It’s shocking the way the Los Angeles Chargers have played this season. And the head coach said the team is letting the quarterback down. But Justin Herbert can’t escape blame. He has been so bad against the blitz; it’s like he and the Chargers have forgotten how to play football.

It’s a small sample size, but the Chargers are failing in this metric, according to a post on X by Timo Riske.

Be aware of small sample sizes here (unless someone played the Vikings), but a simple blitz makes the Chargers forget how to play football. pic.twitter.com/y2t7wDH0tP

— Timo Riske (@Timo_NFL) September 22, 2026

The result is a 0-2 start. And the losses came against the Cardinals and Raiders. Pretty much any NFL observer would have predicted a 2-0 start for the Chargers. And now they get these teams next:

  • Bills
  • Seahawks
  • Broncos
  • Chiefs
  • Rams

You could make a very defensible argument that this short list contains the two Super Bowl teams for 2026.

What has happened to Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert?

Remember, head coach Jim Harbaugh boasted that Herbert would become the best quarterback to ever play the position. Yep. Harbaugh said it on The White House with Michael Irvin, according to NBC Sports.

“When it’s all said and done, when his career comes to an end, I predict he will be known as the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback,” Harbaugh said. “When it’s all said and done, and his career is finished, we’re going to look back and say, ‘Yep, that’s the best that ever did it.’”

Mike Florio called the comments “downright cartoonish.”

The way Herbert played through the first two weeks wouldn’t even make him the 2026 GOAT of the AFC West division. He has completed 59.3% of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

At least Harbaugh can see the problem, according to a post on X by Kris Rhim.

“Harbaugh said he felt like the team is letting Justin Herbert down and pointed to both interceptions. First was dropped by Njoku, second he said WR Derius Davis was supposed to be wider on his route. ‘Two interceptions that were really exactly what he was supposed to do,’ Harbaugh said. ‘But yeah, the ability to shake that off as a quarterback, I mean, that speaks volumes to who he is.’ ”