Late-game officiating was questionable, but loss to Cardinals highlights Chargers' offensive ineptitude

The Los Angeles Chargers should blame their Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on a hapless offense, not questionable late-game officiating. 

On a 3rd-and-4 at Arizona's 22-yard line just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert targeted wide receiver Simi Fehoko, who was tied up with Cardinals cornerback Max Melton. Officials threw a flag but ruled Herbert's pass uncatchable, so L.A. settled for a field goal.

In his postgame news conference, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said he thought Melton held Fehoko and officials shouldn't have overruled the call.

On the next drive, L.A. cornerback Cam Hart was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a 2nd-and-10 at Arizona's 30-yard line. In turn, the Cardinals marched downfield, and Chad Ryland kicked a 32-yard field goal before time expired, sealing a 17-15 victory. 

L.A. may not have been in this position if its offense capitalized on several opportunities. 

During the loss, the Chargers had eight drives but failed to score a touchdown, making five field goals instead. Herbert also threw for a season-high 349 yards and posted a solid 57.6 QBR.

The Cardinals' defense ranks 24th in the league in points scored (25.4), which makes L.A.'s performance even more alarming. 

"It's a razor-thin margin in this league, and we are a couple of plays away from putting up a lot of points," Herbert told the media Monday.  

However, the Chargers may need more than a few plays to spark their offense. L.A. is tied for 26th in the league in points scored (17.7) and 25th in yards (300 YPG).

Through his first six starts, Herbert is averaging a career-low 194 passing yards per game, but he can only do so much with a limited receiving corps. 

Rookie WR Ladd McConkey has emerged as Herbert's No. 1 target, and he has only 24 receptions for 265 yards and two TD catches. 

The lack of an explosive passing game could affect L.A.'s ground attack. Over its last three contests, it has recorded 80.6 rushing yards per game.  

The Chargers (3-3) should consider acquiring another WR before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. On Tuesday, CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan tabbed them as a potential landing spot for Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp. 

Whether they trade for another wideout, the Chargers can't keep wasting Herbert's prime. 

Citing Elias Sports Bureau, ESPN's Kris Rhim shared that Herbert became the fastest player to reach 1,700 completions (68 games) on Monday, breaking Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' record (69 games).

Unlike three-time Super Bowl champion Mahomes, Herbert has no playoff wins in five seasons with the Chargers.