Los Angeles Chargers' offense or defense: Which side of the football is more concerning long term? – A to Z Sports

Los Angeles Chargers’ offense or defense: Which side of the football is more concerning long term?  A to Z Sports

The Chargers can't cover and can't rush the passer through two games, and the path to fixing those issues remains unclear. The Chargers can’t cover and can’t rush the passer through two games, and the path to fixing those issues remains unclear. The Los Angeles Chargers sit at an early crossroads in the 2026 season. Through two games, both sides of the football have struggled, but the long-term concerns are not evenly distributed. The offense has sputtered, and there are plenty of reasons for frustration, but there is also a clear path toward improvement. Los Angeles has struggled to cover, struggled to generate consistent pressure and struggled to replace what Jesse Minter brought to the defense.

The transition to Chris O’Leary at defensive coordinator has raised legitimate questions, while the personnel on the back end and along the pass rush leave the Chargers with relatively few obvious answers. That makes the defense the bigger concern when looking at the season as a whole. There are certainly problems on offense. The Chargers haven’t played anywhere close to the level expected of a team built around Justin Herbert, and the consistency simply hasn’t been there. But there are reasons to believe this unit can eventually turn things around. For starters, Herbert has already proven himself as a high-level NFL quarterback. Mike McDaniel