EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers are limping — literally and figuratively — into Week 6.
Coming off back-to-back losses to the Giants and Commanders, the once 3-0 Chargers are now 3-2, watching the early season shine dim with each penalty flag, missed block, and dropped opportunity. On Sunday, they’ll try to stop the bleeding in Miami against a dangerous Dolphins squad, but they’ll have to do it with a roster held together by tape, hope, and a quarterback who hasn’t looked like himself lately.
Justin Herbert, once the steadiest piece of this Chargers puzzle, is trending in the wrong direction. Over the last two games, Herbert completed just 45 of 70 passes for 369 yards — a 6.3 yards-per-attempt clip that screams “checkdown city” more than it does “franchise QB fireworks.” He’s thrown two touchdowns to three interceptions and been sacked six times. His passer rating across those games: a pedestrian 69.3.
Compare that to Herbert’s blistering first three weeks — six touchdowns, one interception, 860 yards — and it’s clear something’s broken. The most obvious culprit? The offensive line.
Without left tackle Joe Alt, who’s out again this week with an ankle injury, and right tackle Trey Pipkins III also ruled out, Herbert has been under siege. Against Washington, the pocket collapsed more often than it held up, and the results showed. Four more sacks, constant pressure, and a rhythm that never quite established itself.
The Chargers’ practice line on Friday was telling: Austin Deculus (LT), Zion Johnson (LG), Bradley Bozeman (C), Mekhi Becton (RG), and Bobby Hart (RT). That’s not the group you want protecting your franchise QB, especially against a Miami defense that knows how to bring heat.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh tried to keep things optimistic this week, saying, “We’ve got a good plan, a good week of practice. Anticipated that Joe Alt would be out again this week. We’ve been preparing ourselves for that.” But preparing doesn’t equal producing, and the results on the field will matter far more than optimism at the podium.
One bright spot — or at least a spark — came from the Chargers’ mid-week trade with Baltimore. The team acquired 26-year-old pass rusher Odafe Oweh in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman and a swap of late-round picks. Oweh, a former first-rounder (No. 31 overall in 2021), brings speed and disruption off the edge, something this defense sorely needs with Khalil Mack sidelined. Oweh has played in 67 NFL games and offers both experience and burst — two traits this unit needs desperately.
Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws past Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium.
Defensively, the Chargers are hanging on, but the absences are mounting. Derius Davis, Da’Shawn Hand, and both starting tackles (Alt, Pipkins) are OUT for Sunday. Key contributors like Bud Dupree, Quentin Johnston, Denzel Perryman, and Jamaree Salyer are QUESTIONABLE.
On offense, the injury report reads like a M.A.S.H. unit. Najee Harris is out. Omarion Hampton, the rookie spark plug, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. There’s no true running back threat suiting up in Miami. That means the burden falls squarely on Herbert — again — to make plays, stay upright, and manufacture points.
The cracks that started forming in Week 4 have widened. The clean, complete team that started the season 3-0 — disciplined, balanced, explosive — has looked disjointed and inconsistent since. Penalties have stifled momentum, miscommunication has killed drives, and the defense, once a quiet strength, is being asked to do too much.
Sunday’s showdown in Miami isn’t just a game. It’s a gut check. A chance to prove that this Chargers team is still who they thought they were — a playoff-caliber squad that just hit a rough patch — and not another promising group derailed by injuries and unmet expectations.
But to win, they’ll need Justin Herbert to play like the Justin Herbert. They’ll need the patchwork offensive line to hold the line just long enough. And they’ll need Oweh — or someone — to make a game-changing play on defense.
Lose three in a row, and the conversation shifts fast. From playoff hopeful to damage control.