The Los Angeles Chargers came with some electric expectations going into the 2026 NFL season, the third under coach Jim Harbaugh. But after Week 4’s loss at Seattle that dropped them to 0-4, it’s lights out for any chance at making the AFC playoffs for a third consecutive season.
In the long history of the league, only one team that started 0-4 has made the playoffs — the 1992 Chargers, who ended up winning the AFC West at 11-5. The odds are still stacked against the current Chargers for rediscovering that kind of juice the rest of the way.
After Los Angeles’ latest 30-23 loss vs. the reigning Super Bowl 60 champion Seahawks, Harbaugh’s team is buried in last place. There’s little chance it will duplicate the 11-6 wild-card worthy finishes of the previous two seasons.
The Chargers have been outscored by the Cardinals, Raiders, Bills and Seahawks by a combined 106-67. They have yet to score more than 23 points or give up fewer than 24 points. That’s a straight-up bad all-around team.
Then consider the Chargers’ upcoming schedule: vs. Broncos, at Chiefs, bye, at Rams, vs. Texans, at Ravens. Later they play the Patriots, the 49ers, and once each again, the Raiders, Broncos and Chiefs. Without games against current fellow 0-4 teams Houston, Tampa Bay and and Miami, the only guaranteed non-loss would be that Week 7 bye.
The Chargers are giving off some bad energy, shocking under Harbaugh. Forget “Chargering” — they haven’t been losing tough tight games. Although there’s a familiar development exacerbating their struggles, the basics, led by quarterback play, is what’s making Harbaugh feel the heat:
Four reasons for Chargers’ 0-4 start
Justin Herbert has been mostly terrible in Mike McDaniel’s offense
Herbert was supposed to have a huge season with McDaniel replacing Greg Roman at offnesive coordinator and calling the plays for Harbaugh. Instead, he went into Week 4 completing only 59.1 percent of his pass attempts with a bad 5.8 average net yards per attempt. He also went into Seattle with 3 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in 3 games, contributing to his awful 73.4 passer rating.
He played to those numbers against the Seahawks (19-of-31, 189 yards, 5.4 yards per attempt, TD, 2 more INTs, 89.3 rating). He also was sacked three more times to raise that total to 12, an average of three per game.
The Chargers are trying to stay balanced. They were a 54-46 passing team with McDaniel going into Week 4. Despite trailing big, they had 32 rushing attempts to go with 35 Herbert dropbacks. They’re doing their best to take pressure off Herbert and set him up for success, but getting intercepted on his first pass attempt vs. the Seahawks set an early tone for the game.
They were able to put together 147 rushing yards against the Seahawks’ defense. That will raise them from the No. 12 rushing attack in the NFL. They also will dip down from No. 21 in passing offense. Herbert is struggling to push the ball downfield and use his big arm with Quentin Johnson becoming a non-factor downfield and Tre Harris just getting more comfortable in the primary deep threat role.
The chemistry with slot ace Ladd McConkey has been off and he went catch-less despite being active with a foot injury before exiting again. Oronde Gadsen II also has not blossom into an athletic mismatch at tight end. The interior offensive line misses center Tyler Biadasz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury before Week 1.
Herbert is not rising above having suspect weapons and some line issues. When he’s so reliant on completing deep shots and not much else, it’s leading to the turnover woes. McDaniel has done poorly to adjust Herbert’s game to the given support system, too.
The offense struggles in both third-down and red zone situations
The Chargers are No. 24 in the NFL in converting third downs (35.1 percent). They also are No. 19 in converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns (55.6 percent).
Against the Seahawks, they were a dismal 5-for-15 on third down (33 percent). They were better in the red zone, converting 2-of-3 chances, but still not good enough to beat the Seahawks.
But they also added 16 penalties to go against them, making it more difficult on both sides of the ball. They are up to 38 for the season, good for the fourth-highest total in the league. There are plenty of mistakes made in critical-situation execution to the point they cannot afford to be so undisciplined under Harbaugh and McDaniel.
Their defense is equally bad against run and pass under Chris O’Leary
The Chargers were No. 23 in total defense (yardage allowed) going into Week 4. They will go down from being No. 20 in scoring defense, now giving up more than 27 points per game on average. They also were No. 20 against the pass and No. 20 against the run.
Losing the play-calling of Jesse Minter, now the Ravens’ head coach, has been brutal. O’Leary isn’t delivering with similar 3-4 defensive concepts. The Chargers strangely matched the Seahawks in producing and giving up 266 yards offense. Losing by a touchdown only magnifies the lapses from Herbert and the defense, which gave up more big plays than Herbert and the offense could execute.
Derwin James, the Chargers’ do-everything superstar safety, was a key absence with a hamstring injury. That’s a cruel reminder of a long-standing problem in Los Angeles.
The injuries to key players are happening again
James (hamstring) didn’t play. McConkey played in Seattle but ending up aggravating his foot injury. Offensive tackle Joe Alt (neck) was knocked out of the Seahawks game, too.
The Chargers have become thin at tight end with David Njoku and Charlie Kolar hurt. They’re also getting hit to hurt depth at defensive tackle and wide receiver. Furthermore, future Hall of Fame edge rusher Khalil Mack is finally showing his wear and age at 35. Cornerback Donte Jackson always seems to battling something to stay on the field.
The injuries don’t give the Chargers a free pass or an excuse for their poor, often uninspired play. They have become predictable and mistake-prone, odd for a Harbaugh team. It’s making many wonder how much longer Harbaugh wants to stay in the NFL this time, ahead of turning 63 in December.
The Chiefs are 4-0. The Raiders are 3-1. The Broncos are 2-2. The Chargers are two games out of third place already in the AFC West. They already lost to Las Vegas once, and the first Kansas City and Denver defeats are coming.
There will be no miracle, and based on the schedule, it should be less of a surprise. But no one could have expected any team under Harbaugh to be this bad. It also may need to stay the worst to get better.
