Three weeks into the season, the AFC picture is already being shaped by a few familiar themes: a team trying to dig out of an 0-3 hole, a contender leaning hard on the run game, and a star tight end reminding everyone why he changes everything.
In Los Angeles, Ladd McConkey didn’t sugarcoat the Chargers’ situation, but he also didn’t sound like a player ready to pack it in. The Chargers are off to a 0-3 start, yet McConkey made it clear he still believes there’s a way out of it.
“If you’re not on board and you don’t think this can get turned around, then get out of here,” McConkey said, via the team’s website. “I feel like we got people to do it, we got all we need. We just have to go execute.”
In Kansas City, the offense is finding its footing with a ground game that’s doing more than just piling up yards. The Chiefs have opened 3-0 behind a reworked attack that leans heavily on RB Kenneth Walker III, and Patrick Mahomes says the impact goes well beyond the box score.
“It’s helping out a ton,” Mahomes said, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “I think people look at the stats and they see the touchdowns that Kenneth has and [rookie running back Emmett Johnson ] when they’re running the ball.
But I don’t think they really understand how the play-action and the movements [within the pocket] is really opened up in our offense. That’s a credit to [the running backs] and the offensive line firing off the ball, run and pass.”
“I thought we did a great job with that.”
Travis Kelce pointed to the same thing from a different angle, saying the rushing emphasis has helped the line settle in and play with more rhythm.
“The running game is getting the offensive line comfortable with getting downhill and really moving the line of scrimmage,” Kelce said. “On top of that, just being in sync with [No.] 15 back there.
I think [it’s] Bieniemy, coming from Chicago [as the Bears’ running backs coach] with even more of a downhill run game than what we’ve had in years past. Obviously, Kenneth Walker and EJ coming in and getting those yards early helps it out a lot.”
And in Las Vegas, Brock Bowers wasted no time proving he was back.
After returning from injury in Week 3, the Raiders tight end caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and the reaction around the team was basically unanimous: this is what he does. Nakobe Dean, who played with Bowers at Georgia, said the production came as no surprise.
“I mean, I’m not surprised - Brock is Brock,” Dean said, via Paul Gutierrez of the team’s site. “I’ve been seeing it for a long time, when he was a freshman at the University of Georgia. So I’m very proud of him and glad to have him back.”
Maxx Crosby was even more direct, calling Bowers the best at his position and a player who changes the whole feel of an offense.
“I mean, it’s self-explanatory - he’s the best in the business,” Crosby said. “He’s a complete game-changer.
Unguardable. So, yeah, we have a guy like that back in the lineup, it definitely helps the team out.”
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak was impressed too, especially considering Bowers was coming off an injury.
“ Brock’s always been a guy we can count on,” Kubiak said. “But to come off an injury and play the way he did, that was very, very impressive and we needed it. We’re not surprised by that with Brock.”
In Other News...
Jim Harbaugh Just Turned Up The Pressure On Justin Herbert
After the Chargers 24-16 loss to the Bills, Jim Harbaugh did something he rarely does in public: he put the spotlight squarely on Justin Herbert. Harbaugh also made sure to note the coaching staff shares responsibility for the offenses sluggish start, but his message was plain enough. Herbert needs to be better, and the Chargers need a sharper return from a quarterback who has opened the season with more interceptions than touchdowns and a low completion percentage.
Herbert did not push back. He accepted responsibility for the offenses performance and said the turnaround begins with him, which at least keeps the conversation pointed in one direction for now. For a team trying to settle its identity under Harbaugh, the tension is obvious: the coach is demanding more from his quarterback, and the quarterback knows the next step has to come from his own play. [Read more 🡒]
Harbaughs Biggest Chargers Problem Is Starting To Cost Them
The Chargers are off to a frustrating 0-3 start, and the strange part is that the defense has given them chances to change the script. In Sundays loss, the unit forced five turnovers, a number that usually should be enough to tilt a game in your favor, but the offense could not turn those takeaways into enough points to make them matter.
What has started to draw the most scrutiny is Jim Harbaughs decision-making on fourth down. Several conservative calls ended in field goal attempts instead of a more aggressive approach that some analytics models favored, and a later fourth-and-10 try from their own 45-yard line failed and handed the opponent momentum at a pivotal moment. For a team already searching for traction, those choices are becoming part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Quentin Johnston Puts Chargers Fans Back In A Tough Spot
Sean Payton had plenty to unpack after Denvers fourth-quarter comeback, but for Chargers fans the more familiar concern came from the other sideline chatter. Quentin Johnston owned up to a costly drop in a recent loss, a reminder of how quickly a single miscue can tilt a game and reopen old doubts about the offenses reliability in tight moments.
Johnston said he understands how difficult those moments can be, and for Los Angeles thats what makes the conversation linger. The Chargers have spent enough time trying to steady themselves through uneven stretches that every missed chance gets magnified, especially when a receiver with Johnstons role is involved and the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]