Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers are in unfamiliar territory under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who hasn’t faced a stretch like this through three seasons in charge.
After consecutive 11-win campaigns made the Chargers one of the NFL’s steadier teams, Los Angeles has opened 0-4 for the first time since 2017, extending a seven-game losing streak that dates back to last December and now stands as the longest of Harbaugh’s tenure.
Sunday’s loss followed the same pattern. The Chargers trailed Seattle 27-6 before a Herbert-led rally briefly threatened a comeback, only for Uchenna Nwosu to strip-sack Herbert with 1:03 left and seal a 30-23 defeat.
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Herbert has completed 59.7% of his passes for 816 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions, and has been sacked 12 times.
But the bigger concern may be in front of Herbert rather than anything he’s doing himself. Center Tyler Biadasz was already out for the season before Week 1, and Seattle cost Los Angeles both starting tackles Sunday.
Joe Alt suffered a neck injury in the second quarter, and Rashawn Slater went down with a high-ankle sprain in the fourth. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that Alt is expected to miss Sunday while continuing his rehab, but the Chargers don’t plan to place him on injured reserve.
For a player taken fifth overall out of Notre Dame in 2024, that counts as good news. Alt started all 16 games as a rookie, earned All-Rookie honors and made his first Pro Bowl last season before ankle surgery ended his year in November. Travis Burke, who filled in at right tackle in Seattle, is expected to hold that job going forward.
The Chargers will host the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11, with kickoff at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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