The Los Angeles Chargers will have little time to dwell on their Week 1 loss when they welcome the Las Vegas Raiders to SoFi Stadium on Sunday. The Chargers enter the matchup at 0-1 after falling 26-14 to the Arizona Cardinals, while the Raiders arrive at 1-0 following a 27-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins. With both teams taking different paths through the opening weekend, the first AFC West matchup of the season already carries plenty of intrigue.
For Los Angeles, the biggest priority is finding consistency on offense. The Chargers opened the season with an impressive eight-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, but the offense struggled to maintain that rhythm afterward. Justin Herbert finished with 209 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, while the Chargers managed only 268 total yards. Two turnovers and several stalled possessions prevented the offense from building on its promising start.
Insights Going Into The Game
The Chargers could also be dealing with a significant question at wide receiver. Ladd McConkey suffered a rib injury against Arizona after catching five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Head coach Jim Harbaugh initially described McConkey as day-to-day, but the third-year receiver did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. His availability will be an important storyline heading into Sunday, particularly after the Chargers’ passing game became much less productive following his departure against Arizona.
If McConkey cannot play, Los Angeles will need its other pass catchers to take on larger roles. David Njoku made an immediate impact in his Chargers debut with five receptions for 58 yards, while Oronde Gadsden II and Quentin Johnston will have opportunities to become bigger parts of the passing attack. Herbert’s ability to distribute the ball effectively could become even more important against a Raiders defense that showed an aggressive pass rush in Week 1.
The pass rush begins with Maxx Crosby. Las Vegas recorded five sacks against Miami. Crosby has also recorded eight career sacks against Herbert, making the battle between the Raiders’ defensive front and the Chargers’ offensive line one of the game’s central matchups. Herbert was sacked three times against Arizona, while rookie center Jake Slaughter played every offensive snap in his NFL debut.
The Raiders’ offense brings a different challenge. Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes in his Las Vegas debut, although he also threw two interceptions. Running back Ashton Jeanty provided a major component of the attack, rushing for 102 yards on 23 carries while adding six receptions and two receiving touchdowns. Brock Bowers is another player the Chargers defense will have to account for, although Bowers missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices with a knee injury.
Defensively, Los Angeles has plenty to clean up. Arizona gained 393 yards and held the ball for more than 37 minutes. The Chargers generated only nine pressures and recorded just one sack, making improved pressure on Cousins a major area to watch. The Raiders’ offensive line did not allow a sack against Miami after giving up a league-high 64 sacks last season.
History adds another layer to the matchup. The Chargers have won the last four meetings between the teams, including a 31-14 victory in November 2025, and Las Vegas has not won at SoFi Stadium since 2020. Still, those results belong to previous seasons. Sunday’s game will be the first meeting between the Raiders under new head coach Klint Kubiak and the Chargers’ new-look offense under coordinator Mike McDaniel.
For Los Angeles, Week two is an opportunity to correct the execution issues that defined the season opener. For Las Vegas, it is a chance to build on a strong opening performance against a division opponent on the road. With familiar rivals, new coaching staffs and several major individual matchups, the AFC West gets its first head-to-head test of 2026 at SoFi Stadium.
