We’re a month through the 2026 NFL season and there’s been no shortage of surprises.
The LA Chargers are one of those. Considered a Super Bowl contender, it’s been a case of Murphy’s Law for the perpetual disappointments... and it appears the pressure has got to their head coach.
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Meanwhile, there’s been a new twist in one of the NFL’s more mysterious stories.
_Read on for some of the big talking points in the NFL ahead of Week 5!_
**COACH’S FIERY REPLY PUTS UGLY SEASON IN FOCUS**
No team across the NFL has had an uglier first month of the season than the Los Angeles Chargers.
Before the start of the season, they were a popular pick to win the AFC West and were considered a live Super Bowl hope, especially with offensive mastermind and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel joining Jim Harbaugh’s staff.
However, it’s been a full-blown disaster for the Chargers in 2026.
They’ve lost their first four games and will probably need a miracle to make the playoffs given the fast start of the Chiefs and Raiders in their division.
Moreover, they’ve got one of the NFL’s toughest schedules to contend with the rest of the way, including a match up with last season’s AFC runner up Denver this weekend.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has been a shell of himself this season and McDaniel’s offence has looked disjointed at best.
In fact, the Chargers have scored just 14.7 points a game, which is among the league’s worst marks.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky says the Chargers’ offence looks ‘broken’, while criticising Herbert’s decision making.
“The decision-making was indefensible,” Orlovsky said.
“There are multiple plays where I thought, ‘what are they doing? This makes no sense’.
“It’s a very broken offence and everybody has their had
There have been calls for Harbaugh to sack McDaniel, but the head coach has stated that no such move will occur.
The offensive line hasn’t helped Herbert. They’ve been abysmal and things have gone from bad to worse with Pro Bowl offensive tackle Rashawn Slater set to be sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury.
Herbert is one of the league’s best quarterbacks, but for the Chargers to have any hope of saving their season, he’ll have to turn into Superman.
In a new offensive scheme and behind a shoddy offensive line, that likely won’t happen anytime soon.
It’s not just on the field. The Chargers appear to be rattled from the top down.
Harbaugh, who is usually a media favourite at press conferences, snapped at a reporter the day after the team’s most recent loss to Seattle.
After the reporter touched on the protection issues and Harbaugh’s previous vow to improve the offensive line, he asked the Chargers coach why Herbert still had to be ‘superhero’ to have a chance to win games, which left Harbaugh unimpressed.
¨Yeah, that just sounds more like an insult than it does a question,¨ Harbaugh shot back.
¨But if that is the way you want to look at it … I’m saying that it’s the kind of competitor that he is where I’ve never seen him flinch. I’ve never seen him rattled. He is an amazing inspiration and that’s what we do.¨
Harbaugh’s response indicates the pressure is well and truly on in LA.
Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert.Source: FOX SPORTS
**BEARS BUILDING DESPITE ADVERSITY**
If the Chargers have been the big disappointments, the Chicago Bears are one of the league’s bright spots in 2026.
Not so much because their 3-1 record is surprising.
It’s not, after finishing with the No. 2 seed in the NFC and winning a playoff game last season, but it’s how they’ve reached this point which should frighten teams around the league.
During their Week 2 loss to Minnesota, franchise QB Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury and was carted off.
Williams’ status is uncertain. The anticipation is that he’ll return in a few weeks, however it could be longer.
Second-year head coach Ben Johnson then had to turn to veteran QB Case Keenum for a prime time game against the Eagles after back up Tyson Bagent suffered a concussion.
Keenum, in his first NFL appearance in over 1000 days, was in total command of Johnson’s offence, leading Chicago to an upset 27-7 win over Philadelphia.
Despite the victory, Keenum reverted back to the bench, with Johnson naming Bagent as the starting QB for last weekend’s game against the Jets.
Bagent also showed out behind a dominant running game, throwing for 268 yards in the 23-12 win.
Johnson was considered a gun head coach in waiting while he was Detroit’s offensive co-ordinator.
Since being hired by Chicago, the hype has been warranted.
Johnson has proven that most quarterbacks can thrive in his system and that this is a team to be feared, even without the super-talented Williams – the NFL’s first overall pick in 2024.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.Source: AP
Respected broadcaster Colin Cowherd said as much earlier this week.
“We’ve discovered in the last two weeks – as gifted as Caleb Williams is – the centrepiece of the Bears is Ben Johnson,” he said.
