It's been a rough season for the Los Angeles Chargers so far, to say the least. At the time of this writing, Los Angeles remains winless and already has uncomfortable questions surrounding its offensive coordinator, along with a clearly broken Justin Herbert.
A road visit to the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday might have come at the worst time. So did an unfortunate injury to the Chargers' most reliable offensive playmaker.
Third-year receiver Ladd McConkey had to leave the game early in the second quarter with a head injury. It's unclear exactly when the injury happened, but the Chargers would eventually rule McConkey out for the rest of the game with a concussion. What a scary turn of events for McConkey, and what brutal luck for the Chargers, whose nightmare season somehow keeps getting worse:
Ladd McConkey has been ruled out with a concussion. https://t.co/cAnQarHHok
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 18, 2026
Before this concussion, hip and foot injuries had limited McConkey's effectiveness in 2026. He had just 12 catches on the season before leaving the Chiefs game as he's struggled to maintain a consistent rhythm as a pass-catcher. It's probably no coincidence the Chargers' offense has struggled so much without its safety valve on that side of the ball. Here's hoping McConkey will be OK and that his absence from the Chargers' lineup won't be too long.
Who is Ladd McConkey's backup on the Chargers?
Brenen Thompson is listed as McConkey's backup on the Chargers' official depth chart. The rookie Thompson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ladd McConkey injury update: What happened to the Chargers WR?