The LA Chargers went into Denver on New Year's Eve and did exactly what the fanbase wanted them to do: lose the game. At this point in the season, fans are only focused on the upcoming head coaching search and the 2024 NFL Draft. Losing, at this point in the season, is far better than winning.
And boy did the Chargers lose in great fashion. The team did not score a touchdown in the game and did just about everything it could to lose this game; missed tackles in the secondary, bad fumbles, a horrible fake punt attempt, and a blocked field goal. This game had it all and it all helped the Chargers lose to a bad Denver Broncos team led by Jarrett Stidham.
The Chargers held the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft entering the week and with a loss, they maintain their status at No. 6. While the Chargers didn't move, though, Sunday's action did open up a very interesting possibility that previously did not seem likely.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is now a possibility for the Chargers
To be fair, a lot of things would have to go in the Chargers' favor for Marvin Harrison Jr. to be an option for the Bolts. For those who are unaware: Harrison is a generational wide receiver prospect who might be the best prospect at his position of the last two decades.
There is absolutely no chance that the Chargers would be able to take Harrison with the sixth overall pick. However, there could be an outside chance of him falling to the fourth overall pick, which is now obtainable for the Bolts after Sunday's action.
The Arizona Cardinals winning (along with the Chargers losing) created this opportunity. By beating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cardinals can now fall lower than the fourth overall pick if they win next week against the Seattle Seahawks. With the way both of those teams are playing, anything can happen.
If the Cardinals win, the New York Giants win (against the reeling Philadelphia Eagles) and the Chargers lose then the Chargers would jump to the fourth overall pick. The team would have the same record as Arizona with an easier strength of schedule that gives them the higher pick.
Picking ahead of them would be the Chicago Bears at No. 1 and the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders at No. 2 and 3 (that order can change based on Week 18). There is a world in which those three picks go by and Harrison is not taken.
It is obviously far more likely that Harrison gets taken in the top three picks. Chicago's best-case scenario would be to trade down to the third pick, let the Patriots or Commanders get their first choice of quarterback, and then take Harrison at No. 3. But if that option is not available, it is possible that Chicago trades down with a team that desperately needs a franchise QB.
A team like the Atlanta Falcons or Las Vegas Raiders could trade a king's ransom to get that first overall pick and take a quarterback. New England and Washington would still both need a franchise quarterback and that could prompt Jayden Daniels to be taken third overall. Daniels is not the third-best player in this draft class, but we see every single year that quarterbacks are taken higher than expected.
Is it the most likely outcome? No. But it certainly is possible. For the first time all season, Harrison is at least a possibility for the Chargers. And even if that doesn't work out, the Bolts are only increasing their chances of landing another star receiver, Malik Nabers.
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