The Chargers are 0-5. For all intents and purposes, the competitive portion of their season is over. An 0-5 team has never made the playoffs. Given the state of injuries right now on the roster, even a better level of execution from players and coaches won't be enough.
So, realistically, what are the last 12 Chargers games for? For the roster, it should be determining which players are part of their future plans. But the coaching staff and front office should be on notice as well. There will absolutely be changes in some form if the season keeps going like this.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh, OC Mike McDaniel, and GM Joe Horitz should have to earn their 2027 spots.
Let's start with probably the most debated member of the brain trust—HC Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has two 11-6 seasons with playoff appearances to his name as LA's head coach. He makes $16 million per season for two years after 2026. Relatively speaking, he is the "safest" member of the brain trust. That being said, more pressure will build if the Chargers can't win anytime soon.
Harbaugh's last two under .500 seasons of his coaching career are 2020 Michigan and 2008 Stanford. As a result, many will say this season is an aberration for him.
But let's truly consider what's happened to Harbaugh so far in this campaign. After a 12 point loss to the Cardinals, he admitted his players needed more preseason and live game reps. Who's generally in charge of that? Usually, the head coach is.
The Cardinals have not won a game since beating the Chargers. Harbaugh proceeded to lose to Mike LaFleur, Klint Kubiak, and Joe Brady in his first three weeks. What do those names have in common? That was a 20+ year veteran head coach in Harbaugh losing to three first-time HCs in a row.
Harbaugh has struggled with in-game management and there was no better display of that than his performance vs. Denver in Week 5. He burned both challenges in the first half and was unable to challenge a Justin Hebert 4th down spot later in the game. That failed 4th and 1 attempt from LAC's own 41 yard line resulted in one of Denver's two touchdown drives on the day. The only two TDs Denver scored started on drives in Chargers' territory. Harbaugh and OC Mike McDaniel also offered no push help on the sneak despite several fullbacks and tight ends on the roster.
Harbaugh should've punted, but his decision-making has been less than sound all year. Harbaugh is 1/7 on going for it on analytically recommended 4th downs. The Chargers have the third lowest go for it rate (when recommended) in the league this year. Last year, it was second lowest on recommended 4th downs. At the same time, Harbaugh has gone for multiple 4th downs that went against analytical recommendations.
So, he didn't have his players ready to play to start the year based on changes he made to the offseason program. He lost to three first-time head coaches in a row. His game management is bad. What's the positive impact of Harbaugh in year 3? Most people seem to have it better than us.
Then we get to OC Mike McDaniel. McDaniel's offense is the worst in the league. That's not hyperbole either-the Chargers are 32nd in offensive EPA after five weeks (-0.192). Whatever category you want to look at, it's bad. Offensive success rate? 29th, 38.4%. Dropback EPA? 32nd, -0.167. Rush EPA? 28th, -0.227. The Chargers are 30th in points per game (16.8) and and 25th in yards per game (292.8).
Justin Herbert is playing decisively the worst football of his career. This timing-based offense has not worked for him at all. He's up over 4% in turnover-worthy play rate and is 31st in quarterback EPA. And now, the offense is imploding around him due to injuries. The Chargers started four rookie offensive linemen vs. Denver. They played most of the game without Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, or Tre' Harris. Whatever intentions McDaniel had in trying to maximize Herbert's game, it hasn't worked to this point.
The Chargers are second in the league in total penalties to only Cleveland. Los Angeles leads the league in false start penalties with 14 of those flags accepted. McDaniel's offense is still being set back by themselves. The lack of discipline is a poor reflection on both Harbaugh and McDaniel.
Does the team have the optimal personnel at the moment? No. But the offense looked bad to start the year and has never really shown a full game of consistent improvement. That has to fall on McDaniel.
Then we get to GM Joe Hortiz. Hortiz has led a tepid effort in free agency to acquire talent that has not worked out. In fairness to him, injuries have played a part. Take the season-ending injury to Tyler Biadasz for example. But we now have back-to-back seasons of the teams' biggest investment at guard flopping. In 2025's free agency, it was Mekhi Becton. This year, it was Cole Strange on the first day of free agency.
The team has never come close to being able to protect Herbert during the Hortiz tenure. He's had the third most quarterback pressures in 2026 and has been sacked the second-most times of any QB in the league.
The team also doesn't have the requisite weapons to be able to compete right now. They made a big bet on Quentin Johnston taking another leap by picking up his fifth-year option. The tight end room has been lacking in terms of truly viable options. Former first-round pick Omarion Hampton is now in a running back by committee situation? There's just so many head-scratching personnel moves on offense outside of just the offensive line.
Hortiz has banked most of the Chargers' roster-building improvement on the draft as opposed to properly utilizing free agency. The current rash of injuries aside, that strategy has not paid off this year.
Hortiz was also unable to get a deal done with EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu this past offseason. As a result, the Chargers will likely have to pay more to retain him on a long term deal next year.
What's the actual level of panic meter on Harbaugh, Hortiz, and McDaniel inside the building? I'm not sure. But evaluating the three main pillars of the brain trust on a merit basis, it becomes clear that none of them should return barring significant improvement in the last 12 games of the year.
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