It has become a bit of a joke in the NFL world that the LA Chargers do not have a fanbase. While everyone reading this article knows that is not true, it does not help when the Chargers' home games are taken over by visiting fans.
It really got bad when the Chargers relocated to Los Angeles and were playing at Dignity Health Sports Park. Fans who were upset about the relocation and did not want to pay massively high ticket prices didn't show up. As a result, the Chargers never truly had a home game.
It definitely has gotten better since the team started playing in SoFi Stadium as there is no longer the massive disparity between Chargers fans and visiting fans. However, there are still certain fanbases that will take over the stadium and give the Bolts a tough environment to play in.
The Chargers have to deal with arguably the worst example of that in Week 6 as the team is hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Dallas has the biggest fanbase in the sport and there is a litany of Cowboys fans located in Southern California. The Chargers are expecting those fans to show up and are already practicing under hostile circumstances.
#Chargers once again using crowd noise in practice during the week of a home game
— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) October 12, 2023
Chargers' using crowd noise ahead of a home game is not a great sign
This is not something new that the Chargers have done as the team has done it several times in the past. But that does not make it any better that the Bolts have to prepare for a home game that will probably sound like it is taking place in the Lone Star State.
This isn't necessarily a must-win game for the Chargers with a 2-2 record but it would be a huge win nonetheless. With the Kansas City Chiefs on the schedule next week, getting a win to go above .500 for the first time this season would be huge. That is obviously a lot harder when you have to deal with a hostile crowd at home.
Thankfully, the Chargers do have experience with this and hostile crowds haven't really seemed to impact the team thus far. In fact, the two games the Chargers lost this year were against the two tamest crowds (at home vs Miami and on the road vs Tennessee).
Meanwhile, the team's two wins have been against the most hostile crowds (in Minnesota and at home against Las Vegas). Perhaps this can actually be spun as a positive and juice the Chargers enough to get the W.