The Los Angeles Chargers spent the offseason talking like a team ready to make a run in the AFC. One game into the season, Jim Harbaugh is already second-guessing part of the preparation.
Los Angeles opened with a 26-14 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, turning in what Harbaugh called a “sloppy” performance. One day later, the Chargers coach admitted he wished he had given his starters more work during the preseason, but that explanation did not land well with a large section of the fanbase.
NFL Fans Blast Jim Harbaugh After Chargers’ Week 1 Loss
“We made some preseason type of mistakes,” Harbaugh said Monday. “Now in retrospect, I wish we’d played our guys a little bit more in the preseason and given them those reps.”
In light of that remark, one fan responded that Harbaugh “needs to stick to college.”
Needs to stick to college
— 🤪 (@ChiefsTheBest) September 14, 2026
Another fan wrote, “A veteran coach should not be saying this.” A third reaction was even more direct: “he’s gotta go”
The frustration was easy to understand. Harbaugh controlled how much preseason work his starters received, and Los Angeles entered Week 1 as a heavy favorite against an Arizona team coming off a three-win season.
Another fan wrote, “Even a fantasy football coach could see how rusty the 1st team was during the 1-2 drives they played during preseason games. Of course, they needed more reps. I went to this game. Embarrassing.”
Bro a veteran coach should not be saying this lmaoooo
— Reece (@SonataAway) September 14, 2026
One more fan tied the criticism to Herbert’s offseason schedule, writing, “No Jim, you allowed Herbert to miss two weeks of practice to hang out with his girlfriend in Europe and allowed her to be on the field during training camp.”
No Jim, you allowed Herbert to miss 2 weeks of practice to hang out with his girlfriend in Europe and allowed her to be on the field during training camp.
— I don’t like QBs who are 0-3 in the playoffs (@firestaley22) September 14, 2026
That reaction reflects the fan’s criticism, not Harbaugh’s own explanation for the loss.
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Chargers Have Plenty To Fix Before Week 2
The Chargers did not lose because of one issue. Arizona outgained Los Angeles 393-268, held the ball for more than 37 minutes and forced two turnovers. Los Angeles also committed seven penalties and had a punt blocked in the fourth quarter.
Justin Herbert completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He finished 2025 with a 75.1 QB Impact grade, which ranked No. 18 among qualifying quarterbacks.
Harbaugh played his starters only in brief stretches during the second and third preseason games. The idea was reasonable: get live work without exposing core players to unnecessary injury risk. After watching his team stumble through Week 1, Harbaugh acknowledged that balance may have gone too far in the other direction.
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The Chargers now have to make those corrections during the course of the regular season. They host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 before visiting Buffalo, and another disjointed performance would make the opener harder to dismiss as one ugly afternoon.
Harbaugh did not dodge responsibility Monday. He admitted he would handle the preseason differently if given another chance.
For the fans ripping him, that was exactly the problem. The chance to get those reps is already gone.
