T
he Los Angeles Chargers are off to their worst start to a season since 2000. Losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, the team is 0-6 and showing no signs of improvement. The offense in particular has struggled, with Justin Herbert playing the worst football of his career and struggling with turnovers. The Chargers are on a bye week this week, the perfect opportunity to assess their issues and make changes.
One thing the team is looking into is simplifying the offense so that players like Herbert can adjust. The Chargers brought in a new offensive coordinator this offseason in Mike McDaniel and so far, the results have not been good. When asked about the simplifying the offense, head coach Jim Harbaugh did not mince words.
Harbaugh and the Chargers are Looking Into All Options
Harbaugh has continued to back McDaniel despite the early season struggles, but did acknowledge that making the offense easier for the players to understand is fully on the table.
“Definitely looking at volume and where you can make it to where the players can understand,” Harbaugh told reporters. “It’s an option. It’s something we’re looking into, for sure, along with how much that’s practiced. Does that need to be practiced more?”
Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories while Herbert leads the league in interceptions. The Chargers finished 11-6 and made the playoffs in each of Harbaugh’s first two seasons and have already lost more games at this point in the year. Anything the team changes could be considered progress in a season where the clock is ticking.
Why the Chargers are Thinking This Way
The Chargers lost 22-6 to the Chiefs, one of their worst losses of the season that saw the them commit several penalties. In particular, they were flagged for illegal formations as well as needing to burn timeouts because of poor alignments. Harbaugh particularly spoke on the game against the Chiefs.
“There was a time that the penalty (problem) was, offensively, the false start,” Harbaugh told reporters. “That’s been corrected, and we’re in a better place there. … When it comes to the formations, those alignments should be like layups. And so, more practice there, more getting in the layup line. Those have got to be nonexistent.”
Harbaugh also commented on Herbert specifically. Since Harbaugh has been the coach, he has played relatively well, throwing a career low of three interceptions in Harbaugh’s first season in charge in 2024. When McDaniel came in, Herbert tweaked his footwork and throwing stance at his request and while he was receptive, it has not worked. But Harbaugh is not quick to discount the tweaks yet.
“Footwork, putting Justin in the most advantageous position, there’s nothing more important on the team,” Harbaugh told reporters. “Some of those things have been coached through. There have been changes. Really, the stance is the one thing that is, I mean, going back to the old stance? Not entirely, no.”
Chargers Reportedly Exploring Simplifying Offense for the Rest of 2026