Story by
Chargers Power Rankings Roundup: L.A. Remains on the Bottom -- With One Exception
- Story by
- Chargers Power Rankings Roundup: L.A. Remains on the Bottom -- With One Exception
It was another awful offensive outing for the Chargers this Sunday when they faced the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Early on, their defense held things down and allowed them to take a 9-3 lead, but their offense froze afterward and didn't score another point, resulting in a 24-9 loss.
They're now 0-7, and the season is looking even more lost. It doesn't seem as if embattled offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is going to lose his job any time soon, especially after head coach Jim Harbaugh reiterated after Sunday's game that McDaniel will continue to call plays. But it is looking increasingly likely that McDaniel will lose his job at some point, at least by the end of the season.
Advertisement
Not surprisingly, the Bolts are still at the bottom of NFL power rankings, but one outlet was a bit kinder to them heading into Week 9.
ESPN
The Chargers remain at No. 32 in ESPN's NFL power rankings going into Week 9. They still have a tough schedule remaining, with games against the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos left.
The only good news that fans may have to grasp onto is that the team seems to have a good shot at getting the No. 1 pick in April's draft, which would mean that it would be able to select Ohio State University wide receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith.
Advertisement
The Athletic
The Chargers are also at No. 32 in The Athletic's power rankings, and Josh Kendall and Chad Graff had a harsh characterization of the job head coach Jim Harbaugh is doing right now, as they wrote that he "has lost his fastball."
"The Chargers fell to 0-7 on Sunday for the first time since 2000, when their current coach was the quarterback. Harbaugh is still fifth among active head coaches in winning percentage (63.9 percent), but he has seemed disconnected from the league's most bewildering team all year long. Los Angeles is last in the league in offensive EPA (minus-95.56)."
Advertisement
Throughout his pro and college coaching career, Harbaugh has finished with a losing record just three times in 22 previous seasons, and he has done so just once in his last 17 seasons. The worst record he has ever finished with was 4-8 back in 2007 during his first season as Stanford University's head coach.
Sports Illustrated
Conor Orr also kept the Chargers in the last spot in his latest NFL power rankings . But he actually gave the team's defense some praise while having some harsh words for quarterback Justin Herbert.
Advertisement
"I honestly can't believe we're here. The defense is playing incredibly well. Enough to almost legitimize the Chargers' unwillingness to trade Khalil Mack. Offensively, Justin Herbert feels like he's in self-destruct mode. Those two interceptions against the Rams looked as bad as any he's thrown this season."
Overall, the Chargers rank 20th in points allowed and 13th in total yards allowed, but they're a very solid seventh in passing yards given up and fifth in passing touchdowns given up. Until the final seconds of the first half of Sunday's game, they held the Rams' offense in check in ways that have been seldom seen since Sean McVay became the Rams' head coach in 2017.
NFL.com
Nick Shook of NFL.com did give the Chargers a bit of credit by raising them two spots to No. 30 this week . He pointed out how well they did defensively early in Sunday's game, but make no mistake — his overall outlook for them is still very poor.
Advertisement
"The Rams gained 24 yards on the first 15 plays — over their first five possessions — of Sunday's game and still beat the Chargers by 15 points. The Bolts continue to repeat the same mistakes (looking at you, Justin Herbert) and haven't scored a touchdown in 27 drives. It can't get much worse for the NFL's only remaining winless team."
Herbert completed 24 of his 32 passing attempts on Sunday, but he had two interceptions and no touchdown passes. For the season, he has a 61.8% completion rate and a league-high 10 interceptions and just five touchdown passes.
The calls for him to be traded or at least benched are getting louder.
Advertisement
More on the Los Angeles Chargers
This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
