What is going on with the Los Angeles Chargers?

When the NFL schedule was released in the spring, it appeared the Chargers could start 2-0 with the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders on the docket in the first two weeks. Those prospective wins on paper turned into losses in reality.

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Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. takes the field for a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2026. (MediaNews Group via Getty Images)

The Chargers allowed 26 points and only scored 14 points in both losses. The defense, specifically, has allowed an average of 349 yards per game and has only one takeaway.

Pro Bowl safety Derwin James, who broke his left pinky finger, put the defense’s struggles bluntly when talking to reporters following the team’s loss Sunday to the Raiders.

"We got to look each other in the eye, man, and just tell the truth and just get better," he said, via the team’s website. "Because, right now, that s--- just looks trash. … I’m angry, but being angry don’t fix anything. Being angry don’t fix the problem that we have.

"We have to get it fixed. I feel like we’re a couple of plays away. It ain’t like we’re getting blown out. But we have to win these games, there’s no reason we’re going out there playing like that."

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Dareke Young runs after a catch against Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. during the second half at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

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James has 17 tackles and a pass breakup in the first two games of the year but the rest of the team will have to come around to make a real impact going into Week 3.

Teams that start the year 0-2 don’t generally do well the rest of the season but a note from OPTA Stats showed just how crushing it’s been for Los Angeles to begin the year.

"The Chargers are the second team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games by double digits with both coming at home against teams that had a sub-.200 win pct the previous season," OPTA Stats wrote on X. "The other was the 1926 Racine Tornadoes (Oct. 10-17), who played just one more game before folding."

The schedule doesn’t get any easier.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride catches a touchdown pass against Los Angeles Chargers free safety Derwin James Sr. during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

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Los Angeles hits the road to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 followed by a trip to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in Week 4.