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Chargers fall to 0-6

Sports · Heat 1.2 / 10 · 8 shows · 1h 5m airtime

The Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-6 with a 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 of the 2026 season. Justin Herbert leads the NFL in interceptions and ranks last among 35 qualifying quarterbacks with a 26.5 QBR, with a fourth-quarter line of 55 percent completions, no touchdowns, four interceptions and 11 sacks. The discussion has moved past Herbert or the staff as the common denominator to the structure around him: only three offensive starters from the playoff loss to the Patriots started against Denver, four rookie linemen started in that game, and Herbert has been sacked 242 times and pressured 1,425 times since 2020, the most in the league. Trade speculation has now entered the conversation.

How 8 podcasts covered it

  1. The Bill Simmons Podcast, 2026-10-12 (34:23 to 42:51)
    Frames Herbert as taking too many hits
    Recaps the Chargers' win over Denver through Herbert's beating: five sacks, three turnovers, four rookie linemen. Frames it as Herbert taking too many hits, with Plunkett and Bledsoe as comparisons, and questions Payton's play calling. Stays inside the week's Chargers coverage.
  2. Nightcap, 2026-10-12 (24:33 to 27:07)
    Predicts a four- or five-win ceiling
    Recaps Herbert's 121-yard day and the late turnovers against Denver, then runs through the remaining schedule and predicts a four- or five-win ceiling. Stays inside the Chargers' 0-5 read, adding only Harbaugh's no-message line.
  3. Nightcap, 2026-10-12 (27:12 to 32:06)
    Argues Herbert's offseason focus was split
    Turns to Herbert's offseason, arguing his focus was compromised: he skipped voluntary minicamp while the Chargers installed a new offense and traveled with Madison Beer. Compares the treatment to how Lamar Jackson was covered, then recites the fourth-quarter and turnover numbers already on the record.
    New angle: Herbert skipped voluntary minicamp while the Chargers installed a new offense.
  4. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-12 (37:47 to 39:37)
    Replays the final interception
    Picks Herbert as the weekend's biggest loser and replays the final throw: an interception with three Broncos around one Charger six yards from where the pass landed. Frames the 0-5 start against a popular AFC champion pick and asks whether Mike McDaniel is to blame.
    New angle: Herbert's last throw was intercepted with three Broncos around one Charger six yards from the pass.
  5. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-12 (43:54 to 45:01)
    Reads Herbert's fourth-quarter numbers
    Puts Herbert's fourth-quarter line on the record - 55 percent, no touchdowns, four picks, 11 sacks - and reads a Sun Sentinel tweet arguing Miami won the 2020 Tua-Herbert decision. The stat detail is new to the Chargers' file; the rest is a quick pivot to Balls of the Week.
    New angle: Herbert has a 55 percent completion rate, zero touchdowns, four interceptions and 11 sacks in the fourth quarter this season.
  6. First Take, 2026-10-12 (44:26 to 46:42)
    Adds Herbert's career sack and pressure totals
    Debates whether the Chargers should move on from Herbert after the 23-17 loss to Denver dropped them to 0-5. Irvin and Smith both say no, blaming the line and Mike McDaniel. It puts Herbert's career punishment on the record: 242 sacks, 650 hits, 1,425 pressures, the most in the league since 2020.
    New angle: Herbert has been sacked 242 times, hit 650 times and pressured 1,425 times, the most since 2020.
  7. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-12 (28:48 to 32:57)
    Weighs keeping Herbert or drafting Smith
    Chase Daniel calls Herbert a quarterback playing with zero confidence and says the season is over at 0-5, then walks through the draft question: keep Herbert and take Jeremiah Smith, or move off him. Opinion and prediction, with the Broncos' 224 yards and five sacks as backdrop already on the record.
  8. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-12 (28:48 to 32:58)
    Breaks down the Chargers' 0-5 start
    Chase Daniel breaks down the Chargers' 0-5 start: Herbert playing with zero confidence, five sacks allowed, and a sideline that does not look right with Harbaugh. He floats keeping Herbert and drafting Jeremiah Smith, then turns to the Titans' quarterback question. Analysis and prediction, no new development.
  9. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-13 (16:29 to 20:41)
    Argues against a Chargers change at quarterback
    Ross Tucker walks through the Chargers' 0-5 start and the sudden talk of moving on from Herbert: four rookie linemen, missing receivers, Herbert's turnovers and his fit in Mike McDaniel's offense. A recap of the case against the roster, with Tucker arguing against a change at quarterback.
  10. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-13 (16:34 to 20:57)
    Adds four rookie linemen starting for the Chargers
    Ross Tucker weighs whether the Chargers could move on from Herbert and says it would surprise him. He adds a first: four rookie linemen started against Denver, three making their first start, the first time since 1978 outside a strike season.
    New angle: Four rookie Chargers linemen started against Denver, three for the first time, the first such case since 1978 outside a strike.
  11. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-13 (31:27 to 35:49)
    Breaks down Herbert's 121-yard day in Denver
    Breaks down the Chargers' 0-5 start and Herbert's 121-yard, one-interception game against Denver, quoting Harbaugh on Herbert's desperation plays. Counts only three offensive starters back from the Patriots playoff loss and notes Herbert has never had a first-team All-Pro skill player; Cowherd says he would not trade him.
    New angle: Only three offensive starters from the Chargers' playoff loss to the Patriots started against the Broncos.
  12. The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-13 (1:06:10 to 1:09:11)
    Relays the Herbert trade speculation
    Recaps the Bills' overtime win over the Rams, then turns to Tom Pelissero's speculation on Rich Eisen's show that Justin Herbert could be traded if the Chargers keep losing, and notes the internet has turned it into a live conversation.
    New angle: Tom Pelissero speculated on Rich Eisen's show that Justin Herbert could be traded if the Chargers keep losing.
  13. First Take, 2026-10-14 (34:49 to 40:25)
    Reports Herbert's QBR and passer rating figures
    Canty's new segment puts Herbert's season on the record with QBR and passer rating figures: dead last among 35 qualifying quarterbacks at 26.5 QBR, 31st at 70.2 passer rating. The rest is a familiar blame debate between Herbert and Harbaugh, with the four-rookie line and the Denver loss as context.
    New angle: Herbert ranks last among 35 qualifying quarterbacks with a 26.5 QBR and 31st with a 70.2 passer rating.
  14. The Bill Simmons Podcast, 2026-10-16 (19:54 to 25:44)
    Debates Harbaugh's job and a stripped-back offense
    Pelissero and Simmons debate whether Harbaugh's job is safe and whether McDaniel should strip the offense back toward Greg Roman's system. Stays inside the 0-5 frame: Herbert's turnovers, the battered line, the brutal schedule, and a prediction they lose in Kansas City.
  15. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-19 (27:55 to 30:17)
    Reacts to a caller demanding a teardown
    Takes a longtime Chargers caller who wants the whole operation torn down after 0-6, and Rich Eisen agrees it is not working with Mike McDaniel. Reaction and opinion on the same result, with no new development.
  16. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-19 (27:49 to 33:38)
    Argues Herbert is the Chargers' common denominator
    Sherman makes the case that Herbert is the common denominator in the Chargers' 0-6 start, running through the stalled run game, the drops and the injuries, and asks whether a top-three pick should go to a quarterback.
    New angle: The Chargers fell to 0-6 with a 22-6 loss to the Chiefs, and Justin Herbert leads the NFL in interceptions.
Unpacking...