It's been tough to diagnose exactly what's wrong with the 2026 Los Angeles Chargers. When you're 0-7 entering Week 9, it's almost impossible to pinpoint one problem above everything else. After all, when the house is on fire, you're just looking for a fire extinguisher.
However, one of the Chargers' biggest issues has clearly been the underwhelming play of Justin Herbert. On top of some Chargers' offensive line injury troubles, the veteran quarterback hasn't looked comfortable in first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's scheme. At all. It's resulted in a career-low 6.6 yards per pass attempt and an NFL-leading 10 interceptions thrown at this stage of the season. Herbert is supposed to be the pillar of the Chargers' franchise. Instead,
he's been anything but.
Ahead of the winless Chargers' home date with the Houston Texans on Sunday, CBS's Russell Wilson had a pointed but probably accurate assessment of Herbert's play so far. The 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl 48 champion claimed that Herbert isn't showing much confidence in himself, McDaniel's scheme, or the Chargers in general.
When that happens, a bad situation can snowball en route to an NFL-worst record:
"There's absolutely no confidence in Justin Herbert right now in his own mind."
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 8, 2026
- @DangeRussWilson on the state of the Chargers#NFLT pic.twitter.com/QwVleMjXZM
There's arguably nothing more important than confidence for a professional athlete. You can be as talented and gifted as you want. But if you don't believe in yourself, your coaches, or your teammates, it's going to manifest in your play, every single time. Full stop.
We'll see whether Herbert can start believing in himself while turning things around for the Chargers on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Russell Wilson shared a pointed review of Justin Herbert's baffling Chargers play
