LA Chargers Week 9 overreactions: Was trading Desmond King a mistake?

Overreaction #3: The LA Chargers’ playoff hopes are gone

After falling to the Las Vegas Raiders, the LA Chargers fell to 2-6 on the season.

And now, we come to the overreaction that we hoped we would never have to come to this season – giving up on playoff hopes for the 2020 season.

Before immediately losing all hope, let’s look at this both historically and rationally. At 2-6, the best record that the Chargers can achieve is 10-6.

Obviously, that is very far from likely, and even at full health, this Chargers roster would likely drop one if not two games. However, at 9-7, or maybe even at 8-8, the Los Angeles Chargers could make the playoffs in an NFL in which 7 teams make the playoffs in each division.

Now, the likelihood of the Chargers running the table in such a way is very slim. So, has it ever been done historically?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. No NFL team has ever started 2-6 and made the playoffs.

The expanded playoff format gives the Chargers a tiny bit more hope, but not enough to really believe that anything can come out of this season.

Could things be different if the NFL proposal to expand to a one-year 16 team playoff format due to COVID-19 cancellations change anything?

It could, but that is not something that a rational sports fan should expect. Simply put, it is time to put the worrying about the playoffs to the side now.

The rest of this season is about development and growth. Winning is conducive to both, and we should always root for wins as fans, but worrying about the playoffs is not something that should be on any Chargers fan’s mind for the rest of the season.

Verdict #3: Not an overreaction