Chargers WR Ladd McConkey did not practice on Wednesday. He enters the week with what has been described as a rib injury. McConkey took a hit near the end of the third quarter from LB Mack Wilson that ended his explosive season opener. The Georgia product put up five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.
And the offense dried up pretty quickly following McConkey's exit. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers ran a total of 16 plays for 50 yards. In those four drives: 3 and out blocked punt, interception, turnover on downs, turnovers on downs. The Chargers averaged 7.14 yards per play before McConkey left the game. That figure dipped to 3.12 yards per play following his injury.
The Chargers will need to find signs of life from elsewhere on offense if WR Ladd McConkey can't go.
Looking into what really went wrong for the Chargers, and when McConkey went out things fell off a cliff
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 14, 2026
On/Off McConkey splits per @NextGenStats
On: 8.9 Yards per pass
Off: 3.9 Yards per pass
On: 0.12 EPA/Play
Off: -0.61 EPA/Play
Whole different offense
Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, and Derius Davis put up a combined 37 yards on Sunday on 13 targets. Simply put, it was not an efficient enough day for any of the receiving targets outside of McConkey. Whether he can't go on Sunday or may be on a pitch count, someone else will need to step up. Johnston in particular needs to bounce back from a poor game on film if he's potentially WR1 vs. the Raiders.
But outside of the other wide receivers, it will be also on Mike McDaniel's run game to bail out the offense. The Chargers ranked dead last in rushing yards before contact in Week 1. That kind of a performance is simply not an option. If the Chargers average less than four yards per carry again on 20+ attempts, their odds of winning without McConkey get even longer.
Here's an idea. Put Oronde Gadsden II in the slot on some snaps. Get more 13 personnel looks going. David Njoku and Gadsden are inarguably amongst the Chargers' top three pass catchers on the team without McConkey in the mix.
The Chargers signed veteran WR Marquez Valdez-Scantling to the practice squad after a workout this week. I'd guess an elevation would be in the cards if McConkey can't play on Sunday. KeAndre Lambert-Smith was placed on IR and Derius Davis was also listed as a full participant (calf) on the injury report. Past just the McConkey situation, the Chargers probably need more depth at wideout in general.
The Chargers may go into a must win Week 2 game without their best receiver. It's far from ideal, but this is what they pay Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert, and Mike McDaniel the big bucks for. There's still no excuse to lose this game.
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