No one could have predicted that the Chargers would start their season 0-3.
However, reality is often disappointing, and that's where the Chargers sit entering Week 4. Los Angeles hasn't looked nearly like the Super Bowl contender many thought it'd be.
Instead, there's a good chance the Chargers end up with a top-10 pick and miss the playoffs outright.
Sitting at 0-3, the Chargers have a steep uphill climb ahead of them, and NFL history doesn't paint a promising picture for their chances of being one of the seven AFC teams to make the playoffs.
"Since 1990, 171 teams started 0-3. Five of those 171 made the playoffs -- that's 2.9%," CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson shared in his latest column.
Okay, but that was before the expanded postseason. What about since
then?
"Even with the expanded postseason, the math doesn't help much: since the NFL went to 14 playoff teams in 2020, just one 0-3 team managed to qualify. That was Houston last season, and the Texans had to go 12-2 the rest of the way to pull it off," Wilson wrote.
"Put another way, 97% of teams that have been where the Chargers are right now since 1990 ended up watching the playoffs from home."
That doesn't sound promising.
The Chargers dug themselves into this hole, and after three weeks, it seems like a daunting task to get out.
Los Angeles play is one thing; their schedule is another. The Chargers began their gauntlet of a schedule this past Sunday against the Bills.
Their next six opponents are not easy, featuring the Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans, and Ravens until Week 10.
As things stand, the Chargers are underdogs in five of the six matchups. They are slight favorites over the Texans in Week 9.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: NFL history shows how difficult Chargers' playoff path is at 0-3
