Harbaugh Shoulders the Blame as Chargers Fall to 0-5

Jim Harbaugh didn’t point fingers on Sunday, instead he pointed at himself.

After the Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17 at SoFi Stadium, Harbaugh put the loss on his own shoulders.

The Chargers are now 0-5, their worst start in decades. Harbaugh owned the late-game mistakes that sank his team, and he defended Justin Herbert rather than letting his quarterback take the heat.

It’s a familiar posture for Harbaugh, who has always protected his players publicly. But the situation in Los Angeles is anything but familiar.

Two seasons ago, Harbaugh arrived and turned the Chargers into a tough, physical, playoff-caliber team almost overnight.

Now the Bolts are the only winless team left in the AFC West, and Sunday’s loss came against a Denver team that had its own problems coming in.

The Broncos showed up 2-2 and had been sputtering on offense, so badly that Sean Payton pulled play-calling duties from Davis Webb after just four games.

Herbert’s struggles remain the headline. He came into the game with 816 passing yards and four touchdowns through four weeks, modest numbers for a quarterback of his caliber. On Sunday, he finished 14/24, 121 yards, 1TD, and 1INT, but Harbaugh didn’t let that stand on Herbert alone.

To be fair to Herbert, he has been working behind a patchwork line. Both starting tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, have been out, and by the end of last week’s 30-23 loss in Seattle, four rookie linemen were on the field alongside veteran guard Cole Strange.

Ladd McConkey, Herbert’s most reliable target, has been dealing with a foot injury that forced the receiver out in Week 5, but he'll look to come back for the Chargers' next matchup. 

Discipline has also been an issue for the Chargers, who committed 16 penalties for 130 yards in Seattle, and penalties and turnovers have followed this team all season. 

That’s the part Harbaugh can’t excuse, and it’s likely why he took ownership. Injuries explain some of the decline. Sloppiness is a coaching problem, and Harbaugh knows it.

The question now is whether there is a season left to save. No team has made the playoffs after a 0-5 start since, and the AFC West doesn’t offer much room for a long climb.

The Chargers’ next chance comes against the Kansas City Chiefs on 10/18.

For now, Harbaugh is doing what he has always done: standing in front of his team and absorbing the hits.

Whether that’s enough to turn this around is a different question, and the answer will have to come on the field.