Jim Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere today, but the temperature is climbing fast in Los Angeles.
Two weeks into the season, the Chargers look nothing like an AFC contender. They opened with a 26-14 loss to the Cardinals, then followed it up by falling to the Raiders, 26-14, on Sunday.
That leaves Harbaugh’s team 0-2 against opponents who didn’t make the playoffs last season and aren’t expected to be major threats in 2026. That’s the kind of start that gets attention in a hurry.
Harbaugh is in his third season with the Chargers, and it’s still early enough that a firing is not on the table right now. But if this keeps up, the questions around the 62-year-old coach are only going to get louder.
The defense has been a major problem. Against Arizona, Jacoby Brissett - described here as a bridge quarterback - and a defense without many big names had their way with the Chargers.
Then in Week 2, Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and made Los Angeles look vulnerable again. Through two games, the Chargers have allowed 52 points, 530 passing yards and 10 third-down conversions.
That’s not the kind of production anyone expected from a Harbaugh team. Brissett and Cousins are both established NFL quarterbacks, but neither is supposed to be putting up video-game numbers in 2026. Against the Chargers, both looked comfortable and in control.
The offense hasn’t carried its weight either. Justin Herbert has already thrown two interceptions in the second and third picks of his season coming against Las Vegas, and ball security has become a glaring issue. The Chargers also coughed it up six times as a team, although they lost only one of those fumbles to the Raiders.
The receiver situation hasn’t helped. Ladd McConkey led the wideouts in Week 1 with 82 yards and a touchdown, but with an injury bothering him, he was limited to 35 yards in Week 2. Tre Harris led the team in receiving against the Raiders with one catch for 53 yards.
There’s enough going wrong here that Harbaugh can’t take the blame alone. Some of it is bad luck.
Some of it is execution. But the overall picture is ugly, and after consecutive early playoff losses in 2024 and 2025, the frustration around the team is building.
As one post put it: “Don't need to see the result. Chargers are really rough rn.
OL issues not just from the interior but the tackles too. Herbert not getting the ball out fast enough.
Receivers dropping accurate throws. Run game mental errors.
Defense lacks pass rush and size. Mess, mess, mess.”
And the schedule isn’t doing the Chargers any favors. After starting 0-2 against non-playoff teams from 2025, they now enter a brutal stretch with seven straight games against playoff teams from last season. That run begins in Week 3 with a road trip to face Josh Allen and the Bills.
The stretch ahead is long and unforgiving: at Bills on Sept. 27, at Seahawks on Oct. 4, vs. Broncos on Oct. 11, at Chiefs on Oct. 18, at Rams on Nov. 1, vs.
Texans on Nov. 8, at Ravens on Nov. 16, vs. Jets on Nov. 22, vs.
Patriots on Nov. 29, at Buccaneers on Dec. 6, at Raiders on Dec. 13, vs. 49ers on Dec. 17, at Dolphins on Dec. 27, and then two TBD matchups with the Chiefs and Broncos.
In Other News...
Chargers 0-2 Start Just Sparked A Debate Fans Didn't Want
Two games into the 2026 season, the Chargers are already dealing with the kind of early frustration that tends to invite bigger questions. Losses to the Cardinals and Raiders have put the spotlight on more than just the record, with the discussion around the team quickly shifting to discipline, execution and whether the current approach is getting enough out of a roster built to contend.
Jim Harbaughs leadership is now part of the conversation, as are the repeated penalties that have followed Joe Alt and the uneven play from Chris OLearys defense. None of that is fatal in September, but it does leave the Chargers in a place they did not want to be this soon, with the stakes for the rest of the season already feeling a little heavier than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herberts Postgame Demeanor Just Added To Harbaugh Pressure
The Chargers 26-14 loss to the Raiders in Week 2 left them at 0-2, and Justin Herbert spent his postgame time trying to steady the message around a team already under early pressure. He said the focus has to be on correcting mistakes and staying united, a familiar refrain for a team searching for its first win while trying to avoid letting the opening stretch define the season.
Still, Herberts calm public approach only sharpened the conversation around Jim Harbaugh after another frustrating afternoon for the offense. Analyst John Frascella took aim at Harbaughs effect on Herberts confidence, adding another layer to the scrutiny now following the Chargers into a Week 3 matchup with the Bills. For a team with bigger expectations than an 0-2 start, the next game already feels like more than just another Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers' 0-2 Start Puts One Early Problem Front And Center
The Chargers season is only two games old, but the early picture is already hard to ignore. A loss to the Raiders left Los Angeles winless, even with some encouraging individual moments on offense, including a touchdown catch by rookie tight end Gadsden, a big 53-yard grab by Harris and a passing line from Justin Herbert that showed both the yardage production and the turnover trouble that has helped shape the teams rough opening.
For a team that expected to settle in quickly, the frustration is coming from the way the losses are piling up on themselves. Herberts two interceptions mattered, but so did the late fumble by Hampton, another costly mistake that undercut the kind of explosive plays the Chargers need to turn into wins. The talent is there, but after back-to-back setbacks, the most obvious early concern is how often Los Angeles is beating itself. [Read more 🡒]