First game of the season for the Chargers, Sunday morning, was full of great games and hope for the start of a new season. With the Chargers facing the second toughest schedule in the league following the first game, Chargers fans assumed a gimme game against the rebuilding Cardinals. The saying stays true, never assume.

Jim Harbaugh before Sunday was 6-0 on season openers as a head coach in the NFL. That now falls to 6-1. Honestly, I can’t figure out what happened in this game. Besides the Chargers first possession, nothing in this game went right. Offensive line play was awful; defense wasn’t making stops and ended the game with zero sacks. Justin Herbert ended the day with 17 of 27 attempts. 209 yards and one solo touchdown. During the game the Chargers had three injuries, KLS, McConkey and Davis.

Jim Harbaugh said to reporters that, “I wished I would have played our starters more during the preseason, to get more game reps.” For a season that is supposed to be a new and improved Chargers team with a Mike McDaniel led offense, this was the sorriest performance I have seen from this team in years. One might say that McDaniel is holding back his full playbook thinking to save the playbook for a divisional rival, but clearly the Arizona Cardinals were underestimated, and it showed with the 26-14 loss.

With the second toughest schedule in the NFL from week two forward, and with the toughest stretch of their schedule coming week three to week 10, a lot of questions need answered and mechanics need fixed for the Chargers to have any hope in making good of the 2026 season. Diehards have faith in this team but for how long fails to be seen.