There is a difference between a preseason loss that can be dismissed and one that leaves you with a few legitimate questions.
The Chargers' 41-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium certainly shouldn't send anyone into panic mode. Justin Herbert played only one series, several key players were limited or absent, and the coaching staff is still evaluating a roster with plenty of moving pieces.
Still, this wasn't a particularly encouraging night.
The Chargers struggled to sustain drives, committed seven penalties, couldn't consistently run the football and watched San Francisco control the game for much of the second half. Los Angeles finished with only eight first downs, 230 total yards and converted just 2 of 14 third downs.
There were positives. There were also enough issues to make Thursday's game useful as a reality check.
The Offense Still Has Work to Do
The most important offensive takeaway came on the opening series.
Herbert made his preseason debut and completed one of two passes for nine yards, connecting with Charlie Kolar. But the Chargers went three-and-out after a one-yard run, the completion and an incompletion.
Nobody should be concerned about Herbert because of three preseason plays. That's not enough football to draw any meaningful conclusion about the quarterback or the new-look offense.
The more interesting question is what happens around him.
Los Angeles' offense never established much rhythm after Herbert left the game. Trey Lance provided the biggest spark with his legs, breaking loose for a 37-yard run that moved the Chargers inside the 49ers' 10-yard line. It was the team's longest play of the night at that point and eventually set up Cameron Dicker's 21-yard field goal.
Lance finished 10-of-16 for 73 yards and added 42 rushing yards, showing again why his mobility could be an important element of the backup quarterback competition.
But the offense couldn't consistently build on those moments.
Four of the Chargers' seven penalties came on offense, including multiple plays that erased potentially meaningful gains. A 21-yard completion from Lance to Keaton Mitchell was wiped away by an illegal formation. An 18-yard completion to Oronde Gadsden and a five-yard Lance run were also negated by penalties.
That's the frustrating part.
Preseason is about evaluation, but it is also about establishing habits. Mental mistakes make it difficult to evaluate players because promising plays disappear from the stat sheet.
The rushing attack was another concern. Los Angeles finished with just 68 rushing yards, while San Francisco produced 146. The Chargers' inability to consistently create room on the ground put even more pressure on the quarterbacks to manufacture offense.
There was one late bright spot. DJ Uiagalelei connected with undrafted rookie tight end Jerand Bradley for a 28-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining. Bradley made an impressive individual play after getting to the ground, popping back up and continuing into the end zone.
Those are the kinds of plays that matter for players fighting for roster spots.
But as an overall offensive performance, this was a step backward from the excitement surrounding the new Mike McDaniel offense during training camp and the preseason opener.
The Defense Had One Big Highlight — and Plenty to Clean Up
Defensively, the Chargers had some encouraging moments early.
San Francisco converted three third downs on its opening possession, but Elijah Molden eventually broke up a third-down pass to force a punt. The defense also kept the 49ers off the scoreboard initially.
Then things began to unravel.
San Francisco scored 20 points in the second quarter and entered halftime with a 20-3 lead. The 49ers consistently found success on the ground, and the Chargers struggled to get off the field.
The biggest bright spot came from Junior Colson.
After missing his entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury, the third-year linebacker provided perhaps the best moment of the night for the Chargers. Colson stepped in front of an Adrian Martinez pass in the third quarter and returned the interception 16 yards for a touchdown.
It was exactly the kind of play the Chargers need from Colson.
His career has gotten off to an unusually interrupted start, so seeing him make a decisive play in coverage was encouraging. More importantly, it demonstrated the athleticism and instincts that made him an intriguing draft pick in the first place.
But one defensive touchdown couldn't hide the larger problems.
San Francisco eventually scored 41 points and produced 321 total yards, including 146 on the ground. The Chargers also struggled to prevent the 49ers from finishing drives, as San Francisco went 4-for-4 in the red zone.
The encouraging part is that this wasn't necessarily a reflection of the Chargers' expected starting defense for the regular season. Preseason depth players were asked to handle significant snaps, and the 49ers were rotating through their own personnel.
Still, depth matters.
Injuries are inevitable over a 17-game season, and the Chargers will need players lower on the depth chart to contribute at some point. Thursday demonstrated that there is still plenty of competition — and uncertainty — among those players.
Don't Overreact, But Don't Ignore It Either
This is where perspective matters.
The Chargers aren't suddenly a bad football team because they lost a preseason game 41-17. Herbert barely played. The game plan was limited. The roster is still being evaluated. And the regular season is still weeks away.
But preseason games are also opportunities to identify problems before they become regular-season problems.
For the Chargers, those problems are clear.
The offense needs to eliminate procedural penalties, find more consistency in the running game and create better rhythm behind Herbert. The defense needs to tighten up against the run and find more consistency from its depth.
The good news?
There is still time.
The Chargers will close their preseason against the Rams on August 27 at SoFi Stadium.
That game should provide one final opportunity for players on the roster bubble to make their case.
Thursday wasn't the performance Chargers fans wanted.
But perhaps that's exactly why it was valuable.
The new-look Chargers have spent the offseason building excitement around what this team can become. Against San Francisco, they were reminded that potential doesn't eliminate the fundamentals.
The talent is there. Now the consistency has to follow.
