It is Time to Pull the Plug on the Chargers’ Offense

It is hard to imagine things getting much worse for the Los Angeles Chargers. After six games, the team is sitting at 0-6 and coming off a 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in which the offense failed to score a single touchdown. What was supposed to be a season where Justin Herbert finally took the next step under Mike McDaniel has turned into an absolute disaster.

At some point, enough is enough. The Chargers need to make a change, and it is time for Jim Harbaugh to pull the plug on this offensive experiment.

McDaniel was brought in to unlock Herbert and turn the Chargers into a more explosive offense. Instead, the unit looks completely lost. The timing is off, the turnovers continue to pile up and the team cannot consistently finish drives. Through six games, the Chargers have struggled to do even the most basic things well, and there is little evidence that the current approach is working.

Sunday’s loss to Kansas City was the latest example. The Chargers had an opportunity to make things interesting after Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston for a 57-yard gain that put the ball at the Chiefs’ one-yard line. Instead of finding the end zone, the offense moved backward and settled for a field goal. Against a team like Kansas City, those opportunities cannot be wasted.

The bigger problem is that this is no longer an isolated bad performance. The Chargers have been dealing with the same issues for weeks. Herbert threw another interception against the Chiefs, the offensive line struggled to protect him and the offense failed to capitalize on opportunities created by the defense. When a team cannot score a touchdown despite getting favorable field position and multiple chances to make something happen, something has to change.

That does not mean Herbert should be given a free pass. He has been a major part of the problem, and his decision-making has been uncharacteristically poor. However, the Chargers cannot afford to give up on their franchise quarterback after one disastrous stretch. Herbert has shown throughout his career that he is capable of playing at an elite level. The organization needs to figure out how to get him back to that level rather than allow the entire offense to continue spiraling.

The simplest solution may be to take play-calling responsibilities away from McDaniel. Harbaugh has already acknowledged that everything needs to be evaluated, especially on offense. The bye week provides a natural opportunity to make a change without having to do it in the middle of a game week.

Whether that means giving another coach the play-calling duties or making a more significant change to the offensive staff, the Chargers need a different approach. Adam Gase, who serves as the team’s passing game specialist, could be an option to take over play-calling responsibilities if Harbaugh decides to make that move.

The goal should not be to completely overhaul everything overnight. It should be to simplify the offense, get Herbert playing with confidence again and find ways to consistently move the football. That means leaning more heavily on the running game with Omarion Hampton, creating easier throws for Herbert and eliminating the unnecessary mistakes that continue to kill drives.

The Chargers are entering their bye week with an 0-6 record and their season hanging by a thread. There is no reason to keep running the same offense and expecting different results. The current system is not working, and the organization cannot afford to waste another week pretending that everything will eventually click.

McDaniel was supposed to be the answer. So far, he has been part of the problem. If Harbaugh believes this team can still turn things around, he needs to make the difficult decision now. Pulling the plug on the current offensive approach may not solve every problem, but continuing down this path is clearly not the answer.