Jim Harbaugh's Biggest Strength as Chargers' Head Coach Has Disappeared

Three weeks into the 2025 season, head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers were not only 3-0, but had completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Chiefs (27-21), Las Vegas Raiders (20-9), and Denver Broncos (23-20), respectively.

They had not only taken an early lead in the AFC West, the opening week victory over Andy Reid’s team in São Paulo snapped the Bolts’ seven-game losing streak in that rivalry.

Another Sunday and another loss for the Chargers

Six weeks into this season, Harbaugh’s team has yet to win a game. And that includes Sunday’s ugly 22-6 setback at Arrowhead Stadium, as well as home losses to the Raiders (26-14) and Broncos (23-17) in Weeks 2 and 5, respectively. The Chargers were outgained 422-259 by Andy Reid’s team, failed to score a touchdown, and committed two more turnovers.

During his first two seasons at the helm of the Bolts, which included a pair of wild card appearances, Harbaugh compiled a combined 22-14 overall record. What stood out was the fact that while the team had its problems outside of their division (13-11), the Chargers were an impressive 9-3 vs. their AFC West rivals. That included a 4-0 record vs. the Raiders, a 3-1 resume vs. the Broncos, and a four-game split with the Chiefs.

Winless Chargers already 0-3 vs. their division rivals

This season, Harbaugh’s club can’t be accused of playing favorites. The disappointing Bolts are 0-3 vs. their division neighbors and 0-3 vs. the rest of the league—which includes the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks.

Against their AFC West rivals, the disappointing Chargers have scored a combined 37 points and only four touchdowns (none vs. the Chiefs) while turning over the football eight times. The club has been limited to 17 or fewer points in each of their divisional setbacks. And to make matters a bit worse, the losses to the Raiders and Broncos were both at home.

Plenty of blame to go around for the Chargers’ winless start

Hence, there’s been a lot of finger pointing when it comes to the offense, in particular new coordinator Mike McDaniel and seven-year signal-caller Justin Herbert. The team has generated just 287.2 total yards per game, has just as many field goal as touchdowns (9), and has committed a whopping 15 turnovers in a half-dozen contests. However, the defense has also had its shortcomings when it comes to stopping the run, allowing 123.8 yards per game on the ground.

There’s some very sad symmetry here. The last time this franchise lost its first six games was the start of this century. The 2000 San Diego Chargers opened 0-11 and finished 1-15 under head coach Mike Riley. And the third of three different starting quarterbacks for the Bolts that seasons was Jim Harbaugh. In his second season with the team, he appeared in seven contests and made five starts in what proved to be his final NFL campaign as a player.