{"id":1004066,"date":"2026-09-18T10:51:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1004066\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T10:51:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T10:51:35","slug":"los-angeles-chargers-could-be-missing-their-offensive-spark-at-the-worst-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1004066\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Chargers Could Be Missing Their Offensive Spark at the Worst Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers could open AFC West play Sunday, September 20, without wide receiver Ladd McConkey (rib), who did not practice Wednesday or Thursday<\/a> after leaving the Week 1 loss to Arizona. McConkey produced five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown before exiting, and his uncertain availability creates an immediate problem for an offense trying to avoid an 0-2 start against the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n

Locked On Chargers<\/a> host David Droegemeier said Thursday, prior to the Chargers\u2019 injury report being released, McConkey appeared poised for a breakout afternoon before taking a hit over the middle and leaving the game. Droegemeier described the receiver\u2019s status as something to monitor through the week, noting that rib injuries can come down to pain tolerance, but the official Wednesday (and Thursday) report listed McConkey as a nonparticipant.<\/p>\n

McConkey\u2019s absence would compound a thinner receiving group. The Chargers placed wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) on Injured Reserve Tuesday and signed Gary Jennings to the active roster. That leaves Justin Herbert with less room for error against a Raiders defense that can force offenses to account for Maxx Crosby on every snap. The Chargers also signed receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling<\/a> to their practice squad, per ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler.<\/p>\n

The matchup already asks the Chargers to clean up the mistakes that buried them in their 26-14 season-opening loss. A fumble, an interception, and a blocked punt helped Arizona seize control, while the offense struggled to regain rhythm after McConkey departed. Droegemeier argued the Chargers need an early lead against Las Vegas, both to establish the running game with Omarion Hampton and to prevent the Raiders from settling into a run-heavy plan.<\/p>\n

Locked On Raiders<\/a> host Q Myers identified Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers (knee) as the Raiders\u2019 own major availability question after he also missed practice Wednesday and Thursday<\/a>. Bowers\u2019 status matters to the Chargers after Arizona tight end Trey McBride posted nine catches, 95 yards, and a touchdown in Week 1, but McConkey\u2019s injury is the more direct threat to Los Angeles\u2019 ability to answer on offense.<\/p>\n

The final game statuses arrive Friday. McConkey\u2019s participation level will shape how much the offense can lean on its preferred quick-strike passing game in a division matchup it cannot afford to let get away early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Chargers could open AFC West play Sunday, September 20, without wide receiver Ladd McConkey (rib),…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1004067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,7,1014,262,2444,2443,6],"class_list":["post-1004066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-chargers","tag-chargers","tag-football","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangeleschargers","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117291665521293115","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1004067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}