Alexander: Is it just a momentary slump, or Charger luck?

These are the moments erstwhile those who person been astir a while, who person watched years of committedness and struggles and getting adjacent but ne'er getting implicit the top, volition punctual themselves:

“Well, what bash you expect? They’re the Chargers.”

OK, that’s astir apt a wee spot of overreaction aft 2 discouraging losses. And possibly definite projections astatine the commencement of this season, with a hometown Super Bowl connected the horizon, were conscionable a spot overblown. (I can’t perchance ideate who could person done that.) 

But it is simply a almighty bequest of struggle, of things going incorrect astatine conscionable the incorrect time. The New England Patriots successful peculiar thin to resurrect those ghosts, and Halloween successful this lawsuit had thing to bash with it. (Don’t archer maine that if you followed this squad successful San Diego you didn’t springiness a fleeting thought to Marlon McCree, and the interception that wasn’t that doomed the 2006 Chargers, erstwhile you saw Bill Belichick connected the New England sideline Sunday.)

And truthful present we are.

These Chargers are 4-3, a crippled down the first-place Raiders successful the AFC West, and arsenic of the infinitesimal they would beryllium the AFC’s No. 7 effect successful a playoff strategy that was expanded by a crippled this year. And determination are inactive 10 games to play successful the NFL’s archetypal 17-game season. But the inclination is not good.

The Chargers dispensed an implicit stinker the week earlier their bye, a 34-6 nonaccomplishment to Baltimore. After a week off, a supposedly dynamic discourtesy looked thing but successful a 27-24 nonaccomplishment to New England, connected a time erstwhile Belichick reminded america that helium has been coaching successful the NFL 8 years longer than the Chargers’ Brandon Staley has been alive.

The aged guys bash person immoderate tricks up their sleeves, aft all. In this lawsuit Belichick pulled immoderate cover-two retired from nether his hoodie, thing backmost Justin Herbert said they hadn’t seen overmuch from the Patriots connected film.

Maybe that’s a lesson. Never assume, particularly against the wily aged guys.

After 2 touchdowns successful their archetypal 3 possessions Sunday, and aft their defence stopped New England connected a fourth-and-goal from the L.A. 1, this was the Chargers’ violative output: Three-and-out, three-and-out, interception, punt (with a Patriots’ punishment for moving into the punter wiped retired erstwhile the Chargers’ Kemon Hall interfered with returner Gunner Olszewski),  tract extremity (after bogging down astatine the 30), an interception for a Patriots touchdown, and a last past gasp touchdown with 40 seconds to play to trim the borderline to 3 points.

It wasn’t a amusive time for Herbert, who was 18 for 35 for 223 yards, was sacked 3 times and had to flight unit connected galore different occasions. His 66.7 passer standing was the second-lowest of his career. The lowest: 43.7 successful that 45-0 waxing by the Patriots successful Inglewood past December. The second-lowest earlier Sunday: 67.8 … 2 weeks agone successful Baltimore.

Trending downward, maybe? Or conscionable an elongated hiccup?

Sunday Herbert looked similar a shot pitcher tasked with figuring retired a mode to triumph without his champion worldly but not wholly definite however to spell astir it. When the Patriots unveiled their screen two, it seemed to propulsion him off. When his extortion broke down connected galore occasions, helium was successful occurrence drill mode. And erstwhile helium and his receivers weren’t connected the aforesaid leafage … well, the pick-six successful the 4th fourth occurred due to the fact that choky extremity Jared Cook seemingly turned the incorrect way. Instead the shot close went to Adrian Phillips, who utilized to beryllium a Charger but present plays information for the Patriots. No 1 touched him arsenic helium raced down the sideline.

Phillips wasn’t the lone ex-Charger to torment his aged mates. Hunter Henry was targeted 3 times and caught 1 walk for 33 yards, and helium was the 1 who recovered the hopeless onside footwear astatine the extremity of the crippled aft Joshua Palmer’s 24-yard touchdown reception with 47 seconds left.

Predictably, Herbert said successful the SoFi interrogation country afterward that helium felt similar his enactment “gave maine capable time, and it’s connected maine to marque those throws and get the shot retired quicker. But you know, I thought those guys up beforehand did a large occupation blocking and I consciousness comfy down those guys.”

His manager was much blunt, oregon should we accidental honest?.

“We did not support the passer good astatine each today,” Staley said. “We had acold excessively galore drops. And then, you know, we didn’t play with large timing astatine times due to the fact that of some of those things that were happening.”

Staley did person compliments for the Chargers’ tally defense, connected a time the Patriots gained 141 yards connected 39 carries and utilized the tally efficaciously to counterbalance rookie backmost Mac Jones’ ain acold streak (he was 1-for-12 astatine 1 constituent aft starting retired 6-for-9 for 109 yards and didn’t regain his mojo until the 4th quarter).

It was an betterment considering that going successful they were past successful the league successful rushing yards allowed per crippled (162.5) and per transportation (5.44). The instrumentality of antiaircraft lineman Justin Jones helped, but New England’s Damien Harris ran for 80 yards successful 23 carries with a touchdown, providing the grind-it-out benignant of crippled that could disguise a young quarterback’s difficulties.

So, again, present we are. The Chargers missed a accidental to propulsion adjacent with the Raiders, who were idle. They play astatine 3-5 Philadelphia adjacent week, which could beryllium considered a get-right crippled but that determination nary longer whitethorn beryllium immoderate specified happening successful the NFL (except for Houston, which the Chargers don’t get until Week 16). Whether it’s an effect of the 17-game schedule, immoderate benignant of post-pandemic ennui oregon a wide leveling of the tract successful grant of the precocious Pete Rozelle’s imagination of implicit parity, determination seems to beryllium a larger mediate people than usual: 15 teams wrong 2 games of .500 done Week 8.

Seven of the 10 teams remaining connected the Chargers’ docket acceptable that description. But truthful bash the Chargers themselves.

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander connected Twitter