The Chargers are 0-2, and the issue isn’t just execution. It’s voice.
It’s urgency. It’s having someone in the room who can make sure the message lands when things start slipping.
Justin Herbert has long been the steady face of the franchise. His teammates respect him, and he has built that respect the hard way, with toughness and consistency.
What he has not been, at least not in the loud, confrontational sense, is the quarterback who walks into the locker room after a bad loss and rips into everybody. That’s not his style, and that’s fine.
But right now, this team could use a little more edge from somebody.
The Chargers have too many self-inflicted problems through two games. The offense hasn’t found a rhythm, mistakes keep piling up and turnovers have hurt them badly. After a pair of disappointing losses, the frustration is obvious.
Khalil Mack is one of the veterans who can help set the tone. He has already shown that he is willing to say the quiet part out loud.
After Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, Mack said the team is basically beating itself and that it has to clean things up. He also gave a revealing answer when asked about Jim Harbaugh’s postgame message, saying he had “blanked out” because his mind was still on the game and figuring out how to pick up the pieces.
That doesn’t read like disrespect. It reads like a veteran who is fed up with another loss that felt avoidable.
Derwin James Jr. is built for this kind of moment too. The Chargers named him a captain again this season and called him the heart and soul of the team.
That fits his style, from the fiery pregame speeches to the emotion he brings on defense. Daiyan Henley has added energy on that side of the ball as well, and Ladd McConkey has stepped into a bigger leadership role in the locker room.
This doesn’t have to be about one player becoming the loudest voice in the building. The Chargers need the whole leadership group to raise the temperature.
At 0-2, panic isn’t the answer. But an attitude shift is. The schedule is about to get much harder, with Buffalo, Seattle and Kansas City all coming up.
Herbert can set the standard by example. Mack can bring the veteran bluntness.
James can supply the fire. Henley and McConkey can add their own energy.
What the Chargers cannot afford is letting 0-2 turn into 0-3.
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Chargers Face A Brutal Khalil Mack Decision After 0-2 Start
Two losses to open the season have already pushed the Chargers into early-season speculation mode, and the conversation around the roster is starting to move beyond simple corrections. NFL media has begun looking ahead to the trade deadline, with Bleacher Report singling out veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack as a name to watch because of where he stands contractually and the level he can still bring on the field.
Chicago and Detroit were among the teams mentioned as possible landing spots, which only adds to the sense that this could become more than idle chatter if Los Angeles keeps digging itself into an early hole. No move has been made, and the Chargers still have time to steady things, but the fact that Mack is already part of the deadline conversation says plenty about how quickly this start has changed the temperature around the team. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Hortiz Is Facing A Chargers Question Fans Can't Ignore
The Chargers offensive line problems have gone from a nagging issue to one of the defining frustrations of the 2025 season, and Justin Herbert is paying the price every week. Injuries and uneven play up front have left him under constant pressure, with the kind of protection issues that can turn a promising offense into a scramble drill, and the roots of the problem trace back to a roster-building approach Joe Hortiz brought with him from Baltimore.
Hortiz has leaned on low-cost, low-replacement-value interior linemen, a philosophy that can work only if the margins are right and the depth holds up. Instead, recent decisions like the short-term signing of Mekhi Becton and the choice not to re-sign Zion Johnson have only sharpened the question facing the front office: whether the Chargers can keep asking Herbert to operate behind this kind of line and still expect the offense to function the way it should. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Could Finally End The Chargers' Early Offensive Frustration
Justin Herbert and the Chargers are heading into Week 3 with a chance to shake off the early offensive frustration that has hung over the start of the season. The matchup with Buffalo brings the kind of test that can quickly tell you whether Los Angeles is finding its rhythm or still searching for it, and Herberts arm is at the center of that conversation.
The expectation in this one is that Herbert can put together a big passing day and help push the offense into a more comfortable place after an uneven opening stretch. It is still just a prediction, but it has the feel of the sort of game that could change the tone around the Chargers quickly if Herbert finds his timing and the passing game starts clicking. [Read more 🡒]