Eight plays, and then the rest of the afternoon
The Chargers’ first possession of 2026 looked like the reason they hired Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. Seventy-seven yards in eight plays, finished by an eight-yard Omarion Hampton run. Nine drives followed. One produced a touchdown.
Arizona left Los Angeles with a 26-14 win, and the fourth quarter was where it turned ugly. Four possessions: a blocked punt, a Justin Herbert interception, and two turnovers on downs. Herbert went 17 of 27 for 209 yards on the day.
“It’s on us to play better,” Herbert said. “It’s on us to go score points, make sure we are doing everything we can on third down and the red zone and limiting turnovers. We didn’t play the way we wanted to, and we are going to have to watch film to get better.”
Ladd McConkey caught five passes for a team-high 82 yards and then sat out the fourth quarter with a rib problem. He did not practise on Wednesday. Neither did defensive back Elijah Molden, tackle Trey Pipkins III or defensive lineman Teair Tart.
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Las Vegas went the other way
The Raiders beat Miami 27-13 in Klint Kubiak’s first game as head coach, and they did it without Brock Bowers. Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, took no sacks, and moved his career total to 301. Las Vegas turned 290 total yards into 21 first downs, which is a ratio that says a lot about how little was wasted.
“I thought our coaching staff did a great job, in Brock’s absence, of having a good plan,” Cousins said. “Just really the turnovers are really disappointing. Those are on me.” He threw two interceptions.
Ashton Jeanty ran for 102 yards and caught six passes for a team-best 45 yards with two touchdowns, weeks after an ankle problem disrupted his build-up. He managed only two 100-yard rushing games across his entire rookie season.
“That’s how we win games with our line,” Jeanty said. “They are a pivotal part of what we do, and it’s no surprise to me.”
A rivalry that has not travelled well
Las Vegas visit Inglewood on Sunday carrying a four-game losing run in this fixture and a seven-game losing run in any game played in Southern California. The Chargers have taken seven of the last ten meetings.
Bowers missed practice with a knee issue, as did cornerback Darien Porter. Jim Harbaugh, meanwhile, is left explaining an opener that nobody in Los Angeles saw coming.
“It’s not the start that we wanted,” he said. “It’ll be about our resolve and the way we bounce back.”
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