SEATTLE — Freakish start, familiar finish.
The first NFL game to open with back-to-back interceptions ended Sunday with another loss by the Chargers, who are 0-4 and still searching for answers.
The 30-23 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks didn’t feel as close as the final score suggests, as quarterback Justin Herbert took a beating — including some hits that were flagged — and now is surrounded by the walking wounded.
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Sam Farmer breaks down what went wrong for the Chargers in their 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Not only were the Chargers without All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., deactivated because of an ailing hamstring, but they now are also dealing with injuries to both starting tackles and No. 1 receiver Ladd McConkey.
The franchise is 0-4 for the first time since 2017, its first season back in Los Angeles, and there’s no indication this team will U-turn the way that one did.
“Being 0-4 is super frustrating,” said edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, who reeled in an interception on Seattle’s first play from scrimmage. “It’s disappointing. It’s not where we need to be, not where we expected to be. It’s going to take all the effort we can to get this turned around.”
What a month ago would have been unthinkable — the job security of coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel — could percolate into a talking point, even though it’s unlikely the club would make a drastic move at this point.
Harbaugh, for instance, is under contract for two more seasons, and the Chargers would owe him more than $30 million if they were to let him go. Besides, he had never been 0-2 in his coaching career, college or pros, let alone double that.
As for McDaniel, his offense has yet to get traction, and serious questions have surfaced about whether the Chargers have the right personnel to effectively run his scheme.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert fumbles as he is tackled by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu late in the fourth quarter Sunday.
(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
Asked after the game whether the Chargers plan to make a change at offensive coordinator, Harbaugh said no.
“Like our players, we have skilled coaches and we’re going to keep growing,” Harbaugh said.
On paper, the Chargers finished within a touchdown of Seattle — their closest final score this season — and conceivably could have forged a tie after taking over at their 11 with 1:42 on the clock and trailing by a touchdown.
The Seahawks were outscored, 17-3, in the final 1½ quarters but that felt more like Seattle letting an in-control game slip away by committing mistakes and penalties than it did the Chargers imposing their will.
The Chargers were flagged 16 times and the Seahawks 14.
By the two-minute warning, quarterback Justin Herbert had taken a cover-your-eyes beating that included a couple of roughing-the-passer penalties, four sacks and nine hits. Three plays into the Chargers’ final desperation drive, the Seahawks had a strip sack and recovered the fumble, then ran out the clock with kneeldowns.
Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, left, stands next to head coach Jim Harbaugh before a loss to the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 13.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Harbaugh called the showing by Herbert “one of the grittiest performances I’ve been associated with from a quarterback.”
On the first play from scrimmage, Herbert threw to his left and was intercepted. The crowd at Lumen Field erupted. On the next play from scrimmage, Tuipulotu intercepted Sam Darnold and suddenly the place was Lumen Library.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, which has kept such statistics since 1978, that marked the first time an NFL game has started interception-interception.
Injuries are piling up for the Chargers. In addition to playing without James, the Chargers lost McConkey (foot), right tackle Joe Alt (neck) and left tackle Rashawn Slater (ankle) for all or part of the second half.
At least last season the Chargers could point to a specific positional breakdown. Their offensive line was a disaster. This year, nothing is working well — although the defense did turn in a gem for three quarters in the Week 3 loss at Buffalo, including five takeaways.
There’s little respite to be found in the Chargers’ upcoming games. They play host to Denver next Sunday, then are at Kansas City, and play the Rams after a week off. Then, the Chargers have a home game against Houston — also surprisingly winless — then play at Baltimore, where the 3-1 Ravens are coached by former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
The Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, got a collective whiff of smelling salts before Sunday’s game, having suffered an embarrassing loss at Washington a week earlier. They weren’t about to lose back-to-back games for the first time since 2024.
