After three straight wins to kick off the 2025 season, all of which came against their rivals within the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers have since suffered two consecutive defeats to NFC East opponents, first taking a 21-18 loss to the New York Giants in Week 4 and then an embarrassing 27-10 beating at the hands of the Washington Commanders in Week 5.
One could easily pinpoint several reasons why the Bolts have fallen flat these last two weeks. Injuries to key contributors obviously didn't help, nor did the 24 penalties the team committed, a figure that marks the most ever by a team coached by Jim Harbaugh over a two-game span at the professional level.
Then, of course, there's the matter of the Chargers' offensive line, which has been one of the worst in the NFL from an overall standpoint. And that's not just the past two weeks, as the Bolts have been bad in that regard all season, ranking 28th with a pass block win rate of 51.7% and 24th with a run block win rate of 69.7%. Following the loss to the Commanders, however, Harbaugh was asked if he believed he had the players to genuinely protect Justin Herbert, and he responded with a simple, "Yeah, I do."
Now, Harbaugh isn't typically one to throw his own players to the wolves or under the bus or whatever idiomatic phrase you prefer. But for a brief moment in the aftermath of Sunday's loss, he did just that, calling out center Bradley Bozeman for a specific missed block against Washington during a play that went somewhat viral for just how atrocious it was.
As you'll see in the clip below, during a play in the first quarter, Herbert pointed out the coverage he was seeing from the Commanders' defense but then watched Bozeman appear to change the protection.
The cameras actually picked up Herbert saying "no" to the change, but Bozeman obviously didn't pick up on it, as, after snapping the ball, he immediately went to help Zion Johnson block Eddie Goldman, thus leaving Daron Payne with a clear path to Herbert, who thankfully got rid of the ball before being sacked.
Harbaugh said Bozeman is "a good, productive player."
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) October 6, 2025
When asked about the play below, Harbaugh said, "We all have fingerprints."
When asked at what point errors make a player not good/productive, Harbaugh said, "When we feel that there is another player that can play better." https://t.co/PF7pxGpZHp
Jim Harbaugh doesn't shy away from highlighting Bradley Bozeman's mistake
As Daniel Popper of The Athletic explained in the post on his X feed, Harbaugh clearly confirmed to the media that Bozeman missed his assignment, which, again, is a bit out of character. But seemingly not wanting to embarrass his center any further, he also said he was a "good, productive player." When asked at what point errors make a player not good or productive, Harbaugh stated, "When we feel that there is another player that can play better."
Well, Jim, you may need to start thinking about finding someone who can play better because Bozeman just isn't cutting it right now. Of 48 eligible centers on PFF, Bozeman's 48.9 overall grade ranks 46th, his 47.1 run-blocking grade ranks dead last at 48th, and his 49.2 pass-blocking grade ranks 34th.
Bozeman certainly isn't the only one who deserves to be called out for his poor play, but perhaps Harbaugh's comments can motivate him to a better performance this Sunday when the Chargers look to get back on the winning track against the Miami Dolphins.