The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 41-17 on August 20, 2026, during Week 2 of the NFL preseason at SoFi Stadium.

The Chargers look a little tired and did not play clean solid football most of the night. The matchup began as a defensive stalemate, leaving the first quarter entirely scoreless. However, things unraveled quickly for the Chargers in the second quarter. The 49ers exploded for 20 unanswered points, highlighted by two field goals from Eddy Piñeiro, a 7-yard touchdown run by Sincere McCormick, and a devastating 83-yard punt return touchdown by Jacob Cowing. [1, 2]

The Chargers temporarily halted the bleeding in the third quarter with a defensive touchdown, tightening the score to 20-9. However, San Francisco’s depth took over and pushed the Chargers around down the stretch. Khalil Herbert punched in a 1-yard touchdown plunge, followed by quarterback Adrian Martinez executing a 9-yard touchdown keeper and launching a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Watkins. A late touchdown catch by the Chargers finalized the score. Head coach Jim Harbaugh noted that his team was outplayed and beat themselves across all three phases, generating 8 punts, 7 penalties, and a mere 8 first downs.

Chargers Bright Spots

While it was a rough night overall, several young Chargers players put up standout tape:

• Junior Colson’s Pick-Six: The rookie linebacker provided the play of the night for the Bolts, reading Adrian Martinez’s eyes perfectly to intercept a pass and take it 16 yards to the house.
• Trey Lance’s Playmaking: Facing his former team, backup quarterback Trey Lance gave the offense its most dynamic sparks, finishing 10-of-16 passing for 73 yards and breaking loose for a stellar 37-yard scramble down to the 5-yard line.
• Devin Grant’s Interception: The rookie defensive back showed great awareness late in the game, securing an interception off Martinez to cut off a late-game 49ers drive.
• Late DJ Uiagalelei Connection: Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei finished off the night with an impressive 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to an open Jerand Bradley.
• Defensive Standout Rodney Shelley: Cornerback Rodney Shelley continued his strong preseason push, recording 4 combined tackles and holding his own in secondary coverage.

Watch the continuous action and top plays from both teams in the full matchup highlights:

https://t.co/o1LeCsj6sl
No flag on the play! #BoltUp #NFL

— Los Angeles Chargers Info (@ChargersFanChat) August 29, 2026