First, let me start by saying that the intention of this article is not to put blame on Justin Herbert.

Quite the opposite.

The Los Angeles Chargers have a 6-foot-6 quarterback with one of the strongest arms in football, enough athleticism to punish defenses with his legs, and the physical talent to play the position similarly to Josh Allen.

So why does Herbert suddenly look like the Chargers are asking him to play like a washed Payton Manning at 40 years old? What the hell is going on in Los Angeles?

Jim Harbaugh was hired largely because of what his arrival was supposed to mean for Herbert. Harbaugh hasn't exactly hidden his admiration for his franchise quarterback, either.

“I got to get Justin Herbert to the Hall of Fame,” Harbaugh said in 2025. “Must get Justin Herbert to the Hall of Fame.”

Three seasons into their partnership, it's fair to start wondering exactly how Harbaugh plans on accomplishing that.

The Chargers went 11-6 in each of Harbaugh's first two seasons. That's respectable. They also went 0-2 in the playoffs, scoring 12 combined points in those losses, and have now opened 2026 with consecutive 26-14 home losses to Arizona and Las Vegas.

That's not progress.

It's regression.

Chargers are wasting everything that makes Justin Herbert special

The Peyton Manning comparison isn't meant to suggest Herbert is washed. It's meant to highlight how absurdly the Chargers are using him.

Remember Manning's final season in Denver? Yes, he won the Super Bowl with a stacked roster. But his mind remained brilliant, while his physical tools had deteriorated. Denver needed Manning to get the football out, avoid mistakes, and allow everything around him to do the heavy lifting.

Herbert shouldn't have to play anything resembling that style of football.

If this is how it is going to be, then the Chargers made a fatal mistake by hiring Harbaugh.

Herbert is 28 years old. Yet through two games, the offense has seemingly prioritized getting the football out of Herbert's hands as quickly as possible. Some of that makes sense after watching him get destroyed behind a disastrous offensive line last season. But protecting Herbert shouldn't mean neutering him.

Mike McDaniel was supposed to fix this. Instead, his offense has produced 28 points through two games while looking completely disorganized. Herbert has thrown for only 401 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. There have been dropped passes, penalties, protection breakdowns, tons of fumbles, and receivers struggling to consistently separate.

Even worse, Herbert occasionally looks like he's throwing the football to spots where nobody is standing.

That's not what an offense maximizing Justin Herbert looks like. The conservative style of play is hurting this team.

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky has already criticized how frequently Herbert has become locked onto predetermined receivers within McDaniel's offense. The Cardinals adjusted after Los Angeles' opening drive in Week 1, and the Chargers never found an answer.

Then came Week 2. Six team fumbles. More penalties. Two interceptions. Another 14 points.

Third down and inches, Chargers in shotgun, down 17–14 in the third quarter.

Snap comes with a second left on the play clock, Tre’ Harris gets hit, and Justin Herbert is as pissed as I’ve ever seen him.

Outburst continued after the video ended and he walked to the sideline.… pic.twitter.com/z0DT7D1URW

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) September 21, 2026

This doesn't look like a team learning a complicated new offense. It looks like a team that wasn't ready to play football.

Orlovsky also said Monday on the Pat McAfee Show that the Chargers “look remarkably unprepared.” And that they have been extremely outcoached and are the most disappointing team in the NFL through Week 2.

"Yesterday isn't a Justin Herbert thing..

There was 6 or 7 legit jaw dropping drops on that tape and their interior offensive line is absolutely atrocious right now..

The Chargers look remarkably unprepared"@danorlovsky7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/bj117UTYVG

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 21, 2026

Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz haven't done enough around Herbert

The criticism needs to shift away from Herbert and directly toward Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz.

The Chargers entered the offseason projected to have roughly $85 million in cap space. They needed offensive line help. They needed more receiving talent. They needed a roster capable of helping their franchise quarterback compete with the AFC's elite.

Their biggest offensive additions were Tyler Biadasz and David Njoku. Both are now injured.

Harbaugh himself said getting Herbert into Canton would require surrounding him with as many players at Herbert's level as possible.

Where are they?

Ladd McConkey is an excellent receiver. But Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris haven't consistently created separation to begin this season. Herbert is being asked to quickly distribute the football to receivers who aren't getting open while operating behind a line that still isn't protecting him consistently. That's an impossible combination.

Meanwhile, look at Buffalo.

Allen isn't successful because the Bills ask him to hide everything that makes him special. They embrace it.

Allen can change plays. He can extend them. He can attack vertically. And when everything breaks down, Buffalo understands that having a massive, athletic quarterback capable of running through a defense is an advantage.

The Chargers have their own physical freak playing quarterback. They need to start treating him like one.

Herbert doesn't need to become Josh Allen. He needs an offense willing to unleash the traits that put him in the same physical conversation. Instead, Los Angeles has turned one of football's most naturally gifted quarterbacks into a quick-game distributor inside an offense that can't even consistently execute the quick game.

And now the Chargers are 0-2 before the schedule becomes brutal. Buffalo, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, the Rams, and Baltimore follow.

Harbaugh says he's “not deterred.” But he should be concerned.

The Chargers didn't hire him to produce respectable regular seasons followed by miserable playoff exits. They hired him to change the trajectory of the franchise and maximize the most important player in the building.

Herbert is too talented to look this limited.

If Harbaugh really wants to get his quarterback to the Hall of Fame, perhaps he should start by building an offense that actually lets Justin Herbert play like Justin Herbert.