We’re three weeks into the 2026 NFL season, and the sample is already big enough to separate a little early noise from the real alarms. Some teams are wobbling. Others are flat-out in trouble.
Los Angeles Chargers
Panic meter rating: 11/10
That number is not a typo. The Chargers have already blown past the panic scale three games into the year. They needed a win in Week 3 to avoid an 0-3 start, forced five turnovers against the Buffalo Bills, and still managed to lose 24-16.
Per Evan Abrams of Action Network, it was only the third time since 2013 that a team forced five turnovers and finished with a +4 turnover margin, yet still lost. The teams in that spot before the Chargers had gone 81-3-1.
It gets uglier from there. Los Angeles has scored just 44 points over its first three games, and the schedule is about to get mean: the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens are next. This team isn’t making the playoffs.
Houston Texans
Panic meter rating: 8/10
Houston dropped a 19-17 decision to the Indianapolis Colts and slid to 0-3. The only thing keeping this from a full-blown 10/10 is that the Texans did this same thing last year and still made the playoffs.
But that kind of turnaround is rare. Only seven teams in NFL history have started 0-3 and still reached the postseason, and doing it again looks like a long shot.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
Panic meter rating: 5.5/10
Drake Maye’s year has gone sideways fast. After leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl and nearly taking home NFL MVP last season, he’s been one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks through three games.
The raw production is rough: 585 passing yards, six interceptions, two fumbles and only one touchdown. The deeper numbers are just as harsh.
Among 36 qualified quarterbacks, Maye is last in turnover-worthy plays with eight, 29th in big-time throws with one and 34th in overall PFF grade at 40.4, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s also 28th in EPA per play at -0.070, per rbsdm.
We’ll hold off on fully smashing the panic button until A.J. Brown gets back, but it has been a mess for Maye and the Patriots so far.
Los Angeles Rams
Panic meter rating: 1.5/10
The Rams did cough up a 16-point lead against the Denver Broncos and fall to 1-2, but this is nowhere near panic territory. Los Angeles actually outgained Denver 482-257 and still lost because of two turnovers and 13 penalties for 91 yards.
There’s also a major piece missing on both sides of the ball. The Rams are without Puka Nacua and Myles Garrett, their best offensive and defensive playmakers, respectively. Once they’re back, L.A. should start looking a lot more like the Super Bowl contender it is.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Sees One Reason This Raiders Start Feels Different
The Raiders 3-0 start has already drawn its share of attention, and Maxx Crosby said the early feel around this group is not just about the record. The veteran defensive end pointed to the teams focus and the way players have stayed close through a summer that included plenty of trade speculation, a backdrop that could have easily created noise in the locker room.
For a Chargers fan watching the AFC West unfold, that matters because Las Vegas has looked like a team comfortable with its footing right away. Crosbys read on the mood suggests the Raiders believe this stretch is built on more than momentum, which is part of why their start has taken on a different kind of meaning this season. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleur Is Facing Pressure Packers Fans Never Expected This Early
The early-season wobble around the Chargers has put Jim Harbaugh in an uncomfortable spot, but he is hardly alone among the leagues established coaches feeling the heat. Across the NFL, slow starts have a way of turning September into a referendum on the direction of a program, and the spotlight is already growing sharper on a trio of veteran head coaches whose teams have not met expectations.
Matt LaFleurs situation is the one that stands out most because Packers fans were not expecting this much urgency this soon, especially after a lopsided loss left Green Bay at 1-2. For the Chargers, the parallel is easy to see: when a season opens badly, the questions stop being about one game and start becoming about the bigger picture, and thats the kind of pressure that can follow a coach well beyond the next Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers 0-3 Start Just Put Justin Herbert Under A Harsh Spotlight
A 0-3 start has a way of amplifying everything around a team, and Justin Herbert is feeling that pressure more than anyone. With the Chargers still searching for their first win, Jim Harbaugh has already gone public with criticism of Herberts decision-making, a notable shift in tone for a quarterback who has long been expected to carry the offense through rough stretches.
The timing only adds to the scrutiny because the Chargers have already changed offensive coordinators, moving from Greg Roman to Mike McDaniel, and the early results have not settled anything down. Herberts passer rating is at a career low, the offense has looked out of sync, and now the question is whether this is simply a bad stretch or a deeper mismatch between system and personnel that needs a much faster fix. [Read more 🡒]