Are the Chargers as good as their 6-3 record suggests?
Are the Rams better than the team that muddled through an ugly Monday night loss to Miami?
We’re around the midway point of the NFL season, and both Los Angeles teams are still defining themselves. They are neither really good nor really bad, but the big test comes over the next four weeks.
The Chargers have won three in a row and four of five but there’s nary a winning record among those four teams they beat — Denver, New Orleans, Cleveland and Tennessee — and that foursome is currently a combined 12-26.
You can essentially flip that record for the next four teams the Chargers play: Cincinnati, Baltimore, Atlanta and Kansas City, who are a combined 26-13.
The Rams, meanwhile, have been so up and down that their fans are seasick. The team followed a 1-4 start by winning three in a row, and looked like a squad no one wanted to face, especially with the stellar receiving tandem of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back and in the flow.
Then the Rams fizzled at home Monday in a 23-15 loss to the Dolphins, who were 2-6 coming into the game. Even more disappointing for the Rams, they had a couple of key offensive linemen back and were starting to feel as if they were gathering momentum.
The Rams play at New England on Sunday — the Patriots aren’t pushovers — then play home against Philadelphia, at New Orleans, and back home against Buffalo. The 7-2 Eagles and 8-2 Bills lead their respective divisions.
Although they’re one of the NFL’s youngest teams, the Rams have some experienced leadership on offense in quarterback Matthew Stafford and Kupp. Plus, their defensive line has shown real promise despite the retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.
What we don’t know is whether these Rams have the same constitution as last season’s version, which began 3-6 before stepping on the gas in mid-November and winning seven of eight to make the playoffs.
Just as mysterious are the Chargers under the seasoned Jim Harbaugh, in his debut season as coach. If this is a marathon, they’re at the base of Heartbreak Hill and gazing up a steady incline.
On Sunday night, the Chargers play host to the Bengals and quarterback Joe Burrow, who has the hottest hand this side of Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
The Bengals could be welcoming the return of receiver Tee Higgins, who missed the last three games with a quadriceps injury, and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was playing the best football of his career before missing the last two games with an injured knee.
The Chargers have allowed the fewest points in the league, averaging 13.1 per game, and are facing a team that has scored at least 33 points in five games this season.
Something’s got to give.
As for the Bengals, they don’t play much defense. They’re giving up an average of 26.2 points, precisely twice as many as the Chargers. On top of that, they don’t play the run well, and Harbaugh makes it a priority to establish the run.
It’s folly to look too far ahead in the NFL because injuries and circumstances can dramatically change the landscape from week to week.
That said, there’s guaranteed to be a lot of buildup when the Chargers play host to Baltimore the following week for the third edition of the Harbaugh Bowl between Jim and his brother, John, coach of the Ravens.
They are 1-1 against each other with John owning the big prize, a Super Bowl win over Jim’s San Francisco 49ers.
As is the case with the Bengals, these Ravens can score a lot of points but so far are a big disappointment on defense. Their problems are not in stopping the run, but in their high-priced secondary. Unlike last season with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald — now head coach in Seattle — they aren’t fooling anyone with creative schemes and the like.
The crystal ball is cloudy for both the Rams and Chargers. Each is 2-1 its division with a legitimate chance of reaching the postseason.
The Chargers are better positioned at the moment to make the playoffs. The Rams have a history of closing strong and finishing the job when the postseason is within reach.
These next four weeks will tell us a lot.