Johnson has the run game firing on all cylinders.
The two-headed monster of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have been superb, rushing for 635 yards combined through four games.
In fact, they’re the first Bears duo to each have at least 300 yards rushing through four games in franchise history.
The defence deserves their flowers too.
They’ve significantly constricted teams over the first month.
They rank 4th in scoring defence (16.2 ppg) and 3rd in total defence, allowing just 282 yards per game.
This is despite the group not really boasting any superstars on that side of the ball.
There’s no doubt that this is a better team with Williams in the line-up, but Bears fans should be confident based on what they’ve seen this season that their team can win games even without their all-world QB.
The next test will provide another strong indicator on where this team is at.
On the docket for the Bears in Week 5 is a trip to the vaunted Lambeau Field to take on old rivals, Green Bay.
The Packers aren’t travelling all that well it must be said, but whenever these two sides play, there’s always so much emotion.
If Johnson can lead the Bears to a crucial division win with Bagent behind centre, Chicago should almost be considered locks to make the playoffs.
**THE CURIOUS CASE OF JOE MIXON**
One of the strangest stories in the NFL took another twist yesterday when the Seattle Seahawks elected not to sign running back Joe Mixon.
Mixon’s NFL comeback looked promising when Seattle brought the bruising back in for a workout.
The signs suggested Mixon would be a Seahawk by the end of the week, however, the defending Super Bowl champions decided against it.
There are a few question marks around the Seahawks’ running back room, so their interest in Mixon isn’t surprising.
The Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker in the off-season to the Chiefs.
First round rookie draft pick Jadarian Price is on Injured Reserve with a chest injury while last season’s second-string back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL during the playoffs and isn’t due back for a couple more weeks still.
Mixon hasn’t played an NFL game since the 2024/2025 playoffs when on the Houston Texans roster.
He missed all of last season with a mysterious foot injury with speculation running wild on social media on what the issue was and how it was caused.
It was thought that Mixon’s – a Pro Bowl running back – career was over after he told former teammates from the Cincinnati Bengals as much.
But no retirement paperwork had been filed from Mixon.
Earlier in the week, the 30-year-old posted on social media a short video which indicated he was planning a comeback and soon after, the news that the Seahawks were keen was reported.
“Joe Mixon the free agent running back and one of the biggest free agents, visited the Seattle Seahawks but the Seahawks did not pass him on the physical,” ESPN’s Ian Rapoport reported.
“Due to a degenerative foot injury that may never allow him to play again, the Seahawks elected not to re-sign him.
“This is not a surprise as this something the Texans knew about which is why he didn’t play his final year in Houston.
“Whether or not he ever plays again is up for debate.”
The 2017 second-round pick has recorded totals of 7,417 yards rushing and 64 total touchdowns across his eight seasons in the NFL.
Joe Mixon in action for the Bengals in 2023.Source: AFP
**EAGLES LEGEND’S STUNNING CAREER CALL**
Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson announced he was retiring in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday.
The announcement ends a 14-year NFL career for the 36-year-old that had been spent entirely with Philadelphia and saw him win two Super Bowl titles with the Eagles.
“I have given it my all for 14 years; season after season pushing my body to the max and tirelessly working my craft to not only live up to the legacy of the guys that came before me, but to set a new standard of success for the best franchise in all of sports,” he wrote in his announcement.
“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, l’ve realised that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organisation and the fans to have my head and heart 100 per cent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
Johnson is one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL and is expected to be a future Hall of Famer. The Eagles drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Over the course of his career, Johnson had been a six-time Pro Bowler and was named a First-Team All-Pro twice.
Johnson had missed four training camp practices over the summer due to personal reasons and was surprisingly listed as inactive in the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Rams for personal reasons.
“Right now, what’s most important to me is continuing to focus on my mental health and spending more time with my kids and family. But Philadelphia will always be home, and I will forever be an Eagle,” he said in his statement.
Lane Johnson has retired from the NFL.Source: AP
Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie praised Johnson in a statement, describing him as an “all-time Eagle and one of the best players ever to play his position in NFL history.”
“Lane excelled under multiple coaching staffs, maintaining an elite level of play throughout his entire career. His combination of talent, strength, athleticism, and intelligence made him a truly unique player in this league, and there is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Lurie said in a statement.
“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Lane has done a tremendous amount to give back to the community through his numerous charitable endeavours. The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives.
“We appreciate everything Lane has contributed to our organisation, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”