Chargers Maintain Last Place in Multiple Power Rankings Heading Into Week 9

The Los Angeles Chargers were unable to get a win yet again as they fell in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams in the battle of LA by a final score of 24-9, which drops the Chargers to 0-7.

As a result of the loss, the Chargers maintained their No. 32 spot in the ESPN power rankings and the Bleacher Report rankings, which is just not anywhere close to where this team thought they would be heading into Week 9.

For the Chargers, the struggles have been very hard to ignore, especially on the offensive side, with quarterback Justin Herbert having issues getting on the same page with the receivers, the offensive line staying healthy and blocking, the run game being inconsistent, and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel being able to find a rhythm as a playcaller.

With all of these issues surfacing in essentially every game, it has become almost impossible for the Chargers to play a complete game on the offensive side which then forces the defense into a lot of tough situations and that is just too much to ask for one side of the ball.

As mentioned, the Chargers are now 0-7 following their latest loss, and based on that, they really do need to accept the fact that they must be sellers at the trade deadline and acquire what they can for players that other teams are interested in.

The reason for that is based on the fact that 0-7, this team is not anywhere near the playoff picture and trying to act like they are does not help this team this year or in the future.

If the Chargers can accept that this year is better spent not being competitive, they can get a high-end draft pick like Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who could end up being a great weapon for Herbert, but if Los Angeles wants to try to be competitive, they will end up with a pick in the middle of the first round, which will do them no good moving forward.

Getting back to this season, the Chargers need to prioritize the development of their young talent to figure out who they want around for the future and who they can let go in free agency as well as who they could trade ahead of the trade deadline that is now just a week away. 

Additionally, Los Angeles does need to figure out if head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel are part of the future plans after a rough year or if they need to move on.

Simply put, this was supposed to be a year where the Chargers were near the top of the AFC and truly competing for an AFC West title as well as a possible Super Bowl, but instead, they have been way below expectations and have performed in a way that raises more questions than there are answers which is not a great place to be at all.

So, as the Chargers move forward, it will be intriguing to watch how they approach the trade deadline and if there are major changes throughout the rest of the year, or if Los Angeles decides to stick with what they have and try to salvage what is, at this point, a lost season.