The Raiders’ 2-0 start has done more than put a pair of wins in the standings. It has cracked open the mood in Los Angeles, where a fan base that spent years talking down to Las Vegas is suddenly staring at an 0-2 Chargers team and losing its mind.
Sunday’s result was a convincing one for Klint Kubiak’s Raiders, who took down the Chargers and left their division rival with a mess to sort through. Los Angeles had already opened the year with a 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but plenty of Chargers fans still seemed to expect a reset against the Raiders. Instead, the loss pushed them deeper into a panic that now has them questioning nearly everything.
At Bolt Beat, Jason Reed wrote Monday morning that the Chargers should at least consider opening the phone lines and possibly trading Justin Herbert. That’s the kind of reaction that would have sounded absurd not long ago, especially for a quarterback who has long been treated by Chargers supporters as the franchise’s untouchable star.
Herbert entered the season with huge expectations. Jim Harbaugh had gone as far as to say Herbert may end up as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Mike McDaniel also said a new part of his playbook was going to be opened up because of Herbert’s talent, with the idea being that the offense would look more modern than what Greg Roman had run in recent years.
Chargers fans bought into that vision. Now, after two games, the tone has flipped fast.
Reed is also questioning what Harbaugh even does, while analysts are tearing into McDaniel and company. The backlash is coming from everywhere.
The optics haven’t helped. Herbert and McDaniel looked uncomfortable or disconnected in a video from Sunday’s broadcast that has been making the rounds on social media. Khalil Mack also said he “blanked out” when Harbaugh was talking in the locker room after the Week 2 loss.
That all adds up to a fan base that looks like it has hit a breaking point early. Trading Herbert is being discussed.
Firing Harbaugh is being discussed. Giving up on McDaniel after two games is already being discussed.
General manager Joe Hortiz is getting hammered for wasted money in free agency and blown draft picks.
It is all surfacing at once for Los Angeles, and the Raiders are the ones who helped set it off. Las Vegas is not being crowned after two weeks, and Kubiak’s team still has plenty of work ahead. But right now, the Raiders’ outlook looks better than the Chargers’ does, and that alone tells you how much Sunday mattered.
For Raider Nation, there’s no need to apologize. After years of Chargers fans taking shots at Las Vegas, this kind of collapse lands with extra force. And if the first two weeks have shown anything, it’s that in the NFL, perception can turn just as fast as the scoreboard.
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For the Raiders, the timing adds another layer to a player they view as a potential future face of the franchise. Mendoza is expected to spend much of his first NFL season in a backup role, but he is already building a profile that extends well past the depth chart. If his on-field rise takes time, his off-field brand is moving fast, and Las Vegas has a young quarterback whose path may be unfolding in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]