The Chargers’ 0-2 start has put Jim Harbaugh in an uncomfortable spot fast.
After Sunday’s 26-14 loss to the Raiders, Los Angeles is staring at an early-season mess that doesn’t look anything like an AFC contender. The defeats have come against the Cardinals and Raiders, two teams that did not make the playoffs last season and aren’t expected to be major threats in 2026. Instead, both have handled Harbaugh’s team with relative ease.
Harbaugh is only in his third season with the Chargers, so this is nowhere near the point where a firing would be realistic. But if this keeps going the wrong way, the conversation around him could get loud sooner than anyone in Los Angeles wants.
The defense has been the clearest problem so far. Arizona opened the season by beating the Chargers 26-14 behind Jacoby Brissett, a bridge quarterback, and a defense without much star power. Then the Raiders followed suit, with Kirk Cousins throwing three touchdown passes in another game that made the Chargers look soft on that side of the ball.
Through two games, Los Angeles has given up 52 points, 530 passing yards and 10 third-down conversions.
That’s the kind of stat line that gets attention in a hurry, especially when the quarterbacks doing the damage are not supposed to be the guys lighting up the league in 2026. Brissett and Cousins both looked comfortable against the Chargers, and that’s a problem Harbaugh can’t ignore.
The offense has been just as messy. Justin Herbert threw his second and third interceptions of the season against Las Vegas, and turnovers have become a major issue. The Chargers also had six fumbles as a team, although only one ended up being lost to the Raiders.
The receiver situation hasn’t helped. In Week 1, Ladd McConkey led the group with 82 yards and a touchdown. With McConkey dealing with an injury in Week 2, he was limited to 35 yards, while Tre Harris’ lone catch for 53 yards paced the team.
Not everything lands on Harbaugh, and there has been some bad luck mixed in with the poor play. But the overall picture is ugly enough to raise questions. The Chargers have looked unprepared, and that stands out even more after consecutive early playoff losses in 2024 and 2025.
And the road ahead does them no favors.
After dropping two games to teams that missed the 2025 playoffs, Los Angeles now enters a brutal stretch with seven straight games against playoff teams from last season, starting with a Week 3 road trip to face Josh Allen and the Bills.
Here’s what’s next for the Chargers:
Sept. 27 at Bills, 1 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 11 vs. Broncos, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 18 at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m.
Nov. 1 at Rams, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 8 vs. Texans, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Ravens, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 22 vs.
Jets, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 29 vs.
Patriots, 8:20 p.m.
Dec. 6 at Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Dec. 13 at Raiders, 4:05 p.m.
Dec. 17 vs. 49ers, 8:15 p.m.
Dec. 27 at Dolphins, 1 p.m.
TBD vs.
Chiefs TBD
TBD vs.
Broncos TBD
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For the Bengals, the bigger picture is simple: the margin in this division already feels thin, and the next round of games could shuffle it again. With the Browns trying to build on their bounce-back showing, the Steelers still searching for a steadier footing and the Ravens trying to recover from a damaging finish, Cincinnati has a chance to keep control if it handles the coming stretch. [Read more 🡒]