The Los Angeles Chargers' loss yesterday to the Arizona Cardinals wasn't on the hands of their special teams unit.
The defense as a whole looked unprepared and stunted against the Cardinals' air attack, unable to generate pressure along the front seven and incapable of stifling Arizona's pass catcher with their secondary. The offense, for their part, seemed to get bogged down in miscues and misfires as they adjusted to the demands of Mike McDaniel's offense.
The defeat yesterday was a failure at all levels of the team—from the coaching to the players to the schematic approach to the game.
But how many more poor special teams performances is this team going to withstand? Los Angeles brought back punter JK Scott after a notably sub-par preseason, and a blocked punt in two-point game in the fourth quarter essentially ended any chance the Chargers had of coming away with a Week 1 victory.
When asked about it after the game, Jim Harbaugh had this to say.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on Special Teams miscues and punt block: “Better job coaching, better job practicing, better job executing-all of those things need to be elevated.”
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 13, 2026
There are certainly things that are out of special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken's hands. But if it continues down this path, it's hard to imagine any other scapegoat than the fifth-season coordinator.
Ryan Ficken's job needs to be in question if the Chargers' special teams continues to struggle
Ficken certainly deserves some credit for the Chargers' special teams successes over the past couple of seasons. They've converted a significant number of their field goal opportunities over the past couple of seasons with Corey Dicker taking on kicking responsibilities, and they've developed numerous players—including Deane Leonard and Del'Shawn Phillips—into reliable contributors outside of the normal course of the defense.
But the failings are hard to ignore. Los Angeles' decision to bring Scott onto the 53-man roster made sense only in the context that they didn't have an immediate replacement for him. He struggled with his reps during the preseason, and he had a notable missed tackle (if you can even call it that) on the 49ers' punt-return touchdown in Week 2. The blocked punt on Sunday was merely the latest example of a failing on the part of that unit.
Things don't stop there, though.
Derius Davis, the Chargers' primary return man, was limited last season with injuries. But the Chargers finished 2025 with the fourth-fewest yards per punt return and the seventh-fewest yards per kick return. Perhaps Los Angeles thinks about replacing Davis—who took two kick return reps for a total of 33 yards on Sunday—if he continues to struggle this season.
For now, we can crystallize the faults upon these two players specifically. But what it comes down to is a lack of attention to detail and a consistent lack of preparation for the special teams unit as a whole.
How many times is Jim Harbaugh going to be willing to field questions about special teams mistakes? As the Chargers enter their most difficult stretch of the season in Week 3 through 10, another game lost, at least in part, by the special teams unit should likely cost Ficken his job.
If things continue down this path, something needs to change. Don't expect the team to fire Ficken as a knee-jerk reaction given his tenure with the organization. But don't expect him to be completely safe, either, as this season unfolds.
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