Six weeks into the season, the Los Angeles Chargers are still searching for their first win, and their coach says nothing is off the table.
Jim Harbaugh said the Chargers must address everything, especially on offense, after a 22 to 6 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.
How bad is the Chargers’ start under Jim Harbaugh?
Historically bad. Los Angeles is winless through six games for the first time since 2000, when it finished with one win and 15 losses. Jim Harbaugh played quarterback for the team that season, the final year of his playing career. Harbaugh took over the Chargers in 2024 after winning a national championship at Michigan.
The franchise has started a season without a win in six games only one other time, in 1975.
The offense scored just 6 points, its lowest total of the season, and gained only 259 yards. The Chargers now average 15 points per game, which ranks 30th in the league.
Is Mike McDaniel’s job safe?
Jim Harbaugh would not commit. Asked whether McDaniel will keep calling plays, he said the team will look at everything.
McDaniel is in his first season as offensive coordinator. The Chargers hired him after firing Greg Roman in January, following a playoff loss to the New England Patriots in which the team scored only 3 points. Harbaugh said at the time that he wanted a head coach for the offense. The offense had also sputtered in consecutive postseason losses.
After a Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Harbaugh said McDaniel’s job was not in jeopardy. McDaniel said last week that he always coaches as if his job is on the line and that he remains confident in the players.
McDaniel previously served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He was considered one of the most creative offensive minds available when the Chargers hired him.
Why is Justin Herbert struggling?
Nothing has clicked. Herbert threw another interception Sunday, his eighth of the season, which leads the league. He has thrown at least one in every game.
He entered Week 5 with the lowest QBR in the league and threw for fewer than 100 yards in the first half against Kansas City, the third time that has happened this season. QBR is a measure ESPN uses to rate a quarterback’s overall contribution.
Herbert said he does not know what has gone wrong, adding that if he had the answers, the conversation would be different. Harbaugh said his quarterback did not get many chances and did everything he could.
How have injuries affected Jim Harbaugh’s team?
Significantly. The Chargers have started eight different combinations on the offensive line, using nine different linemen, according to Research. Four rookies started on the line for the second straight week.
Receiver Ladd McConkey returned from a foot injury Sunday but left in the second quarter with a concussion, leaving a thin group of receivers that includes Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis. McConkey has been one of the team’s top targets.
What comes next for Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers?
An honest evaluation, according to the coach. Jim Harbaugh said the problems start with him and that the team’s preparation is not translating to games, from the running game to short yardage situations to the red zone.
He refused to make excuses, saying anything he offered would sound like one and that football is a team game. He said the offense still needs a full review.
Herbert said the team will keep working to get better. For Jim Harbaugh, finding answers quickly may be the only way to keep a promising tenure from slipping away.
