it’s still early, so an LA turnaround could theoretically be coming, although it’s hard to imagine how. But the track record of 0-3 teams going forward is abysmal, and it’s starting to look like a lost season for the Chargers.
