If you squint, you can see some momentum starting to build for the Los Angeles Chargers offense—at least relative to the sheer number of injuries they've faced to this point in the season.
The process, for Justin Herbert, looked smoother last week even with his top three receivers out at the end of the game. Ignoring that interception where Herbert was clearly trying to force a play to save the game, he looked more under control and more confident, in stretches, than he has at any point this season. The run game also performed relatively well against a formidable Broncos front, and a severely depleted O-line largely held its own—at least in the first half.
For most Chargers fans, though, it's likely immensely frustrating to hear Jim Harbaugh talk about 'improvements' on a weekly basis when the on-field product simply isn't there. At the end of the day, Los Angeles scored just 17 points against Denver. They've topped the 20-point threshold just once this season.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on if offense is salvageable: "I think the direction we're going in offensively is improving, just like the defense is"
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) October 12, 2026
But even if things start to clear up this week—with possible returns for Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Brenen Thompson, Tre' Harris, and Kayode Awosika—this is a Chiefs defense that's among the top units in the NFL this year.
Los Angeles may need to wait until after their bye week before they can start to see a steady upward climb.
The Chargers offense is in for another rough matchup against a steady Chiefs defense
This offense almost certainly won't reach the heights that many analysts projected this offseason. The talent, and the cohesion across the roster, simply aren't there, and McDaniel hasn't shown nearly enough as a play-caller or a scheme-installer to believe in a wholesale turnaround for this unit. But let's not rule out marginal improvement yet—or even a semi-competent offense by the end of the season.
That won't be enough to save the Chargers' playoff hopes, but what else do we have to look forward to at this point?
Harbaugh speaks in such vague terms, though, that it's difficult to tell exactly what 'improvements' he's referring to. The process, at least from the coaching staff's perspective, may look better than it did in Week 1. But don't expect the results to look any better before the Charger hit their Week 7 bye.
The Chiefs took some major risks this offseason when they overhauled their secondary, trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing Jaylen Watson to that same team in free agency. Safety Bryan Cook also walked to the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason—leaving Kansas City to bring in Mansoor Delane through the Draft and Alohi Gilman and L'Jarius Sneed through free agency. It also added Khyiris Tonga as a looming nose tackle presence and drafted two strong contributors along the defensive front in R Mason Thomas and Peter Woods.
There was certainly room to predict a level of regression for this unit. That may still come, as the Chiefs have yet to face off against a top-10 offense in terms of EPA/play. But for now, it looks like the most formidable combination of run and pass defense the Chargers have seen to this point in the season.
Even with their overhauled secondary, Kansas City has allowed the fifth-fewest total passing yards in the NFL this season. Even with the 27-point performance by Kirk Cousins and the Las Vegas Raiders last week, opposing offenses have posted a -0.07 EPA/play against the Chiefs secondary to this point in the season. Their run defense, meanwhile, has been one of the most effective in the NFL as well—allowing just 3.6 yards per attempt over the first few weeks of the season.
The only category in which the Chiefs aren't near the top is in total sacks, but they're around the middle of the pack in pressure percentage, which should be more than enough to disrupt a depleted Chargers O-line.
Perhaps there are some improvements behind the scenes. But even if the Chargers offense looks healthier and more put together in Week 6, this is (somewhat surprisingly) the sort of defense that can make it look just as messy as it's been to this point in the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google