Chargers review: Plenty of concerns in the wake of loss to Giants

Suddenly, the Chargers have issues.

That much was clear during their sloppy 21-18 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, a lackluster and concerning showing from start to finish and their first defeat in four games to start the 2025 season. Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next for the Chargers:

O-LINE WORRIES

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz certainly believed he had improved the offensive line by signing Mekhi Becton during the offseason, adding the former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion to the right side of what sure looked like a formidable tandem along with right tackle Joe Alt.

Becton, Alt, center Bradley Bozeman, left tackle Rashawn Slater and left guard Zion Johnson appeared to be a stronger and more accomplished five-man unit when they arrived for training camp back in July. The Chargers even tried out Johnson at center to see if he was a good fit.

It didn’t take, and Bozeman and Johnson retained their positions after a tryout.

But then Slater suffered a season-ending knee injury during a drill during camp, prompting Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh to flip Alt from the right to the left in order to replace Slater, a two-time Pro Bowl selection in his four seasons. Trey Pipkins III filled the void created by Alt’s move to left tackle.

Next, Becton suffered a concussion in the first half of the Chargers’ victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 3. Jamaree Salyer, who like Pipkins was expected to be a backup this season, moved into Becton’s slot for the second half of the Chargers’ 23-20, come-from-behind win.

Finally, Alt sprained his right ankle in the first quarter of the Chargers’ loss to the Giants. Instead of the line they had in July, the Chargers on Sunday went with Austin Deculus at left tackle, Johnson at left guard, Bozeman at center, Salyer at right guard and Pipkins at right tackle.

It wasn’t pretty.

Quarterback Justin Herbert paid a heavy price behind the patchwork line. He was under near-constant pressure from the Giants’ excellent defensive front. He was sacked only twice, but he was hit 12 times overall one game after the Broncos sacked him five times and hit him 14 times.

“It’s very concerning,” Harbaugh said while acknowledging that Herbert has taken too many hits over the past two games, but especially against the Giants, when he threw for a season-low 203 yards. “We’ve got to put him in a better position. I don’t think he’s been in a good position.”

Far too often, Herbert’s position has been lying flat on his back after an opposing defender has knocked him to the turf.

“We work on it,” Harbaugh said. “We get better, get back to work and regroup.”

RUNNING TROUBLES

Given that rookie running back Omarion Hampton rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown and given that the Chargers weren’t blocking well enough to protect Herbert when he dropped back to pass, you might have thought that they would have handed Hampton the ball more than 12 times.

Granted, the Chargers might continue to be a pass-first team, but that also might change in the wake of Hampton’s breakout game. Harbaugh acknowledged offensive coordinator Greg Roman might shift the focus from the air to the ground to better take advantage of Hampton’s rushing.

“Hindsight is always 20-20,” Harbaugh said. “When you lose a game, you always think about what you could have done differently.”

PENALTY CONCERNS

No one could come up with a satisfactory explanation for the Chargers’ 14 penalties against the Giants, which added up to 107 yards. Was it the early, 10 a.m. (PT) start after playing two night games and a 1 p.m. (PT) start against the Broncos?

Did the Chargers overlook the Giants, who replaced veteran quarterback Russell Wilson with rookie Jaxson Dart in the hope that Dart would jump-start their team after an 0-3 start? Were the Chargers feeling invincible after going 3-0 to start the season against their AFC West opponents?

No one could say for certain beyond the obligatory, “We’ve got to clean it up.”

WHAT COMES NEXT

The Chargers (3-1) play host to the Washington Commanders (2-2) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, only their second home game in five contests so far. The Commanders, playing without injured quarterback Jayden Daniels and several other key players, lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27, on Sunday.