EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Chargers had plenty of opportunities to come through with a potentially season-saving win at the Bills on Sunday and still couldn’t take advantage.
They built an early 10-0 lead, made Josh Allen look mortal, forced five takeaways and still lost 24-16.
At 0-3, having just started a seven-week gauntlet against some of the best teams in football, it feels nearly impossible that this team can make the improvements needed to turn things around. Even deciding where to begin is a challenge.
The offense is disjointed, with coordinator Mike McDaniel trying to work around personnel deficiencies as players are still attempting to digest his scheme. The interior offensive line is in shambles, forcing the run game to the perimeter and limiting what is available when Justin Herbert drops back to throw. The lack of a consistent passing game outside the numbers continues to be a problem.
The defense can’t get off the field in critical moments, whether on third or fourth downs or in the red zone. The Chargers struggle to stop the run, neutralizing a pass rush that should be a strength.
Even normally reliable kicker Cameron Dicker missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter.
All those issues have put the Chargers in a hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of. Only seven teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after losing their first three games.
Jim Harbaugh, who is winless through three games for the first time as a player or coach, was light on specifics for how to turn things around.
“We got to be better,” Harbaugh said Monday. “We got to look at our scheme. We got to look at how we’re performing, how we’re doing things, and who’s doing it.”
What’s working
After forcing one takeaway through two games, the defense was much more active around the ball against the Bills. Justin Eboigbe forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, Tarheeb Still showed great effort and timing to punch the ball loose from Dalton Kincaid in the third quarter, and Khalil Mack had one of his trademark strip-sacks. It was the Chargers’ most takeaways in a regular-season game since Nov. 19, 2017, when they had six, also against the Bills.
What needs help
The passing game has yet to settle into a rhythm in McDaniel’s system. Herbert threw for a season-high 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception at the goal line, while another pick in the end zone was called back because of a defensive holding penalty. Quentin Johnston had another costly drop on a third-and-10 late in the fourth quarter, leading to an unsuccessful fourth-down try that effectively ended the game.
Stock up
S Genesis Smith intercepted Allen on consecutive drives in a breakout game for the rookie fourth-round pick from Arizona. Smith’s second pick saw him corral the ball while on his back after jockeying with D.J. Moore. He was the Chargers’ second-most used safety behind Derwin James, playing 64% of the snaps and finishing with five tackles.
Stock down
RT Joe Alt has already been flagged six times this season after being called for a holding penalty in the second quarter. Alt had a stellar rookie season after being drafted fifth overall out of Notre Dame in 2024, and the Chargers won five of the six games he played in last season during an injury-riddled campaign, but his struggles this year are indicative of how discombobulated the offensive line has been under McDaniel.
Key injuries
The Chargers were without OGs Kayode Awosika (fibula) and Trey Pipkins III (knee), forcing Trevor Penning into the startling lineup at left guard. ... CB Donte Jackson sustained a concussion.
Key number
5 — The Chargers became the fifth team since 2015 to lose with a turnover margin of plus-4 or better. It was the third such defeat for the franchise, including a 31-30 loss to the Jaguars in a 2022 wild-card playoff game.
Up next
The Chargers have another difficult road game at the Seahawks on Sunday. Should they fall to the reigning Super Bowl champs, Los Angeles would be left trying to duplicate the efforts of the 1992 Chargers, the only 0-4 team to reach the postseason in NFL history.
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Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press
