The Chargers and their entire fan base were shocked by the double-digit loss to the Cardinals in Week One. For the most part, the Bolts were seen as a potential top-10 team to begin the season and mostly were seen ranked inside the top 16 across the board.
However, a sloppy loss to the Cardinals has seen them take a big hit in this week”s updated rankings.
There’s only so much to recap as to what led to the drop and most of you likely don’t want to read about it again, so let’s just dive right in to this
week’s roundup.
Sports Illustrated – #17
I agree with MMQB Podcast co-host Albert Breer who said this on our Monday morning recap show: It’s most concerning to me that L.A. did not dazzle in the run game despite having most conceivable advantages over the Cardinals. Alas, this is the opening week loss no one saw coming (especially the boobs who used ChatGPT for help in their knockout pools. All of you get what you deserve).‘” – Conor Orr
Bleacher Report – #19
Are we sure that Mike McDaniel is an offensive guru? Justin Herbert never seemed to find a rhythm, and the Los Angeles Chargers offense looked every bit as disjointed as it did under Greg Roman last season. Unfortunately, the top-tier defense we saw from L.A. in 2025 was nowhere to be found.
Maybe the Arizona Cardinals are simply far better than anyone expected. However, the version of the Chargers we saw on Sunday looked like a team that could be headed to the AFC West basement. – Kristopher Knox
Yahoo Sports – #19
“There’s nothing good to say about the Chargers’ Week 1 loss. It was so dispiriting that head coach Jim Harbaugh lamented sitting his starters for most of the preseason. The offense, with new coordinator Mike McDaniel, had two plays longer than 15 yards against an Arizona defense that isn’t expected to be good. (Don’t tell Andrew Wingard I said that.) The defense, without last year’s star coordinator Jesse Minter, allowed points or a missed field goal on seven of 10 possessions before a kneel-down at the end. The Chargers’ early-season schedule is brutal, and the Cardinals game was supposed to be a rare easy win.” – Frank Schwab
ESPN – #19
The second-round pick out of Florida was put in a tough position. Slaughter spent most of his college snaps at center, but he competed for the left guard spot throughout most of training camp. When starting center Tyler Biadasz suffered a preseason ACL injury, Slaughter was thrust into the starting role. On Sunday, he had as good a performance as you’d hope a rookie center to have, with no major blunders. He allowed just one quarterback pressure, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. – Kris Rhim
The Athletic – #19
Maybe that’s an overreaction, but the Chargers lost to the Cardinals, a team that had a preseason win total over/under of 3.5. Justin Herbert wasn’t good, the running game struggled and the defense allowed 393 yards of offense to a team with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback and Kendrick Bourne as its top-producing wide receiver in the game. – Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
SB Nation – #19
NFL.com – #20
Did the Chargers take the Cardinals lightly? Perhaps. Their performance suggested they may have, but what I saw from Jim Harbaugh’s crew was evidence of rust. It’s not uncommon in Week 1 — however, it is alarming for a club aiming to improve on its recent postseason one-and-dones. If anything, the uneven showing reminded the Bolts that they cannot underestimate any opponent in the NFL. They better take the field with more fire in the next few weeks. – Nick Shook
USA Today – #25
Jim Harbaugh had never lost an opener as an NFL head coach … until Sunday, a defeat that dropped him to 6-1 in Week 1. The Bolts’ putrid performance also makes it worth wondering if Harbs is headed to his first sub-.500 campaign under an NFL headset. – Nate Davis
