LOS ANGELES -- Through two Los Angeles Chargers games, one thing is apparent: This offense is nothing like any of coach Jim Harbaugh's and coordinator Greg Roman's offenses before it.
The Chargers' running game has struggled through two games, ranking 25th in rushing yards per game (85.5). Rookie first-round running back Omarion Hampton hasn't had many lanes to get through, ranking 35th in the NFL in yards before contact (1.22).
Meanwhile, Los Angeles' passing offense has been among the league's best. The Chargers' 270 yards per game through the air ranks fourth in the NFL. L.A.'s wide receiving corps, which was perhaps its worst position group last season, may now be its strongest, and it relied on this group and the arm of quarterback Justin Herbert to propel them to two wins.
The Chargers have had the league's most productive trio of receivers. Monday night's 20-9 win over the Raiders was the latest example. Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey combined for 13 receptions, 180 yards and two touchdowns. Among wide receivers, the Chargers are the only team with three players ranked in the top 25 in yards.
As the Chargers face their third straight AFC West opponent Sunday, when they take on the Denver Broncos in their home opener (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS), they'll be relying on their trio of pass catchers to propel them to their first 3-0 start since 2002.
"Last year we had some growing pains as a whole from top to bottom," McConkey told ESPN. "Just trying to match, trying to figure out our roles, figure out who we're going to be. And now I feel like we've kind of honed in on that. We're all playing more confident, we're having fun."
The Chargers' 32-12 wild-card loss to the Houston Texans last season highlighted the issues with this wide receiving corps. McConkey caught nine passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, but all other Chargers wideouts combined for 14 yards. The catastrophic loss reflected an issue that had been apparent all season -- the Chargers weren't good enough at receiver.
General manager Joe Hortiz invested in the position in the offseason by signing Allen and drafting rookies Tre' Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
The investments are already paying dividends.
L.A.'s receivers rank first in the league in receptions (34) and yards after catch (141), are tied for second in touchdowns (five) and third in yards (446). The Chargers are also the only team that boasts multiple wide receivers with multiple receiving touchdowns.
Roman is changing how this offense operates in a major way. Last season, the Chargers had 14 offensive snaps with four wide receivers on the field; this season, they already have 16 offensive snaps with four wide receivers.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Johnston, who had struggled through his first two seasons with drops. He leads the team in yards (150) and touchdowns (three). He is the second player in team history to catch three scores in the first two games of the season (TE Antonio Gates, 2014).
After last season, Johnston said the receiving corps looked introspectively at how they could improve in 2025.
"I was asking myself the hard questions of, 'Am I doing enough for the offense? Am I studying enough?'" he said. "So, with that, everybody came back to camp with a plan. We were all on one accord."
Many believed Allen, 33, was no longer the player he had been at the height of his career. Among those non-believers was Hortiz and the Chargers, who offered Allen a pay cut after perhaps the best season of his career in 2023. After declining the pay cut, the Chargers traded Allen to the Chicago Bears (for a fourth-round pick which was later used to trade up to select McConkey), where he had 744 yards and seven touchdowns.
Allen became a free agent and eventually signed a one-year $3 million contract with the Chargers in August -- a significant cut from the $23 million he made last season in Chicago.
"I thought I got a little bit downplayed,'" Allen said about free agency, adding that he enjoyed having a chip on his shoulder, but "not for this cheap."
Allen has been productive through two games, with a team-leading 12 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
"I'm doing what I usually do," Allen said. "I ain't really have a step to lose."
Allen has been Herbert's favorite target, particularly in third- and fourth-down scenarios this season. Allen has seven targets (tied for sixth in the NFL), five receptions (tied for third), 61 yards (14th) and a receiving touchdown in possession downs.
Safety Derwin James Jr. has even given Allen the nickname "third-and-Keenan" for his effectiveness in those scenarios. Allen leads the team with nine first-down receptions.
McConkey, who broke many of Allen's rookie receiving records last season, has also picked up where he left off. He has 122 yards and 11 receptions through two games and has been responsible for drawing defenders away from Allen and Johnston with the attention he garners on his routes.
"[The vibe of the WR group has] been really good," McConkey said. "It's been better than I thought, honestly."