Just two weeks into the 2026 NFL season and the Chargers already have run out of juice.
For a team that had been touted as a potential playoff team at the very least, Los Angeles has been the most disappointing squad to hit the turf so far.
Jim Harbaugh’s team has been favoured by six points or more in both games and still lost both at home. The two teams they lost to, the Cardinals and Raiders, combined for just six wins all last season.
Over the past five seasons, 75% of teams that go 2-0 end up making the playoffs, while just 16% of teams that went 0-2 made the post-season.
That stacks the odds against the Chargers to begin with and then there’s even worse news: Those first two games were the easiest part of L.A.’s schedule.
Over the next seven games, the Chargers will face, in order, the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens. There’s a realistic chance that the Chargers will be 0-9 before facing the New York Jets on the Sunday before U.S. Thanksgiving.
Even later in the season, it’s not much easier with games against the Patriots and 49ers, plus return dates against the Chiefs and Broncos.
Last week, we joked about Madison Beer cursing franchise QB Justin Herbert. This week, there’s a feeling we might not have been all that wrong.
Herbert once again underwhelmed, completing just 15 of his 27 pass attempts for 192 yards with one TD and two interceptions. Those numbers are actually worse than what Malik Willis put up against the Raiders in Week 1 and there’s nobody rushing out to make excuses for the Dolphins QB.
Beer was in a suite at SoFi Stadium once again, but reportedly left before the game was over.
If the star QB’s fiancée isn’t willing to sit through a full game from this team, that might be a more telling sign than any analytic number you can point to.
What happened to Caleb Williams?
But while jokes were being made about the Beer Curse and Chargers’ misfortunes, things were dire in the Windy City — until they weren’t.
For a few hours on Sunday, the Bears and their fans feared for the worst, believing that rising star QB Caleb Williams had suffered a severe injury that would potentially end his season.
Down three points and near the Vikings’ goal line in the fourth quarter, Williams scrambled to his left before sliding to the ground, rolling around and screaming in agony.
After being attended to by trainers, he left the field on a cart with a towel covering his head before removing it and wildly pumping his fist to fire up the crowd.
Later in the evening, however, it was revealed that he suffered a hamstring strain (Grade 1, the least-severe) and could potentially play in Week 3.
Social media went wild over his theatrics and new memes were born.
One AI video mocked the situation with Williams saying that he had broken a nail.
Another showed a dog howling loudly while its nails were manicured.
The winner objectively was a clip showing Williams on the cart with the caption “Me after sleeping on the uncomfortable couch in the hospital after my wife gives birth.”
But while that’s all fun and games, the Bears offence was a shadow of itself after scoring 59 points in Week 1. The drop-off to three points in Week 2 was the biggest in the Super Bowl era.
Whether it is Williams, backup Tyson Bagent (who is in concussion protocol) or third-stringer Case Keenum starting on Monday night against the Eagles, coach Ben Johnson has his work cut out to get back on track.
What should I look out for in Week 3?
Of course, when it came to quarterback injuries, two other teams weren’t nearly as lucky as the Bears.
First, Washington’s Jayden Daniels suffered a brutal-looking dislocated left elbow, which should keep him out for weeks. With subpar backup Marcus Mariota stepping into the starting role, it’s hard to envision the Commanders doing much on offence.
Then on Monday night, fellow NFC East youngster Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury against the Rams. While there had been initial optimism, additional scans and testing on Tuesday revealed that the sophomore may in fact need season-ending surgery. While backup Jameis Winston certainly can provide some entertainment, we wouldn’t count on him as a winning QB.
One QB that did win on Sunday — totally proving us wrong — was Deshaun Watson. The controversial Browns pivot bought himself at least one more start after struggling mightily in Week 1.
Now the big question is how the fans in Cleveland — whom Watson called out in the pre-season — react to the QB in a home game.
One final thing to watch out for this week: The Cowboys and Ravens are playing in Rio de Janeiro and reviews of the playing surface at the Maracana Stadium are less than stellar, to say the least.
Let’s just hope that both teams come home without any significant injuries.