Things haven't exactly gone according to plan for these teams. Entering the season, each had high expectations, with hopes of winning their division and making deep playoff runs.
But six weeks into the 2026 NFL season, all four teams have losing records and plenty of work ahead of them.
Some of these teams still have a chance to find their footing and turn things around. For others, though, it may already be curtains.
These 4 teams are facing an uphill battle following Week 6
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-6 and are just simply not a good football team.
Thank you and good night!
Honestly? I could stop there because that pretty much sums it up, but let's dig a little deeper into where this season has gone wrong.
Expectations were high for this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball.Â
They have the supremely talented Justin Herbert at quarterback, second-year running back Omarion Hampton, Ladd McConkey leading the receiving corps, and one of the best offensive tackle duos in football in Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.
And with Mike McDaniel taking over as offensive coordinator, this was supposed to be the year the Chargers' offense reached an elite level.
Uh, yeah… that definitely hasn't happened.
The Chargers rank dead last in EPA per play and 31st in success rate. Their defense, meanwhile, has actually been respectable, ranking 19th in EPA per play allowed and 14th in success rate allowed. But you can't win football games if you can't score!
And the Chargers rank 30th in points per game, averaging 15 points per contest.
So, fine. I guess they technically can score.
Herbert has struggled to start the year, ranking 31st out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in both passer rating and EPA per dropback.
I gotta give Herbert credit, though. He does lead the league in one very important quarterback statistic.
Interceptions.
Herbert leads the NFL with eight interceptions.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
And sorry, Justin. I know you're probably reading this.
Hampton is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry with an abysmal -0.30 EPA per attempt. Oh, and he's also fumbled twice. He's a talented back, and his struggles certainly aren't all on him, but he hasn't exactly looked like Terrell Davis out there, Mike.
McConkey has totaled just 200 receiving yards and one touchdown this season. Even more concerning, he's managed only 118 yards since Week 1 while dealing with injuries.
The aforementioned tackle duo of Alt and Slater has also been hit hard by injuries, with Slater currently on injured reserve and Alt dealing with a neck injury he suffered in Week 4.
It's difficult to imagine a worse start to the season for Los Angeles.
At 0-6, the Chargers face an enormous uphill battle just to get back into the playoff conversation. And while there's still plenty of football left to play, it's becoming increasingly difficult to be optimistic about the 2026 Chargers.
Heading into a bye week, Chargers fans might already be looking at mock drafts and turning their attention toward the offseason.
And I really don't blame them.
Indianapolis Colts
There was plenty of excitement surrounding the Indianapolis Colts entering the season. Last year, this team was 8-4 before quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury. With Jones back healthy, the Colts were hoping to compete for a division title and make a playoff run.
But after losing at home to the previously winless Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Indianapolis fired general manager Chris Ballard and now sits at 2-4, with the undefeated Minnesota Vikings up next and the Jacksonville Jaguars looming in Week 8.
Jones' performance is a major reason this team has underperformed.
Jones ranks 29th in yards per attempt, 30th in passer rating and 28th in EPA per dropback. He's also thrown four touchdowns to six interceptions.
You generally want that ratio to be positive, by the way.
The running game presents an interesting statistical contradiction. Indianapolis ranks fourth in EPA per rush, but its 17th-ranked yards per carry and 15th-ranked rushing success rate suggest that EPA ranking may be misleading or not fully representative of its rushing effectiveness.
Even star running back Jonathan Taylor is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry with a negative -0.05 EPA per attempt.
The offense as a whole ranks outside the top 20 in both EPA per play and success rate.
And unfortunately for Indianapolis, the defense has struggled as well, ranking 24th in EPA per play allowed and 25th in success rate allowed.
With a struggling quarterback, an inconsistent rushing attack, a below-average defense, a fired general manager and a daunting upcoming schedule, I'm struggling to see where a turnaround comes from.
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