Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll run a Mailbag each week during the regular season. Send in submissions for the Mailbag on Twitter @EricLSmith or by email at eric.smith@chargers.nfl.com.
Off we go...
How big of a sense of urgency do you anticipate from the Chargers as they go to Buffalo? (Ed via Twitter)
Probably about as high as it gets.
I'm a firm believer that one game doesn't define an NFL season.
And two games also don't tell the full story of who a team is.
Yet with Week 3 approaching, the Chargers will play Buffalo and then turn their attention to the Seahawks — which means the quarter-mark of their season will be here by early October.
That's certainly enough time to get a read on the identity of an NFL team.
Through two games, the Bolts have simply looked out of sorts in all three phases. Naturally, both of those games have ended with a mark in the loss column.
Jim Harbaugh's teams — especially with the Chargers over the past two seasons — have always been known to have tough, smart and disciplined brand of football.
And while the Bolts have not shown that through two games, that ethos is still within the locker room somewhere.
The Chargers just have to find it, and show it, before the schedule — which certainly isn't easy — stretches into October and beyond.
According to data provided by the NFL, teams that start 0-3 since 1990 have made the playoffs 2.9 percent of the time. But teams that start 1-2 are 25.3 percent to make the dance.
If the Chargers can get a win in Buffalo against Josh Allen and a high-octane Bills offense, they will still have plenty of work to do to get the season back on the right track.
But getting the first win is the first step to making that happen.
You can bet Harbaugh's squad will be locked in and ready to roll with a sharp sense of urgency Sunday in Buffalo.
What do you think Jim Harbaugh would tell the fans who are losing hope, aside from it's only Week 3? (Garrett via Twitter)
In my two-plus years being around Harbaugh, I can tell you that what he tells his players in the team meeting and on the practice field doesn't differentiate too much from what he publicly says at the podium.
Look, the Chargers roster is full of grown men who understand the situation at hand, including what their current record is.
Are Harbaugh and his staff doing everything they can to flip the current script and help the Chargers get the wins in the margin, something Harbaugh has alluded to lately?
Zero doubt in my mind.
So, when Harbaugh laid out a formula at his Monday press conference, it sounded like something he would tell his team on his own.
The formula?
Improvement + urgency + belief in yourself and your teammates = sustainable growth.
Again, it is only Week 3, and there is a long way to go.
But Harbaugh's message should resonate with both players and fans alike.
What was different about preseason camp where the offense was looking really great and hopes were high and regular season where the offense is looking really lost and unprepared? (Anna via Twitter)
A great question here from Anna given how out of sync the offense has looked at times so far this season.
For reference here, I watched every single offseason practice open to media members, including each training camp practice.
I can tell you there were moments where the offense was certainly in a learning period, even in camp.
To be clear, that's to be expected from any team implementing a new offense in the offseason.
But for the most part, you could see the potential of Mike McDaniel's scheme coming to life over the spring and summer.
Through two games, however, the Bolts have been plagued by penalties, especially before the snap, and miscommunications on motions, timing and routes.
"There's some things that are being learned the hard way to really find that sweet spot of that rhythm and precision," Harbaugh said Monday about the offense.
Perhaps the answer is to simplify the offense a bit and see if that helps.
The Chargers might have to do that anyway given the injuries the unit is facing, as tight ends Charlie Kolar and David Njoku are headed to Injured Reserve.
Starting left guard Kayode Awosika, meanwhile, is dealing with a fibula injury and is expected to "miss some time," according to Harbaugh.
That means new faces in the lineup and on the field, especially at tight end, where Oronde Gadsden and newcomer Hayden Rucci will soon be the only players at that position on the active roster.
McDaniel talks at the podium Thursday so we'll soon get an idea of where he believes the offense is at right now.
Will the rookie OGs be given a closer look this week given injuries/performance? (Thomas via Twitter)
This question pertains to Logan Taylor and Alex Harkey, a pair of offensive linemen who were take in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
In case you missed it, Harbaugh said Monday that Trevor Penning would be in line to start Sunday if Trey Pipkins III is unable to play.
Pipkins has been battling a knee injury of late.
For the sake of this hypothetical, let's assume Penning starts at left guard in place of Awosika.
That would mean Taylor is the next man up at both guard spots given the attrition the Bolts are already facing up front along the interior.
Harkey is listed as a tackle on the depth chart and primarily played there in training camp and the preseason, but he did see some time at guard, too.
At the moment, it appears Taylor might be the next man up behind Penning, but given the current predicament along the interior, it's likely an all-hands-on-deck situation, too.
