FanPulse: Chargers fans’ confidence falls slightly after week 1

Plenty of you here at Bolts From The Blue have been taking part in the ongoing fan confidence surveys since last year. This is part of SB Nation’s FanPulse tool, which sends weekly questions to the city’s most hardcore fans via email.

If you are interested in joining the Chargers FanPulse, please sign up here.

Let’s take a look at what happened to fan confidence heading into Week 2:

Trends

• At the end of last season, 76 percent of Chargers fans reported confidence in the team’s direction. After free agency, that number climbed to 81 percent.
• Prior to the draft, only 71 percent of fans were confident in the direction of the team. After the draft, that number jumped all the way to 88 percent.
• By preseason Week 1, that number had fallen again to 78 percent confidence. That number fell off a cliff as we approached the regular season all the way down to 59 percent.
• Following the Chargers’ Week 1 overtime win against the Colts, 58 percent of Chargers fans remain confident in the direction of the team. That difference is small enough to be considered holding steady.

The outcome of the Colts game was certainly positive, but a lot of what happened on the way to that outcome was worrisome. The team’s cornerback depth has nearly disappeared. The offensive tackles probably wished they could disappear. And the run defense got embarrassed. The team still has great players on the roster, and 58 percent confidence isn’t necessarily low, but there is definitely some consternation among Chargers fans.

All fan bases were asked about the most disappointing team in Week 1, and these were the results.

There’s not much to be surprised about in these results. The Falcons, Bears, and Steelers all lost to actual contenders. The much-hyped Cleveland Browns, though, got dominated by the Tennessee Titans.