There's nothing LA Chargers fans want more after Week 5's ugly loss to the Washington Commanders than accountability. Someone has to be accountable for the way the Chargers have played the last two weeks after their terrific 3-0 start.
The obvious frontrunner in the accountability index is the offensive line. The Chargers are without both of their star tackles and are relying on two interior offensive linemen who fans wanted to see gone in the offseason.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to watch the Chargers' offensive line from the last three weeks and know that it isn't good enough for long-term success. But don't tell that to Jim Harbaugh, who is still backing his guys despite another porous performance.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on if they have the players on the offensive line upfront to be able to protect Justin Herbert: "Yeah, I do." pic.twitter.com/exX3scS2t3
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) October 6, 2025
Jim Harbaugh backs his Chargers offensive line after another horrible game
Harbaugh must be watching a completely different game. There isn't a soul outside of the Chargers building who would watch the last three weeks and come to the same conclusion.
To be fair, Harbaugh isn't going to come out and bash his players in the media. That would do more harm than good as there is no reason to air dirty laundry out in a public-facing setting.
That being said, fans would still like to see more accountability from the head coach. Harbaugh doesn't have to come out and completely dismantle his offensive line, but he can leverage his public-facing answers as a way to motivate either his players or the front office to make a move.
Plus, Harbaugh has talked out of both sides of his mouth regarding the offensive line. Harbaugh was pretty blunt last week that it wasn't good enough. Yet nothing was done about it. The Chargers weren't going to go out and add Penei Sewell, but they could have reorganized the pieces they already have to protect Justin Herbert better.
Last year's playoff exit makes this even more frustrating. This is the exact reason why the Houston Texans walloped the Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round. Back then, Harbaugh was pretty clear that it wasn't good enough. At that point, fans were convinced an offensive line overhaul was coming.
Instead, the Chargers made only one (albeit great) addition in Mekhi Becton, who can opt out after the 2025 season if he has another good year. They didn't address the left guard and center position and were banking on the star tackles carrying them to the finish line.
The Chargers never could have prepared for both star tackles to get hurt. Blaming the Bolts for that is disingenuous. However, the Chargers definitely could have done more to raise the floor of this offensive line. And they didn't.
For whatever reason, Harbaugh trusted what he had in Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson. Now, with those two surrounded by two backup tackles, Harbaugh still has the same level of trust despite the evidence saying otherwise.