The Los Angeles Chargers’ devastating start of the 2026 season got worse against the Bills Mafia. Already sitting at 0-2 after back-to-back 26-14 losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, Justin Herbert and the Chargers traveled to Highmark Stadium to face Josh Allen and the unbeaten Buffalo Bills, then left with a 24-16 defeat, dropping to 0-3. It’s the first time the franchise has opened a year with three consecutive losses since 2017, and it comes with turnovers already piling up faster than scoring drives.

The Chargers retook the lead with a third-quarter field goal, then recovered fumbles on consecutive Bills possessions. They punted after the first recovery but reached field goal range after the second. That chance ended when Herbert threw an interception to Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Buffalo still trailed 13-10, but Josh Allen led a touchdown drive that put the Bills ahead for good in their 24-16 win.

Calling the game for FOX alongside Kevin Burkhardt, former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn’t hold back when the interception happened. “Poor awareness, poor decision,” Brady delivered a blunt assessment from a QB who has praised Herbert’s arm talent in the past.

The numbers back up just how rough this stretch has been. Through three games, Herbert has completed 59.1% of his passes (52 of 88) for 627 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions, a turnover rate that’s put him among the league’s lowest-graded quarterbacks so far this season.

After Week 2, Herbert’s 52.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 29th among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. Protection had also been a problem: through those first two games, he had been sacked six times, faced pressure on 40% of his dropbacks, and faced quick pressure (within 2.5 seconds) on 21.5%.

Through three games, the Chargers had committed six turnovers and scored five offensive touchdowns, giving the ball away more often than they reached the end zone.

Brady’s blunt assessment fits into a much longer pattern of criticism the Chargers have absorbed this season. Former Chargers nose tackle Breiden Fehoko has been one of the loudest and most persistent critics of the organization all year.

Previously calling for GM Joe Hortiz to be “canned,” accused the front office of sitting on cap space instead of fixing the offensive line, and even suggested Herbert’s own career might only take off if he left the Chargers altogether. Fehoko has aimed at the bigger picture: roster reconstruction, changing the coaching staff, and a front office he believes hasn’t done enough to put its quarterback in position to succeed.

This suggests that the Chargers are structurally broken, and it’s showing up in exactly the kind of moment Brady called out live on air.

With yet another loss in their 2026 season record, the Chargers have to travel to Lumen Field in Seattle to face the Seattle Seahawks, with the hope of one win in their 0-3 record.