Week 1 of the NFL season just dropped two absolute stinkers on the city of Los Angeles, with both their teams getting clowned in their openers. But here’s the wild part: nobody in the league is even sweating one of those losses, while the other team is getting a full-on reality check from scouts and executives around the league. It’s a tale of two L.A. flops, and the consensus on who’s in real trouble couldn’t be clearer.
The Chargers Are Already Facing a “Problem” Problem
The Los Angeles Chargers, a team many considered a legit playoff contender, got absolutely embarrassed in their 26-14 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. And the numbers? Yikes. They gained a measly 268 total yards and coughed up the ball twice. Their rushing attack managed just 81 yards, and Justin Herbert’s stat line wasn’t pretty: 17 of 27 for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Straight up, a no-show on offense.
One NFL scout didn’t hold back, saying the Chargers “look like it has problems” and were a “no-show on offense against what I don’t think is a very good Cardinals team.” Another scout even started questioning Herbert himself, wondering if “maybe we’re just wrong about Herbert” or offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. The tough talk continued with, “How many years are we going to look at Herbert and yell about his potential, only to watch him be average or worse? Maybe this is just who he is. And maybe this is who the Chargers are, too.” That’s brutal honestly, and it makes you wonder if all that “potential” talk has just been hot air.
Meanwhile, The Rams Are Just “Fine”
Across town, the Rams also took an L, falling 27-7 to the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. They weren’t exactly offensive juggernauts either, gaining just 290 yards. Oh, and they’re gonna be without Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, for a month. Sounds bad, right? Nope. Not according to pretty much anyone in the league.
“I won’t overreact to the Rams at all,” one scout said. “They’re still loaded, so I can chalk that up to the weird circumstances of a game in Australia.” An NFL executive echoed that, saying he didn’t buy into the “Dream Team” hype but believes they were “one of the NFL’s best teams last season and they’re even better now. One game in Week 1 doesn’t change that. You’ll see. That’ll look like an anomaly in a few weeks. They’ll be fine.” They actually feel bad for the Giants, the Rams’ next opponent, because “Sean McVay is going to be determined to get this fix fast. That combination could be deadly.”
So while the Rams gear up to take their anger out on the Giants next, the real question is if the Chargers can somehow shake off this Week 1 nightmare. Are they really a playoff contender, or is this just who they are, year after year? We’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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