Week 4 in Seattle was a perfect picture of the Los Angeles Chargers’ season.

In the third quarter, Ladd McConkey limped to the sideline with an injured foot and no catches.

With him went the last receiver defenses had to respect, and what remained was a decent run game, a quarterback getting hit too often, and a passing attack that could hardly get anything going. 

The Chargers run it well enough, averaging 121.5 yards on the ground, ninth in the league.

Los Angeles' only problem is that they can’t score. At 16.8 points per game, only three teams are worse in the NFL.

The passing offense has become scarce, at 185.3 yards per game, which ranks 24th, and it is falling far below the expectations it had coming into the season. 

That puts the focus on Mike McDaniel, who was hired to unlock Herbert, and so far it has gone the other way: six interceptions and 12 sacks through four games. McDaniel’s offense depends on motion, timing, and receivers who win quickly.

When nobody can separate, the timing breaks down, Herbert holds the ball, and the pass rush gets home.

Harbaugh calls McConkey week-to-week, and he sat out Wednesday’s practice. Quentin Johnston was limited on the same day due to a chest injury.

When McConkey left Seattle, the healthy receivers were Johnston, Tre’ Harris, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Derius Davis. Harris deserves credit for his three-catch, 60-yard day.

But an offense this desperate can’t build its weekly plan around a rookie having a good afternoon.

The case against a trade sounds reasonable: the season is gone, so keep the picks and regroup. That ignores what the Chargers are actually wasting. Herbert’s prime is not a renewable resource.

Every year he spends throwing to whoever is healthy is a year the franchise doesn’t get back.

The right receiver, one with a year or two left on his contract, wouldn’t be a desperation rental, but next season’s No. 1 or No. 2 option, arriving a few months early.

There is also a more immediate reason to act. Denver, Kansas City, and Baltimore are all coming up soon. Without help, the Chargers could be 0-7 before anyone has a chance to argue about it.

With a legitimate outside threat, McConkey goes back to doing damage underneath once he’s healthy, safeties have to stay deep, and McDaniel’s offense starts to look like the one the Chargers thought they were getting.

History offers a small amount of hope for Los Angeles as the 1992 Chargers remain the only team ever to reach the playoffs after an 0-4 start. 

Joe Hortiz has a quarterback worth investing in, and it’s time to get him a legitimate target.