We’ve somehow already made it to the quarter pole of the 2026 NFL season–not that the thermometer hints we’ve gone an inch since the opening of training camp. Right, climate change doesn’t exist.
Perhaps the best argument for saying that it doesn’t would be for someone to step up and emulate either the 1992 San Diego Chargers or the 2016 Denver Broncos. Because respectively they are the only teams in the last 36 seasons to get through the first quarter of the season winless (SD) and yet still make the playoffs or lossless (Denver) and somehow miss entirely. From the looks of the field that has contributed to this year’s crop of futility, you’d probably be more convincing trying to sell me that aliens created sunspots than anyone is somehow going to become the second in either category.
This year’s Chargers team perhaps defines the epitome of missed expectations, as THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Sam Farmer moaned yesterday afternoon:
Freakish start, familiar finish. The first NFL game to open with back-to-back interceptions ended Sunday with another loss by the Chargers, who are 0-4 and still searching for answers.
The 30-23 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks didn’t feel as close as the final score suggests, as quarterback Justin Herbert took a beating — including some hits that were flagged… Former Chargers Uchenna Nwosu strip-sacked…Herbert and Derick Hall recovered the loose ball with 48 seconds left to end the Chargers’ final hope to avoid falling to 0-4. The play came after the Chargers defense managed to stop the Seahawks on their final possession to give the Chargers the ball with 1:42 left, but the fumble ended the L.A. comeback.
What a month ago would have been unthinkable — the job security of coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel — could percolate into a talking point, even though it’s unlikely the club would make a drastic move at this point. Harbaugh, for instance, is under contract for two more seasons, and the Chargers would owe him more than $30 million if they were to let him go. Besides, he had never been 0-2 in his coaching career, college or pros, let alone double that. As for McDaniel, his offense has yet to get traction, and serious questions have surfaced about whether the Chargers have the right personnel to effectively run his scheme.
Not that Mikey Mac’s legacy team has crowned themselves with glory, either. His old hometown MIAMI HERALD actually assigned one of their few remaining humans, Barry Jackson, to that ignominious recap:
In this Year 1 of a rebuild, Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley continues to express a combination of disappointment and encouragement in his postgame press conferences. Those emotions certainly were appropriate following Miami’s closer-than-expected 15-10 loss in Minnesota on Sunday, a game in which the defense played valiantly and Ollie Gordon reached the 100-yard mark. “
“Don’t get me wrong. Guys, I’m not happy. I want to win the game. I think you can sense that. Am I proud of certain aspects? Yes. Am I disappointed? For sure. Do I need to be better? Yeah. Do we all need to be better? For sure. We had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. That has to be the next step.”
Not exactly Knute Rockne or, for that matter, even last year’s McDaniel. But then again, a team as bereft with talent further saddled with injury probaly couldn’t provoke any speech even close to “win one for the Gipper”. Or even Tua or Tyreke.
At least Fins Nation can’t be taunted by the NFC team to the west. River Wells of TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS ON SI drew the short straw in this case:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a tough go of things on Sunday in Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers. The team wasn’t able to do enough to stave off Green Bay, falling 17-14 and moving to a dreadful 0-4 on the season.
That loss did come with some injury to insult. The Buccaneers had two defensive players injured in this contest, and they’re both names to monitor as the Bucs turn around and play the Dallas Cowboys in just three days. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and linebacker SirVocea Dennis both got injured during the team’s loss to the Packers.
Oh, and speaking of the still-unemployed and troubled Mr. Hill–wouldn’t he have perhaps looked good in Houston during the period where top receiver Nico Collins was sidelined? Well Collins returned to the field and the Texans–who last season defied the odds of making the playoffs after an 0-3 start–were ready to begin a repeat. Until their vaunted defense and reality set in. It took no less than FOUR HOUSTON CHRONICLE humans–Jonathan M. Alexander, Greg Rajan, Peter Warren and Matt Young–to talk their faithful off the ledge:
The Houston Texans‘ season still has a long way to go, but their playoff hopes may have taken a mortal blow Sunday. The Texans couldn’t hold a late lead and lost 34-30 to the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. Houston fell to 0-4 on the season, a stunning descent for a team that was discussed as a Super Bowl contender in the preseason.
Maybe the one saving grace for the Texans is that they can’t look back wistfully at the team that left their fine city three decades ago since they are in far more muck and mire, as A TO Z SPORTS’ Easton Freeze noted:
Tennessee fixed some of the things we’ve been begging for against Baltimore, and doubled down on some new and old mistakes to wipe out all the good…The…Titans fell to the Baltimore Ravens 24-18 in Week 4, and the final score makes the game look closer than it really was.
If you are looking for some sort of shocker ending, perhaps look at those who are somehow still undefeated despite some significant flaws. Those Vikings, for one. Their offense output was exclusive to kicker Jack Reichard and their top receiver was veteran tight end T.J. Hockensen. Not exactly striking fear in the hearts of the league.
And even the Chiefs–who survived a battle of unbeatens that actually was watchable–are not without their own issues, as the KANSAS CITY STAR’s Pete Sweeney highlighted was the key play in their 30-27 win in Las Vegas against the Ray-dahs:
With the Chiefs facing third-and-5 in their own territory, down 19-17 amid deafening noise, Patrick Mahomes launched a ball deep down the field to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Thornton made a 55-yard catch to set up the Chiefs’ go-ahead score. He suffered a nasty ankle injury on the play, and he was carted off.
The Chiefs are actually one of the first two teams that will be getting a bye week next week and have the chance to address this issue. Paging Tyreek Hill?
Courage…