Through two weeks of the NFL season, the most disappointing team in football has unquestionably been the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite starting the season with a relatively easy schedule against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers are off to a dreadful 0-2 start with a pair of double-digit losses to start the season.
Star quarterback Justin Herbert is taking a lot of the blame, as is Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. However, ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak isn't pointing the finger at them as the biggest problem in Los Angeles so far.
The biggest red flags for the Chargers – Joe Alt & Rashawn Slater 🚩
If you missed any of @thegolics today, listen below or wherever you get your podcasts.
🎧 https://t.co/93TMihSxZW https://t.co/OrILXNdVJt pic.twitter.com/nW4dmlCTXy
— ESPN Podcasts (@espnpodcasts) September 22, 2026
“The play of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, even more than anything else,” Solak said on The Golics. “I knew the interior was going to be bad, but the theory was we have such an elite tackle duo, that we can put forth all of our protections resources into helping the interior of the offensive line. And Alt and Slater have both looked like guys coming off of major injury, not 100% through the first two weeks of the season.
“Now you have tackles who are losing at times, losing reps, protection issues, missed calls and miscommunications. On top of the fact, guard-center-guard is as bad as it was last year. The Chargers had one objective in the offseason, to get better at guard-center-guard, and they bargain-binned it. They decided to try to go cheap on it, second-round pick, one-year deal for Cole Strange, and they're reaping exactly what they've sown. It's as bad as it was last year. So it's one of the worst offensive line situations in football.”
If Alt and Slater don't start playing like themselves again, things might not get any better for this Chargers offense. Last season, without either of them on the field, was a disaster, and it still is with them playing well below their best.
Nobody has been playing their best football in Los Angeles this season, Herbert included. But better tackle play is the first thing that will lead to some improvement for Harbaugh's squad before it's too late.