The Los Angeles Chargers are sitting at a brutal 0-7 entering Week 9 of the 2026 season, a complete nightmare for a team that started with Super Bowl aspirations, and the biggest problem is staring them right in the face: Justin Herbert is playing the worst football of his career, plain and simple. With the Super Bowl set for SoFi Stadium, the hope was for a championship run in their own building, but instead, this season’s turned into a total disaster.
Herbert’s Numbers Are a Disaster, Offense Is Worse
Let’s talk about the numbers, because they’re ugly. Through just seven games, Herbert has already thrown 10 interceptions. That’s a shocking number for a guy who was supposed to lead this team on a deep playoff push. On top of that, he’s only got five touchdowns and has been sacked a staggering 23 times. You really have to scratch your head at those stats when Herbert is under center. The offensive operation looks stale, it’s inconsistent, and honestly, it’s just plain predictable. There’s been zero evidence of any real improvement, and with their bye week already come and gone, it’s not looking like there will be any big coaching shake-ups. If they were gonna make a move, the bye was the logical time. Instead, head coach Jim Harbaugh is still out there publicly defending his quarterback and the entire offensive staff. Want another gut punch? The Chargers offense has gone 27 consecutive drives without scoring a touchdown. That’s not just bad, that’s the longest streak we’ve seen since the Miami Dolphins went 30 drives without a score back in 2024, also under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Seriously, how is this happening?
Jim Harbaugh’s Defense Defies Belief
The conversation around Herbert got even wilder after Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake started openly questioning Herbert’s decision-making following their 24-9 loss to the Rams. Lake reportedly even made comments about Herbert “throwing deli meat and seeing ghosts” during that game. But when Harbaugh was asked about Lake’s brutal criticism, he wasn’t interested. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, that’s not what I see,” Harbaugh shot back. He then went on to defend Herbert’s performance, saying the quarterback played “exceptionally well” outside of just “two throws he’d like to have back.” Now, that’s a pretty generous assessment from Harbaugh, considering the Chargers’ 0-7 record and the consistent offensive struggles that have plagued Herbert all season. Harbaugh was also pressed on whether Herbert has adapted well to McDaniel’s offensive system. His response was telling: “The results have not shown that. But I gave you my assessment of how he played and you can choose to do whatever you want with that.” He admits the results aren’t there, yet somehow, he “continues to believe Herbert is” the guy.
With the bye week behind them and no coaching changes in sight, it’s clear the Chargers are sticking with Harbaugh’s assessment, no matter how wild it sounds. Chargers fans are left wondering how long this “nightmare” continues and if Harbaugh’s faith in Herbert can somehow turn this sinking ship around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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