The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-4, and Jim Harbaugh says he has not lost confidence in Justin Herbert. Harbaugh is right. The loudest calls for change after Sunday's 30-23 loss to Seattle are aimed at the wrong man.
Herbert's line was ugly: 19-of-31, 189 yards, 6.1 per attempt, one touchdown, two interceptions, four sacks for 35 yards, a 62.4 passer rating and a 36.7 QBR. He fumbled once and lost it. That is bad quarterback play.
It is also a quarterback getting no help. Ladd McConkey drew two targets and caught none. Marquez Valdes-Scantling drew one and caught none. Quentin Johnston's only catch went 44 yards, and that was his whole day. The leading receiver was Tre' Harris, 60 yards on three grabs, and he even threw a pass. When your most productive pass-catcher is a secondary option and the two most-targeted wideouts combine for zero catches on three targets, four sacks follow naturally.
The run game held up. Omarion Hampton went 9 carries for 45 yards and a score. Keaton Mitchell added 10 for 39 and five catches. Kimani Vidal chipped in 5 for 25 plus a receiving touchdown. That is a functional ground attack being set aside for a passing game that wasn't functioning.
The defense flashed too. Khalil Mack posted six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Tuli Tuipulotu added six tackles, a half-sack and an interception. The Chargers still lost by seven, which is what happens when Derius Davis fumbles one away and returns two punts for zero yards.
So the "time for change" crowd that got loud at profootballnetwork.com and Barstool Sports this week is directionally correct. Something does have to change. The easy version of that argument, a quarterback change, is the one the box score doesn't support. Harbaugh's public backing of Herbert is the correct read of what actually went wrong, and it costs him nothing internally to say so.
Denver is next, and the Chargers released their unofficial depth chart ahead of that Week 5 game. My verdict: Los Angeles snaps the skid if McConkey gets targeted early and often against the Broncos. If he draws two targets again while Herbert absorbs four sacks, this team is 0-5 and the confidence question stops being rhetorical. The season doesn't hinge on whether Harbaugh believes in his quarterback. It hinges on whether the receiver room gives him a reason to.
