Threats to the Threepeat: Chargers

The latest newsletter from KCSN Sports Data Scientist, Joseph Hefner

As I write this article, I am on vacation, sipping Mai Tai’s on beautiful Luquillo beach in Puerto Rico. This is fitting, as the team I’m writing about is the LA Chargers, who just a handful of years ago traded the sunny beaches of San Diego for the even sunnier beaches of Los Angeles. Perhaps the only team that is more “beachy” is the Miami Dolphins.

The 2023 Chargers were quite the experience. Yet another year where they were “one more piece/weapon for Herbert” away from contending, as they always are. They started the season coming off an absolutely shattering loss in the playoffs in 2022 against the Jaguars, a game in which they led 27-0 with less than a minute left before halftime, before losing with a final score of 31-30.

They started the 2023 season 4-4, with wins against the likes of the Bears, Raiders, Jets, and Vikings. They lost Mike Williams to an ACL injury in Week 3, after having already lost to the Dolphins and Titans in the first two weeks. Justin Herbert suffered a finger fracture, and was put on IR in week 14. After starting 4-4, they went 1-8 the rest of the season. That includes a 63-21 beatdown in week 15 against the Raiders, which resulted in both HC Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco (now the Raiders GM) being fired.