The opening seconds in Seattle turned into the kind of NFL trivia nobody wants attached to their name.
Justin Herbert and Sam Darnold each opened Chargers-Seahawks with an interception, and in doing so they carved out a strange bit of league history. It was the first time in the 100-year NFL history that both starting quarterbacks threw picks on their team’s first play of the game.
The Chargers had the ball first, but Herbert’s rough start to the season followed him right onto the field. On the first snap from scrimmage, he was intercepted by Drake Thomas, immediately putting Los Angeles in a hole as the team tried to dig out of an 0-3 start.
Seattle then matched the chaos right away. On the Seahawks’ first play, Darnold threw an interception to Tuli Tuipulotu near the sideline, and suddenly there had been two turnovers in the first 22 seconds.
Per my data, we did indeed just witness a moment of NFL history. It's the first time in the 100+ year history of the league that both starting quarterbacks thew an interception on the first two plays of a game. https://t.co/idPQhUdL5b
- QBgami (@QBgami) October 4, 2026
The numbers underline how shaky both quarterbacks have been early in the season. Herbert’s interception was his fifth of the year, while Darnold has thrown three in the last two weeks. With that kind of turnover trouble, this was the rare bit of infamous history that didn’t come out of nowhere.
In Other News...
Ladd McConkey's Status Just Became A Huge Chargers Concern
Ladd McConkey has been dealing with multiple injuries through the first three games of the season, and the Chargers have already felt the ripple effect. Even while operating with limited reps, he still leads the team in catches and receiving yards, which tells you how much the offense has leaned on him and how thin the margin has become at receiver. With the passing game still searching for steadier production, his ability to stay on the field has quickly become one of the more important storylines in Los Angeles.
The wider concern is what happens if McConkey is slowed any further, because the depth behind him has not been steady enough to absorb the loss. Injuries and uneven play have left the group unstable, and the Chargers have not had many reliable answers outside their top target. For a team trying to keep its passing attack functional early in the season, McConkeys status is no longer just a health note. It is a central part of the offensive picture. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Suddenly Face A Week 4 Availability Problem They Can't Ignore
The Chargers final injury report for Week 4 brought a little clarity, but not nearly enough to call it settled. Khalil Mack, Bud Dupree, Justin Eboigbe and Keaton Mitchell are listed as probable for Sundays game against the Seahawks, while Kayode Awosika, Brennen Thompson and Dalvin Tomlinson have already been ruled out, leaving Trevor Penning and others to help cover the missing pieces.
The bigger concern is the group still sitting in limbo. Ladd McConkey, Derwin James Jr., Donte Jackson, Elijah Molden and Trey Lance are all questionable, and their status will be watched closely right up to kickoff. For a team trying to manage a short-week routine and keep its lineup intact, the margin for error suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did earlier in the week. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Suddenly Face An Early Season Test They Cant Afford To Flunk
The early-season picture is already getting uncomfortable in Los Angeles, where the Chargers 0-3 start has turned Sundays trip to Seattle into more than just another NFC matchup on the schedule. In a league where September losses can linger deep into the fall, the margin for error is disappearing fast, and the Seahawks game now looks like one of those tests that can shape the rest of the year before October even arrives.
The stakes are even broader across the standings, with the Texans also staring at an 0-3 hole and the Rams trying to steady a 1-2 start against the Eagles. For the Chargers, though, the focus is simple enough: avoid letting an early skid snowball into a full-blown chase mode, because playoff hopes can fray quickly when a team is already digging out from the bottom this soon. [Read more 🡒]