Chargers need a long look in the mirror as Raiders loss threatens their playoff hopes

The Los Angeles Chargers needed to send a message on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. They needed to tell their fans (and all of their upcoming opponents) that Week 1 was just a fluke with this new-look offense. That once the wrinkles were ironed out, this team could be as dangerous and dominant as everyone expected them to be this offseason. That this is a playoff-caliber team that will put up a fight every single week.

They failed to do that, and they'll now head into their gauntlet of matchups in Weeks 3 through 10 with an 0-2 record and a general lack of confidence in their ability to sustain offensive momentum over the course of a 60-minute game.

Granted, they showed flashes even in their 12-point loss to Las Vegas. There were a couple explosive plays, and there were times where the run game helped them to find their footing even when things weren't necessarily going their way through the air.

But it was the details that killed them—details that should've been cleaned up in the preseason, even with two new coordinators in the fold. Harbaugh reflected that fact in his post-game comments.

While this does sound like the placating coach-speak that can often frustrate fans after a disastrous loss, it also serves to stare the reality of this Chargers team in the face. The details aren't refined enough, and if Los Angeles is going to have any hope of overcoming this 0-2 start, that's where they're going to need to begin in practice this week.

The Chargers' simply haven't executed (in any sense of the word) through their first two matchups of the season

You can't entirely blame a loss, especially to teams like the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals, on simple mistakes and penalties. There's a deeper, schematic issue that needs to be addressed here on both sides of the ball.

But it's hard to ignore the errors that just keep piling up, especially on offense. Joe Alt had three separate false start penalties in this matchup, and the team had an illegal formation penalty, which was called on Alt, that hurt them in their final drive of the game. There was a fumble when the snap hit Tre' Harris in motion, and there was another fumble from Omarion Hampton as the Chargers attempted to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

On defense, there were numerous blown coverages, and there seemed to be miscommunication rife in the secondary as Kirk Cousins layered in multiple deep shots that helped the Raiders offense stay afloat. A hands to the face penalty from Cam Hart that extended a pivotal drive for Las Vegas didn't help, either.

To a certain extent, these types of things are understandable when a team is taking on a new scheme—especially one with as many idiosyncracies as Mike McDaniel's has. But the extent to which Los Angeles has been hamstrung by these mistakes, is franky, inexcusable. And as a non play-calling head coach, that falls at the feet of Jim Harbaugh.

When a head coaching takes on a 'CEO-type' role, a large part of their job is to ensure that the little things are done correctly: that playbooks are installed and each player understands their role and their position to the fullest extent. After two games, Harbaugh and the coaching staff as a whole have failed at that goal.

If there's any chance of a turnaround for this Chargers team—with formidable matchups looming against the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs—it needs to start there. With the details.

This team needs to take a long look in the mirror over the next week and figure out what their true identity is. 0-2 isn't the end of the season, but it represents a major, major hit to their playoff hopes. If they can't turn things around, they may easily be staring at a sub-.500 record exiting their most important stretch of the season.

In a competitive AFC West, that may essentially be a death sentence.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow