Tough Questions Loom for Jim Harbaugh as Chargers Fumble Away Game to Raiders

The Chargers looked lost and unprepared as they stumbled over themselves with poor ball security and costly penalties. See who must face tough questions now.

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) forces a fumble against Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (8) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Chargers dropped an ugly Week 2 game to their division rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chargers offense looked lost at times, and snake bitten by lack of preparedness and injuries.

The Chargers offense fumbled the ball six times but amazingly only lost one of them. That one was a horrifically timed fumble in the fourth quarter by running back Omarion Hampton, who put the ball on the turf for the second week in a row.

Justin Herbert was also intercepted twice, both times the fault of the receiver. The first, tight end David Njoku bobbled a clean pass and popped it into the air for an easy interception in the first quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, a pass to Derius Davis, for the second week in a row, resulted in the wide receiver and returner not playing the ball well and making it easy for the defense to track down the ball.

Star right tackle Joe Alt had three false-start penalties and a terrible holding call late in the fourth quarter against Maxx Crosby in the endzone resulting in a safety. There were other penalties handed down to the rest of the offense from holding calls, illegal formations.

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Head coach Jim Harbaugh stated on Monday after losing to the Arizona Cardinals that he had regrets and wished he had played the starters more in the preseason. The Chargers hired Mike McDaniel to usher in a new era of offensive football for the Chargers. McDaniel's roots are in the Shanahan offensive system which is regarded as complex and cutting-edge. Not getting significant reps with the starters seems to have doomed the Chargers offense.

Los Angeles' offense had flashes where they looked more than capable and moved the ball well. The problem was consistency in the right way. They were consistently in their own way and sabotaging their drives. They were making mistakes like snaps hitting the motion man on a critical third down that resulted in a fumble and necessitating a punt.

Why were the Chargers in shotgun on third and inches and running window dressing motion? The complexity seems to be too much for everyone without the needed time on task to gain competency.

The Chargers are now 0-2 with a schedule ahead that is brutal. The Chargers season isn't over but they were not prepared entering the season and seemed more focused on trying to be healthy entering the season. When Tyler Biadasz went down for the season, there was a notable sense of depression that permeated from the Chargers, highlighted by Jim Harbaugh's appearance on the Pat Mcafee Show where it was obvious he was feeling blue from the injury.

The amount of hope and excitement that Chargers carried into the 2026 season has left the start of this season in pure despair. The new, exciting and downright depressing Chargers seem like they haven't learned the offense and forgot how to communicate on defense. Whatever Jim Harbaugh's vision for the Chargers was, it is clear this is nowhere near the expected outcome.

Jim Harbaugh is in year three of a five-year contract. The Spanos family has tended to give coaches a longer leash than most franchise ownership, but this is not the start of the season the Chargers expected and it is going clearly in the wrong direction.

Who shoulders the blame for the Chargers start? On McDaniel? Harbaugh? Defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary? Jim Harbaugh is going to be hit with questions as the CEO head coach when the entire team fails to perform. Jim Harbaugh may not be on the hot seat given the franchise's investment into he and his staff, but most certainly can't be ice cold.

In normal circumstances, an 0-2 start is bad, but not season-threatening. The Chargers face a murderers' row of opponents in the coming weeks. The season being over after next Sunday when the Chargers will travel to Buffalo to take on Josh Allen and the Bills is a possible haunting reality.