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Former Los Angeles Chargers star Shawne Merriman put naysayers on notice after the team walloped the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, 20-9, to move to 2-0 on the season.
Merriman told Fox News Digital in a recent interview that the all-around performance from the team showed that they’re true contenders for the conference title.
“If anybody didn’t believe they were going to be contenders, not only in the AFC West, but in the AFC in general, you haven’t been paying attention,” he said. “First of all, Jim Harbaugh won at every program, organization he’s been to the last several years. Two, this is Justin Herbert’s first year having a stable situation where he’s had the same head coach, same offensive coordinator, you know, same, same, same. He hasn’t had that since he’s been playing with the Chargers. Every year, he’s had to learn something new.”
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) hands the ball off to Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris (22) at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 15, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
The first seasons Herbert, who had 242 passing yards and two passing touchdowns against the Raiders, had the same offensive coordinator was in 2021 and 2022 with Joe Lombardi while Brandon Staley was the head coach. With Harbaugh as the head coach, he’s kept Greg Roman on as the offensive coordinator from last season to this season.
Merriman also touted how the entire team has been built and that they no longer have to rely on Herbert trying to make all of the plays to win a game.
“Now, you have a team that’s not relying on Justin Herbert to win anymore,” he said. “If he plays well, great. If he doesn’t, they can still win. The fact that you have the quarterback with the biggest arm in the National Football League that can win games for you is a bonus. But this team is physical on both sides of the football. … This is a big, strong, physical team – that’s their DNA.”
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the cream of the crop in the AFC West for the last nine years. But going into Week 3, they find themselves 0-2 to start the year.
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
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Merriman noted that the Chiefs can no longer rely on Patrick Mahomes to do everything for them and will have to address the holes in their team and their aging stars.
“This is not a knock on the Chiefs at all, but you can only rely on Patrick Mahomes for so long. We’ve seen it with some of the greatest quarterbacks in the business,” he told Fox News Digital. “How long have we seen it with Aaron Rodgers? They didn’t give him a No. 1 wide receiver. They didn’t get people around him. They just say, ‘Hey, you’re Aaron Rodgers. You can go win a lot of football games for us. You don’t need any help.’ And that gets you so far because you can win a lot of games with great quarterbacks.
“Travis Kelce may go down as the greatest or top three greatest tight end of all time, but he’s just like the rest of us. He’s getting older. He can’t do what he used to do five years ago. Xavier Worthy went down with a shoulder. They don’t have a deep threat right now. They can’t run the football effectively. But the Chiefs are still a good team. The Chargers are just better, and that happens in the division when people get better around you and you don’t.”
Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson (23) celebrates after making an interception against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
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The Chargers will have their home opener on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
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