As the clock was winding down on the Chargers second consecutive 26-14 devastating home defeat to a team that finished 3-14 last season, fans cascaded out of SoFi Stadium mumbling to themselves in disbelief.
One woman wearing a Justin Herbert jersey looked at me and asked. “I thought we were playing two bad teams. It looks like we’re the bad team.”
The Chargers were ranked among 14 among the 32 NFL teams beginning the 2026 season by https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49754534/2026-nfl-power-rankings-preseason-milestones, the Raiders were ranked 27 and the Cardinals were ranked 30.
In week one, the Cardinals beat the Chargers with perennial back up quarterback Jacoby Brissett completing 27 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown against the Bolts defense.
The next game Brissett went 17 for 28 and 95 yards with a pick and touchdown against the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks at home in Arizona in a humiliating 31-7 loss Sept. 20.
Then the Chargers arch rival Raiders came into the Bolts crib with a reclamation project Kirk Cousins and he aptly chunked three touchdowns while completing 19 of 29 for three scores against an interception.
Fourth year receiver Trey Tucker caught five for 119 yards, but the star of the game was Cody White, elevated from the practice squad. and he caught just two passes for 24 yards and both went for touchdowns. White did not even appear on the depth chart for the game.
The Raiders are now tied with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West with 2-0 records, the Broncos are 1-1 and the Chargers winless at 0-2 at the bottom of the division.
Following their latest debacle that included horrific mental mistakes by $8 million a year lineman Joe Alt and $23 million Rashawn Slater and a regrettable performance by star quarterback Justin Herbert the Chargers face long odds to dig out of the Black hole they find themselves in.
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh told the press following the Raiders defeat that it’s a week to week league and no one in that locker room is deterred.
Which I am sure is the case, but try explaining to a desperate fan base that is beginning to question whether to spend the bread to come to the game during challenging economic times or just sit it out if it’s worth it anymore.
Two games on paper that were winnable and should have been put in the victory column, but did not.
Questions abound for new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel who pledged a more lethal Herbert that would release the ball quicker and avoid contact.
Where the hell is Quentin Johnston on? He has caught all of three passes for a paltry 24 yards in two games. Ladd McConkey leads the receivers with 117 yards, but looked like a shadow of himself against the Raiders after suffering a devastating hit against the Cards.
Omarion Hamption has rushed for 137 yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns, but in this league more is required.
The next two games are at Buffalo and at Seattle, both teams with players far superior than the Cardinal and Raiders.
We will soon discover just how much fight this group has, and if it will be good enough to change the trajectory of what right now is a bad season.
