The Chargers are 0-6 now, and that number hangs over everything after the latest loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. What was billed as another competitive year under Jim Harbaugh has gone sideways fast, with Los Angeles stuck searching for offense, finishing drives poorly and showing almost no consistency.
At some point, the conversation has to move beyond the players.
The coaching staff is going to take heat, and rightfully so. The Chargers are in a spot where someone has to be held accountable for the way this season has unraveled, and the easiest place to start is the sideline.
McDaniel was brought in to help unlock Justin Herbert and give the offense a sharper identity. He was the offseason move that got people talking. Instead, the Chargers have not produced the kind of results you expect from a team with Herbert at quarterback.
Good offenses do two basic things: they cash in on chances the defense creates, and they take care of the football. The Chargers are failing on both fronts. Even a small improvement there would change the picture, but it hasn’t happened.
McDaniel should get some runway because a new system takes time, especially with injuries affecting who’s available. Still, the excuses have limits. If the play-calling and in-game adjustments don’t improve, he has to be near the top of the list when people start talking about changes.
Harbaugh, though, is the first name under the spotlight when a team opens 0-6. He came in with a reputation for tough, disciplined teams that know how to compete. That’s not what this looks like right now.
He’s responsible for the whole operation, from how assistants get their units ready to how the team handles adversity. Six straight losses forces that reality into focus. Harbaugh doesn’t have to be fired today, but his past success shouldn’t shield him from criticism if this keeps looking sloppy and unprepared.
Up front, the offensive line deserves its own scrutiny. Herbert’s play is tied directly to the protection and blocking around him, and that group has been a problem. Barry, who joined the Chargers in 2026 after coaching Miami’s offensive line, brought experience from a unit that had helped produce a productive offense.
Not every issue there falls on the coach. Injuries matter, personnel matters and the players have to do their jobs too.
Having four rookies on the starting line is far from ideal. But Barry still has to clean up communication, assignment discipline and overall consistency.
If that unit stays shaky, the offense will keep paying for it.
Special teams also can’t be ignored, but it shouldn’t be treated as the whole story. The Chargers’ latest loss was not just a special-teams collapse, and the kicking game accounted for all six of their points. That distinction matters when the blame starts getting distributed.
Ficken remains in the mix for evaluation, but based on how the season has gone, he isn’t the main coaching concern.
On the other side of the ball, O’Leary returned as defensive coordinator, and the losing streak naturally raises questions about whether his group can keep executing the plan. Even so, his defense has been the team’s lone bright spot.
For now, O’Leary looks like the safest coach on the staff. But he’ll still be judged on what happens next, especially if the defense starts failing to get off the field or can’t stop opponents from controlling games. If that becomes the trend, Harbaugh may have to look hard at whether a different defensive approach is needed.
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Justin Herbert still sits at the center of everything the Chargers hope to build, but his recent decision-making has only added to the pressure around the offense. With the play-calling under scrutiny and the unit still searching for rhythm, Harbaugh has to decide whether the answer is more patience or a change that could alter the direction of the season. [Read more 🡒]