Chargers Remain Winless Following 24-9 Loss in the Battle of LA Against Rams

The Los Angeles Chargers entered Sunday afternoon in the battle of LA hoping to earn their first win of the season against the Los Angeles Rams, but instead the Rams dominated the second half and pulled away with a 24-9 win, which dropped the Chargers to a record of 0-7 on the year.

For a lot of the first half in this game there was a lot of defense and special teams plays which led to a lower scoring opening half of play.

In the first quarter, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was picked off by cornerback Tarheeb Still, and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was intercepted by safety Quentin Lake, which gave each team a major mistake early on.

The Chargers were not able to capitalize on Stafford's interception, but the Rams were able to take advantage of Herbert's mistake as they moved the ball and set kicker Brandon McManus up for a 30-yard field goal, which put the Rams up 3-0. On the next drive, the Chargers responded as they moved the ball and ended up having kicker Cameron Dicker kick a 34-yard field goal, which tied the game at 3-3.

After the game was tied, the Chargers were able to take control of the game for a little bit as Dicker hit a 46-yard field goal to put his team up 6-3, and then on the next drive Dicker also hit a kick from 41 yards out to extend the lead to 9-3.

On the other side, the Rams were mostly quiet in the second quarter as they punted the ball twice , but on their final possession of the first half, Stafford was able to connect with wide receiver Puka Nacua a couple times to get them into the red zone, and then running back Kyren Williams ran the ball in from one-yard out to put the Rams up 10-9.

Following the Rams score, the Chargers did not do anything with the ball, so the game went into halftime with the Rams up 10-9.

Then, on the first possession of the second half, the Rams had a great drive which was capped off by a 23-yard touchdown run by running back Blake Corum to extend the Rams lead to 17-9.

After the Rams extended their lead, each team punted and then Herbert was picked off by cornerback Trent McDuffie which set up the Rams on the Chargers 22-yard line. Following the pick, the Rams capitalized as Stafford threw a screen pass to Nacua that went for an 18-yard touchdown giving the Rams an even bigger lead with them now leading 24-9.

On the next drive for the Chargers, they struggled to move the ball, which led to a punt, and the Rams also ended up punting on their next possession.

Following the back-to-back punts, the Chargers needed a response desperately with a 15-point deficit, but they were unable to as Herbert completed a pass that went seven yards to tight end Oronde Gadsden on 4th and 8, which led to a turnover on downs.

With the Chargers turning the ball over on downs, the Rams needed to get a few first downs and they were able to do just that to wind out the rest of the clock and win the battle of LA over the Chargers.

As a result of the loss, the Chargers now fall to 0-7 on the year which is not at all what this team hoped heading into the year and with the trade deadline quickly approaching it is possible that the Chargers may have to admit that they are sellers which is something that head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz will not want to admit.

With that said, being 0-7, the Chargers are very likely out of the postseason race, which is a tough reality for this team.

Based on that, there could be some major changes when it comes to players, coaches, and the front office, so it will be interesting to monitor the Chargers as the trade deadline approaches and any changes this team could make looking ahead to 2027, as the 2026 season appears to be over when it comes to being competitive.