With star tight end Brock Bowers "on the mend," as Klint Kubiak would say, the Las Vegas Raiders have their own injury issues to worry about. Not to mention, Darien Porter also went down in Week 1 and didn't practice on Wednesday, and Ashton Jeanty isn't out of the woods with his ankle injury yet.
But across the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers, who take on the Silver and Black in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season, have some glaring ailments as well. Most notably, star wide receiver Ladd McConkey is in serious jeopardy of not taking the field at SoFi Stadium this coming Sunday.
He's not the only player who was included on Wednesday's injury report for Los Angeles, though. The Chargers have a laundry list of contributors who are banged up after an opening-weekend loss to the Arizona Cardinals and could potentially miss the Raiders game; McConkey is simply the headliner.
Chargers could be without WR Ladd McConkey vs. Raiders in Week 2
McConkey left last week's game early with a rib injury, playing just 27 of a possible 55 offensive snaps for the Chargers. He did not participate in Los Angeles' first practice of the week, and eight other players on Jim Harbaugh's team popped up on the injury report as well.
Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday Practice Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Ladd McConkey | WR | Rib | DNP |
Teair Tart | DT | Ankle | DNP |
Khalil Mack | DE | Rest | DNP |
Elijah Molden | DB | Hamstring | DNP |
Trey Pipkins III | OL | Knee | DNP |
Deane Leonard | DB | Abdomen | Limited |
Dalvin Tomlinson | DL | Hamstring | Limited |
Akheem Mesidor | OLB | Calf | Full |
Derius Davis | WR | Calf | Full |
Harbaugh seems to be keeping things close to the vest when it comes to injuries, and who can blame him? But the hyperbolic head coach doesn't sound overly optimistic that McConkey is going to play on Sunday, at least not based on what he told reporters on Wednesday.
"I know he's working diligently at his rehab, and we'll see how the week unfolds," Harbaugh said.
Mack, being the established veteran that he is, was simply awarded a rest day. But it sounds like Teair Tart, Elijah Molden and Trey Pipkins, all of whom are key contributors for the Chargers, are working through something ahead of the contest with Las Vegas. Lower-body injuries are notoriously fickle.
And again, not every player who misses practice will miss the game; Raiders fans have seen Crosby play after being "doubtful" and not practicing all week. But if things go a certain way in Los Angeles, they could be very short-staffed against a hungry Las Vegas team in a pivotal early-season bout.
Ladd McConkey, Elijah Molden and Teair Tart would be big losses for Los Angeles
McConkey is the Chargers' No. 1 wideout, but more than that, he is the glue that holds the offense together out in Los Angeles. As The Athletic's Ted Nguyen noted, their offense "wasn't functional" without McConkey, and the advanced stats paint an even bleaker picture for life without him.
The Chargers don't have an elite enough run game, interior offensive line, or supporting cast around McConkey to reasonably overcome the loss. And for a young Raiders secondary that is still working through some issues in the early going, that could be a very fortunate break for them on Sunday.
Tart is the best player on Los Angeles' defensive interior, and if you had to pick a weak point on the Las Vegas offensive line in Week 1, it would be left guard Spencer Burford. If Tart plays, new Chargers DC Chris O'Leary could find a way to expose that matchup. But Tart could theoretically not play.
He has notoriously shown out against the Raiders over the years, and perhaps Tyler Linderbaum and an improved Jackson Powers-Johnson would neutralize him anyway. But Los Angeles is undeniably worse without Tart in the rotation up front.
Molden is also a reliable veteran player on the back end for the Chargers, and he played well against the Cardinals. Las Vegas' wide receiver group hasn't exactly made its mark yet, so whatever way they can find an edge, they need to take it. Molden not playing would certainly be advantageous.
Pipkins III was part of Los Angeles' bizarre rotation at left guard in Week 1, so the Chargers can live without him. And it doesn't seem like any of the other players are really trending toward not playing, unless something changes.
But even just one or two of these players not suiting up on Sunday would mark a distinct tilting of the balance in the Raiders' favor, even without Bowers or Porter in the lineup. And in a game in which Las Vegas is still outmatched, any little bit helps, even if nobody is wishing injury on the Chargers.
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