Jim Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere today, but the temperature is climbing fast in Los Angeles.
Two weeks into the season, the Chargers look nothing like an AFC contender. They opened with a 26-14 loss to the Cardinals, then followed it up by falling to the Raiders, 26-14, on Sunday.
That leaves Harbaugh’s team 0-2 against opponents who didn’t make the playoffs last season and aren’t expected to be major threats in 2026. That’s the kind of start that gets attention in a hurry.
Harbaugh is in his third season with the Chargers, and it’s still early enough that a firing is not on the table right now. But if this keeps up, the questions around the 62-year-old coach are only going to get louder.
The defense has been a major problem. Against Arizona, Jacoby Brissett - described here as a bridge quarterback - and a defense without many big names had their way with the Chargers.
Then in Week 2, Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and made Los Angeles look vulnerable again. Through two games, the Chargers have allowed 52 points, 530 passing yards and 10 third-down conversions.
That’s not the kind of production anyone expected from a Harbaugh team. Brissett and Cousins are both established NFL quarterbacks, but neither is supposed to be putting up video-game numbers in 2026. Against the Chargers, both looked comfortable and in control.
The offense hasn’t carried its weight either. Justin Herbert has already thrown two interceptions in the second and third picks of his season coming against Las Vegas, and ball security has become a glaring issue. The Chargers also coughed it up six times as a team, although they lost only one of those fumbles to the Raiders.
The receiver situation hasn’t helped. Ladd McConkey led the wideouts in Week 1 with 82 yards and a touchdown, but with an injury bothering him, he was limited to 35 yards in Week 2. Tre Harris led the team in receiving against the Raiders with one catch for 53 yards.
There’s enough going wrong here that Harbaugh can’t take the blame alone. Some of it is bad luck.
Some of it is execution. But the overall picture is ugly, and after consecutive early playoff losses in 2024 and 2025, the frustration around the team is building.
As one post put it: “Don't need to see the result. Chargers are really rough rn.
OL issues not just from the interior but the tackles too. Herbert not getting the ball out fast enough.
Receivers dropping accurate throws. Run game mental errors.
Defense lacks pass rush and size. Mess, mess, mess.”
And the schedule isn’t doing the Chargers any favors. After starting 0-2 against non-playoff teams from 2025, they now enter a brutal stretch with seven straight games against playoff teams from last season. That run begins in Week 3 with a road trip to face Josh Allen and the Bills.
The stretch ahead is long and unforgiving: at Bills on Sept. 27, at Seahawks on Oct. 4, vs. Broncos on Oct. 11, at Chiefs on Oct. 18, at Rams on Nov. 1, vs.
Texans on Nov. 8, at Ravens on Nov. 16, vs. Jets on Nov. 22, vs.
Patriots on Nov. 29, at Buccaneers on Dec. 6, at Raiders on Dec. 13, vs. 49ers on Dec. 17, at Dolphins on Dec. 27, and then two TBD matchups with the Chiefs and Broncos.
In Other News...
Raiders Get An Early Opening Against A Shorthanded Chargers Defense
The Raiders are getting a first look at a Chargers team that is already dealing with some lineup uncertainty on both sides of the ball heading into Week 2. Los Angeles has had to shuffle pieces because of injuries, and that has opened the door for changes up front and in the secondary, including Kayode Awosika settling in at left guard and Tony Jefferson projected to start at safety.
From Las Vegas perspective, the bigger issue is how much the Chargers can clean up on defense after a rough opener. With key players either questionable or ruled out, the matchup gives the Raiders a chance to test a group that is still trying to settle its rotations and restore some stability before the division race gets any deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Could Catch Chargers At The Perfect Time Up Front
The Chargers are already dealing with some early turbulence up front, and that matters to the Raiders as they look down the AFC West schedule. Los Angeles brought in Odafe Oweh in a trade, then moved on from him in free agency and tried to fill that spot by drafting first-round pick Akheem Mesidor, but the early returns have not matched the hope that came with the move.
For Las Vegas, that makes this a matchup worth watching closely. A front that is still trying to find its footing can be vulnerable if the pass rush does not hold up and the offensive line keeps giving ground, which is exactly the kind of opening the Raiders would love to exploit while the Chargers are working to avoid an early-season hole. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Young Talent Suddenly Carries Big Weight Against The Chargers
Week 2 brings a little more clarity, and a lot more pressure, for a Raiders roster that is leaning on younger pieces sooner than expected. Tre Tucker, Tonka Hemingway and Hezekiah Masses all move into sharper focus against the Chargers, and their roles matter even more with injuries shaping what both teams can and cannot do. The Raiders got a decent look at how those players fit in Week 1, and now the challenge is whether that early usage translates into something sturdier in a divisional game that tends to punish any hesitation.
For Las Vegas, the matchup is less about waiting for proven names to carry the load and more about whether emerging talent can hold up when the game plans get tighter. Tuckers speed, Hemingways interior work and Masses presence all sit at the center of that conversation, especially with the availability questions on both sidelines potentially opening doors in different spots. What the Raiders learn here could say a lot about how much trust they can place in that young group, and how quickly they need that trust to grow. [Read more 🡒]