EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers are in need of a quick turnaround to salvage their season after an 0-2 start.
They scored 14 points in each of their home losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders after going in as the favorite in what appeared to be winnable games.
“It’s not where we want to be,” coach Jim Harbaugh said, “but I saw it in our team, I saw the fight and saw the compete. That’s what it’s going to take.”
The
Chargers are lacking consistency on offense under new coordinator Mike McDaniel, whose multitude of changes and information appear to have overloaded the offensive unit. Harbaugh admitted he should have played the starters in the preseason to give the group a chance to get comfortable with each other.
Sunday was Harbaugh's 100th NFL game and he has never been 0-2 as a player or coach.
Things get much harder from here.
They play the Bills (2-0) in Buffalo on Sunday to open a stretch of seven games against teams that made the playoffs last year, including the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle in Week 4.
“There’s no time for us to be patient with how we’re playing,” quarterback Justin Herbert said.
The rushing attack is having some success behind Omarion Hampton. He had 23 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. But his fourth-quarter fumble led to a Raiders touchdown that put the game away.
There’s a glaring lack of discipline by the O-line, as evidenced by veteran tackle Joe Alt’s three false-start penalties, including two in a row, and an offensive holding call in the Chargers’ end zone that resulted in a safety by the Raiders.
Wide receiver Ladd McConkey is emerging as a reliable target for Herbert. He had five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. He took a hard hit to his ribs against Arizona and was limited in practice ahead of Week 2. He caught three passes for 35 yards and no TDs against Las Vegas. He and Herbert have yet to develop any big-play consistency downfield.
Herbert isn't playing like his usual self. He has three interceptions in two games, contributing to the team's minus-4 turnover ratio, and his yardage is down. He's being left unprotected, the same thing that happened last year when he was the league's second-most sacked QB. The usually placid Herbert was visibly angered when rookie center Jake Slaughter snapped the ball into a receiver's leg on a critical third-and-inches against the Raiders. Herbert stared blankly into space while McDaniel talked directly to him in the fourth quarter.
Tight end David Njoku left Sunday's game with a right knee injury. Tight end Charlie Kolar was wearing a sling on his left forearm after getting hurt. Safety Derwin James fractured his pinkie against the Raiders, but returned to play with a cast. Defensive back Elijah Molden was out with a hamstring issue. Tackle Trey Pipkins has a knee injury. Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith remains on injured reserve.
6 — The number of fumbles the Chargers had against the Raiders, including three by Herbert.
The Chargers need to limit their self-inflicted mistakes and improve their pre-snap communication to avoid chaos.
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