OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — “Monday Night Football” has long been one of the NFL's great showcases — most of the time.
Occasionally, a game that looked good on the schedule before the season becomes a dud by the time it's played.
Consider this Monday's matchup: the Los Angeles Chargers at the Baltimore Ravens. Chargers coach John Harbaugh vs. his former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Justin Herbert vs. Lamar Jackson. Two teams expected to make noise
in the AFC this season.
At least, that's what it was supposed to be.
Instead, Los Angeles is 0-8 and Baltimore (4-5) has lost four straight games. Jackson is on injured reserve with a thumb injury.
“The past is the past. You can’t change anything about that,” Ravens running back Derrick Henry said. “But it’s about the present and how you approach every day, so when we go out there, we have the right mindset.”
The Chargers are actually on an 11-game losing streak going back to last season. So the teams have combined for 15 straight defeats, a record for a Monday night game, according to Sportradar.
Here's a look at the other longest combined losing streaks for teams playing on “Monday Night Football.”
The good news: These were all one-score games, so there's still a chance Ravens-Chargers could be interesting.
Miami was 0-10 and had lost 13 straight overall entering this matchup, but the Dolphins had a chance to win thanks to weather so bad the national anthem was skipped as the NFL rushed to get the game started. The host Steelers won on a field goal with 17 seconds left — the first time in 64 years a game went scoreless that long.
Las Vegas had dropped nine in a row before this defeat — but that odd final score doesn't mean there weren't any touchdowns. Atlanta managed a touchdown, a safety and two field goals. Las Vegas had a field goal and a late TD after which the extra point was blocked. Kirk Cousins threw for 112 yards for the Falcons in the win.
Houston won its division in 1993 and the Giants went 11-5 plus a playoff victory. So this could have been an exciting interconference matchup, but by late November everything had fallen apart for these teams. This game was Jeff Fisher's coaching debut after the Oilers fired Jack Pardee. Billy Joe Tolliver played quarterback for Houston. Kent Graham came on for New York after QB Dave Brown left with a concussion. David Treadwell's field goal with 2 seconds left won it.
The Jets had lost eight in a row and the Patriots four, but the two teams put on a decent enough show in primetime. Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes and helped New York to a 27-17 lead before a fourth-quarter rally by New England. Nick Folk won it with a 51-yard field goal on the final play. Jakobi Meyers had 12 catches for 169 yards for the Patriots.
These NFC East rivals met with the Giants on an eight-game skid. The Eagles had dropped three in a row, but this victory started a four-game winning streak that enabled them to win the division at 9-7. Carson Wentz threw a pair of late touchdown passes to Zach Ertz — one to tie it and one to win it in overtime. Philadelphia nearly doubled New York in time of possession.
— The Giants and Minnesota were a combined 1-10 in 2013 before New York earned its first win of the season, 23-7.
— Washington and Dallas were both 0-4 in 2001 and gave the viewing audience a quarterback matchup of Tony Banks vs. Anthony Wright. The Cowboys won 9-7.
— Baltimore was 4-9 and Green Bay was 3-10 entering their matchup in 2005. The Ravens won 48-3, with Kyle Boller outplaying both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
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