As much room as there was the doubt the impenetrable optimism that surrounded the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, at least in terms of some early-season growing pains, nobody expected it to look like this.
The Chargers offense has failed to find any consistent momentum to this point in the season, and Mike McDaniel's re-shaping of Los Angeles' scheme, especially when it comes to maximizing Justin Herbert, has undoubtedly failed through three weeks. Not all hope has been lost yet in terms of their bid for a playoff spot, but if they can't turn things around quickly and rattle off a few wins, we may as well already be monitoring the standings for the 2027 NFL Draft.
A win against the Seattle Seahawks, especially with the slate they still have lingering ahead of them before things ease up in Week 11, is an absolute necessity. Here are three ways they can try to get that done in Week 4.
The Chargers need to remain consistent on both sides of the ball to have any hope of a Week 4 victory
1. Stop the Seahawks on the ground (especially with Jadarian Price out)
It's hard to truly measure the Seahawks offense considering the fact that starting quarterback Sam Darnold has only played in one full game. But there's a clear vulnerability here in their run game, and with both Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price out for this matchup, it's something the Chargers can take advantage of.
Seattle is 20th in the NFL in total rushing yards and 22nd in yards per rushing attempt to this point in the season, and they'll be depending on some combination of Emanuel Wilson and George Holani to get the job done against a staunch Los Angeles defensive line in Week 4. Keeping this game within reach of the stumbling offense is a necessity, and preventing Seattle from gaining any momentum on the ground would be a solid first step.
2. Limit Jaxon Smith-Njigba through the air—and re-establish the secondary as a whole
This might seem like an impossible task on the surface. Donte Jackson remains questionable for this matchup with the concussion he suffered last week, and so does Derwin James Jr. To make matters worse, both Cam Hart and Rodney Shelley have struggled to put together consistent coverage performances.
Smith-Njigba, for context, is averaging 135 yards per game—two of which were played primarily with Drew Lock at quarterback. The Chargers aren't going to be able to stop him from putting up receptions against their zone-heavy scheme. But if they can limit breakdowns in coverage and remain staunch in their tackling, they may be able to stop him from putting up the one or two explosive plays that can break the game apart.
This will be O'Leary's biggest test of the season in that regard—can he find a way to keep this secondary viable even if he's missing his top corner?
3. Funnel the ball to Tre' Harris as often as possible (or identify a true receiving threat apart from Ladd McConkey)
The Chargers, plain and simple, need to find a true pass-catching option outside of McConkey. To this point in the season, it seems like Tre' Harris may be their only true alternative. He hasn't provided super consistent production through three games, but he's managed to amass 10 receptions for 149 yards in an otherwise depressing Chargers passing game. A large chunk of that yardage came on a pair of explosive plays between Weeks 2 and 3.
If McConkey is out for this game (he remains questionable with a foot injury), McDaniel will have no choice but to try to get the ball to Harris, using him on a wider variety of routes and scenarios to try to create some YAC opportunities for the offense as a whole. Even if McConkey plays, this Los Angeles offense simply can't exist without another deep and intermediate threat to complement him.
Perhaps we see Quentin Johnston shake off some of the rust, or Oronde Gadsden II plays a major part in the passing game this week. But right now, it seems like Harris is the best place to turn to for McDaniel as the offense continues to struggle.
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