Chargers Begin Week-7 Bye 0-6 as Harbaugh Says Team Is ‘Looking Into Everything’
The Los Angeles Chargers will begin their Week 7 bye with an 0-6 record as head coach Jim Harbaugh said the club is considering every option to change course. Harbaugh said, “0-6 does not give the privilege to rule out anything at this point,” and added that “we are looking into everything.” Eric Smith, the Chargers’ editorial director, outlined that stance in the team’s Mailbag column published Oct. 21, 2026. The comments signal that the staff plans a full evaluation during the bye week.
Offensive struggles have been the clearest issue this season. Entering Week 7, the Chargers rank 30th in the NFL at 15.0 points per game, and Smith pointed to a first-and-goal at Kansas City’s 1-yard line as an example of the unit’s miscues. A holding penalty pushed the offense back, a shovel pass lost yardage and two incompletions followed, producing only a field goal from the sequence. Penalties and untimely execution have compounded the scoring problems.
The defense has been largely impressive under Chris O’Leary, but it has had lapses at times that have contributed to losses. Special teams have shown improvement recently, yet the Mailbag recalled early-season miscues that included a blocked punt and a muffed punt return. Those mistakes in all three phases have left the Chargers without a win heading into the bye. The staff will need more consistent, 60-minute performances to change the trajectory.
Harbaugh said coaches are exploring adjustments that could include narrowing the playbook so players can translate installs and practice work more cleanly into games. He said, “Definitely looking at volume and where you can make it to where the players can understand it,” and called simplifying schemes and increasing practice emphasis among the options under review. The Chargers will use the bye to evaluate potential changes before returning to play on the road against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 8. Any decisions about play-calling or practice focus are expected to be made after that review.
Smith also placed the offense in league context, noting the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans sit at 14.0 points per game, tied for last, while the Chargers’ 15.0 points per game rank 30th. He added a personal note that he will take paternity leave in November, with his wife due Nov. 10, and that the Mailbag will pause briefly while he is away. The column encouraged readers to expect a resumed Mailbag later in the season. Fans and the staff will watch how the team responds after the bye week.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Chargers enter the bye with clear priorities: eliminate penalties and situational miscues, simplify what players must execute on game day, and preserve the steady play the defense has provided. Jim Harbaugh’s public openness to change gives the staff latitude to alter play-calling, practice emphasis or install volume without signaling panic. With the offense averaging 15.0 points per game and specific red-zone failures highlighted in the Mailbag, focusing on fundamentals, red-zone execution and repetition of a tighter playbook offers the most direct path to ending the losing streak when play resumes.