It’s a battle of the City of Angels as both the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams close their 2026 NFL Preseason Week 3 affairs with very different approaches.
For instance, Justin Herbert will play between six and nine plays vs Rams. After that, Jim Harbaugh will pull the plug on Herbert and all the starters. Trey Lance is likely to get some reps after that.
The Chargers have used their starters to some degree during preseason but clearly on limited snaps. For this game, though, veterans Khalil Mack and Derwin James won’t suit up at all.
Who will be the QB for the Rams vs Chargers?
The LA Rams take a whole different approach in preseason. Head coach Sean McVay evaluates his starters in joint practices, not in preseason. However, an interesting QB battle might ensue, but for the Matthew Stafford backups.
Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson are battling it out for the QB2 role of the team and both have had strong showings during preseason. Hence, both Bennett and Simpson will play vs. Chargers to earn that backup role.
Both Chargers and Rams have high expectations
The Chargers are one of the best teams in the AFC. They have elite coaching staff, alongside elite talent and a top-tier signal-caller in Justin Herbert. Hence, the pressure is on them to finally deliver on expectations.
As for the Rams, they look destined to win it all. In fact, not winning the Super Bowl could be labeled as a tragedy for a team that is from top to bottom, the best roster in the NFL.
