If you were to have shared your best- and worst-case scenarios for the Chargers a year ago, I think the consensus would have believed making the playoffs and/or finishing above .500 was on the high end of the spectrum and falling under .500 would be on the latter side.
The Chargers ended up pushing past those preconceived limits by the fan base to go and win 11 games en route to making the postseason. Now we know where that inevitably ended for the team, but I don’t think you can truly say they did anything but exceed expectations.