The Los Angeles Chargers faced a disappointing 24-16 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. It was their third consecutive loss this season. But Derwin James Jr. isn’t too disappointed. Instead, he found motivation to do better in the upcoming games with a goal to get to the Super Bowl. 

“Hell yeah! I mean, 14-3,” James told CBS LA’s Chris Hayer after the game, about whether he thought the team can make the Super Bowl. “I feel like, we still can go. We’re getting better every game. I know it ain’t about getting better in the league. It’s about wins and losses. But I feel like we’re getting better. So, we gotta keep attacking. That’s all we can do. 

“You just look at the film and you correct the stuff you didn’t do all the way right. Because you had five turnovers. But I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be one or two plays where we look at like, ‘Dang, we should’ve did this.’ So, just go out there, attack the film, and see if we can get some more turnovers next week.”

Derwin James Jr. is only hoping for the best, but the odds of making it to Super Bowl from here are low. As Bolts Beat’s G.C.Bellchamber noted, only two teams in the 21st century (the Houston Texans in 2018 and 2025) have made the playoffs after going 0-3.

The Chargers will face the Chiefs, Seahawks, Broncos, Rams, and Texans. Winning all of these doesn’t seem possible for a team that’s already struggling so much.

The Chargers’ defense was the highlight despite the questionable offensive play. They recorded five turnovers, including two interceptions. James posted four total tackles, including three solo. His best came in the Week 1 game against the Cardinals, where he recorded 10 total tackles, of which seven were solo.

But the Chargers’ safety believes the team could have racked up more turnovers. 

“We just think we should’ve got six turnovers,” James continued. “So, just look at it as that. We got five, we should’ve got six. And we should’ve got those two stops and not allowing that third down, just the drive to keep us standing. 

“Of course, everybody got a job. But we still as a defense, we look in the mirror and that’s what’s gonna keep carrying us.”

Well, Justin Herbert wasn’t able to capitalize on the five turnovers. The Chargers scored after the first one and set up for a field goal after the second. But after that point, Herbert and Co. never made it to the end zone or attempted field goals on the latter turnovers.

The Chargers passed more than the Bills and even had the ball in possession longer. The offense was a lot cleaner than Buffalo’s, recording only one interception. However, the Chargers could only convert one of four red zone attempts, while the Bills completed three such attempts.

For the third time in a row, the Chargers scored under 20 points. The 16-point finish in the Bills game was only two more than the last two totals (14).

“Obviously not where we want to be,” Herbert said. “It starts with me. I’ve got to play better and allow our offense to score more points… We’re 0-3, we’re not where we want to be… The defense played so well, forced so many turnovers, and the offense didn’t help them out. We don’t feel good about it, and it starts with me.” 

But Herbert echoed the same feeling last week, too. After losing to the Raiders, the quarterback admitted that the team “can’t expect to win games” if they don’t raise their playing standards. It seems like he’s still figuring things out. 

Herbert went 20-of-34 for 226 passing yards and scored once, while also throwing an interception.

Nevertheless, the Chargers still have 14 more weeks to change their narrative for the 2026 season. For now, they should focus on the Week 4 battle against the Seattle Seahawks on October 4, 2026.