Los Angeles Chargers: 4 Reasons Why Week 6 Is A Must-Win Situation

The Los Angeles Chargers enter Week 6 at 2-2 and hope to be on the favorable side coming out.

Taking on the Denver Broncos, the Bolts have the opportunity to be 3-2 as the season rolls along. It also has the makings of being a crucial game this week.

Here are four reasons why this is a must-win game against the Denver Broncos Sunday afternoon at Mile High Stadium.

Los Angeles Chargers Must Get Back On Track

The bye week is a perfect time to reset and regain that focus. The Chargers lost their two previous games entering the bye week in 20-10 fashion in Pittsburgh and 17-10 to Kansas City.

The two losses also came after the Chargers jumped out to a 2-0 record with wins over Las Vegas and Carolina.

“Not where we want to be. We want to be 4-0, but we’re 2-2,” Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday to the media . “What does ‘get better’ look like? For us, it’s getting better, crisper, sharper on offense and in all areas — trying to grow. That’s what we’re attacking as the NFL is a one-week league and honing in on everything we can do to be the most successful for each week on Sunday.”

Bye weeks give a mental break for the players to reset and give them the necessary time to heal, both physically and mentally for the remainder of the season.

For the Chargers, coming off two straight losses, the bye week gives them the chance to take the essential time to prepare on how to get back to their winning ways.

Related: Los Angeles Chargers: 5 Keys to Victory Against the Broncos

Coming Off The Bye

Not only do the Los Angeles Chargers have the opportunity to create momentum based on the teams that they are facing, but they also have the opportunity to keep themselves prepared.

The Chargers are coming their early-season bye week and it is a golden chance for players to take advantage of it. For most that includes getting healthy or getting as close to 100% for the remainder of the season.

That is especially true for a player like quarterback Justin Herbert, who has been dealing with a foot injury over the last few weeks.

“I thought it came at the right time,” Herbert said Wednesday of the bye week . “Saw a lot of guys getting treatment, spending time around here, so it’s always good to see.”

“(For me) it’s similar to what it’s been like, icing, doing all the modalities, it’s making sure the swelling, the inflammation goes down and taking care of the pain. You ramp up, whether it’s running on the water treadmill, testing it outside and taking some drops.”

There are times each season when teams like an early bye for injury or game-changing decisions or a late season bye to build that momentum going into the final push.

The Chargers have gone with the former and will hope to continue that for the remainder of the season.

Also read: Justin Herbert Addresses Los Angeles Chargers’ Offensive Struggles

Early Playoff implications

This week marks the one-third mark of the season. When it comes to potentially looking at the playoff picture, even if it is 12 weeks away, the Chargers are one of 21 teams to have a 3-2, a 2-2, or a 2-3 record through five weeks, the most since 2018. In the AFC alone, there are nine teams separated across those three specific records.

As a result, being part of the handful of teams at those records can give motivation to stack wins.

The Chargers have seen in the past, including in 2021, where the tiebreakers do not go in their favor. That leads to Los Angeles coming up just short of a postseason bid.

Getting wins now, especially when trying to win a tiebreaker by defeating a divisional foe not once, but twice, goes a long way in determining who gets to play deeper into January.

Los Angeles does not want to look back on the season to potentially be one game back of the No. 7 seed and have those regrets be the difference in making or missing the postseason.

Also read: 3 Biggest Issues The Los Angeles Chargers Must Address During The Bye Week

The Los Angeles Chargers Strength Of Schedule

Including this week, the Chargers have the opportunity to create some momentum. Although three of their next four games are away from SoFi Stadium, there is an opportunity to put together a winning streak.

The Chargers’ next eight opponents currently have records of 3-2 or worse. Denver, Baltimore, and Atlanta are 3-2; Arizona and New Orleans are 2-3; Tennessee is 1-3 while Cleveland and Cincinnati are 1-4.

This means that the Chargers have a chance to find a spark and let them ride over the next eight games, which includes two Monday Night Football appearances on Oct. 21 at Arizona and Nov. 25 vs. Baltimore.

In addition, after the Chargers make their yearly trip to Arrowhead Stadium, the schedule has the chance to lighten up with matches against Tampa Bay (3-2), Denver before traveling to end the season in New England (1-4) and Las Vegas (2-3).

Although one game-at-a-time is the mentality, the Los Angeles Chargers have to balance the present with the future.

Also read: Where Do The Los Angeles Chargers Sit In The Power Rankings After The Bye?

More must-reads:

• Chargers Suffer Bizarre Injury; Harbaugh Returns To Field
• Chargers Insider Identifies Perfect Trade Target
• Chargers Injury Update: ‘Questionable’ Starter Officially Active Vs. Broncos