A few offenses entered this season with real buzz, and two weeks in, that buzz has faded fast. The Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots both came into the year with reasons for optimism, but neither attack has delivered the kind of start people expected. Now both are heading into Week 3 looking for a reset.
The Chargers are the more frustrating case because the pieces were all there on paper. Jim Harbaugh brought in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, and that move created plenty of excitement around what Justin Herbert might do in a more creative system. Herbert, second-year running back Omarion Hampton, Ladd McConkey, and the young tackle duo of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater gave Los Angeles a roster that looked loaded with potential.
Instead, the production has been rough. After two weeks, the Chargers sit 23rd in yards, 28th in points, and 28th in EPA per play.
The passing game has been stuck in neutral, and the ground game has been even worse. Hampton is averaging under four yards per carry, and Los Angeles ranks 31st in EPA per rush.
If there has been one bright spot, it has been McConkey. He has by far the most receiving EPA on the team and more than quintuples the second-highest receiver. And yes, I just said “quintuples.”
This week brings a cross-country trip to Buffalo, where the Bills’ offense has been rolling but their defense has not. Through two weeks, Buffalo ranks 25th in EPA per play, 27th in yards allowed, and 30th in points allowed.
For New England, the disappointment looks different but feels just as sharp. The hype around Drake Maye, Romeo Doubs, and the trade for A.J.
Brown had people expecting a major step forward. Instead, the Patriots are stuck near the bottom of the league in points per game, yards per play, and EPA per play.
The run game has at least held up. New England owns a 44.1% success rate on the ground and is averaging 4.2 rushing yards per play.
The passing game, though, has not matched that level. The Patriots rank 28th in EPA per pass, and Maye has thrown just one touchdown against four interceptions through two weeks.
Brown’s absence has only made things harder. He won’t be back until late October, leaving Maye without his top target for now.
New England heads on the road this week to face Jacksonville, a defense that has limited opponents to 15 points per game but also given up 6.2 yards per play and 8.2 yards per pass, both of which rank 30th in the league.
Two weeks into the season, both offenses are still searching for the version everyone thought they’d see in September. Week 3 is their next shot.
In Other News...
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 🡒]