The Los Angeles Chargers were supposed to be on the rise. Instead, they stumbled — hard. Stunningly, they lost to the previously winless New York Giants, snapping their three-game undefeated streak.
That begs the question: Are the Chargers for real, or are they frauds riding early-season momentum?
Yes, losing to a team as bad as the Giants is an eyesore, butt it might not be the disaster it looks like on paper.
The Chargers opened the season with three straight divisional games, a brutal stretch in any year, and won them all. They beat the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil, outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night then survived the Denver Broncos on a Cameron Dicker game-winning field goal. Divisional wins are rarely easy, and stacking three in a row shouldn’t be dismissed.
Still, the Giants exposed some glaring cracks.
Los Angeles has already lost both starting offensive tackles. All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon in August, ending his season before it began. His replacement, second-year offensive tackle Joe Alt, who made the switch from right to left, sprained his ankle and left last week’s game in the first quarter.
That left quarterback Justin Herbert under immense pressure. New York’s defensive front — led by All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, edge rushers Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Abdul Carter — pressured Herbert 27 times, nearly half of his dropbacks.
For perspective, Pro Football Focus credited the Giants with 28 total pressures in their legendary 2007 Super Bowl upset of Tom Brady and the then-undefeated Patriots. That kind of relentless pressure disrupts even the best offenses.
It also didn’t help that the Giants found new life with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart making his first NFL start. Home crowd energy, a mobile rookie quarterback, and a desperate opponent combined for the perfect “trap game” scenario. Some of the best teams can fall victim to those.
So, what does the loss really say about the Chargers?
At 3-1, they still lead the AFC West. The Chiefs have closed the gap with two straight wins, but those victories came against flawed opponents. Kansas City beat the Giants in Week 3, but that was with Russell Wilson at quarterback — a version of Wilson who threw for just 160 yards with two interceptions before being benched following the game. The Chiefs then followed with a win over the Ravens, a 1-3 team who is now decimated by injuries to two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
By comparison, the Chargers’ résumé is stronger, as they’ve proven they can win tight divisional games. They’ve weathered injuries on the offensive line and do need to continue to lean on Herbert’s steady playmaking. Alongside the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, they still profile as one of the top three teams in the AFC. That makes them contenders, whether by default or by design.
Of course, contenders are measured by what happens next. After hosting Washington at SoFi Stadium this week, the Chargers travel to Miami to face the Dolphins, then return home to meet the Colts. With quarterback Jayden Daniels expected to come back from injury, the margin for error will definitely shrink.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh has already injected discipline and grit into this roster which has steadied a franchise long plagued by inconsistency and late-game collapses. One ugly loss shouldn’t erase that progress, but it also shouldn’t be ignored.
The Chargers have to prove their offensive line can hold up and that Herbert won’t be rattled under pressure. If they pass those tests, they’ll be more than a top-three-by-default team. They’ll be legitimate contenders.
But if the mistakes repeat themselves such as the protection issues linger and the defense continues to bend too far, then the early-season surge may look like a mirage.
For now, the Chargers are both things at once: a contender on paper, and a team still searching for proof on the field.