Why is the Chargers offense getting out of hand? “It’s a tough offense. ‘We’ll get through it’

After the team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium, Chargers players dressed and equipment managers cleaned up the locker room. JK Dobbins sat motionless in his locker. The running back covered his head with a towel.

“I haven’t been in a place where I’ve lost much yet, so I haven’t gotten used to it yet,” Dobbins said later. “And I won’t get used to it.”

The Chargers’ offense, which early on emerged as one of the most ferocious running attacks in the NFL, has descended into a two-game losing streak. The injury-plagued and error-plagued Chargers have scored just two touchdowns in their last 25 offensive drives heading into Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

“We have to play cleaner football, that’s all, and we will,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “Sometimes you go through these little phases and you just want to stretch them a little bit, you don’t want to allow them to prolong.”

Roman, known for his magic in the running game, led the offense to 395 rushing yards in the first two games. He and head coach Jim Harbaugh preached the importance of a balanced offense that could be quarterback Justin Herbert’s “best friend,” but the Chargers have averaged just 2.6 yards per rush attempt over the last two games.

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Injuries and self-inflicted wounds paralyzed the offensive, Roman said. The Chargers (2-2) didn’t show everything they were working on in practice because of in-game errors, including seven offensive penalties against the Kansas City Chiefs and two against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Negative plays caused the Chargers to face a deficit of 10 or more yards on third down 17 times in four games. Roman said he has never been associated with an offense that featured so many third-and-long situations.

The Chargers rank 21st in the NFL in third-down conversions (36.4%) and are just seven for 24 (29.2%) in third-down chances during the two losses.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted, but there’s never any reason to panic,” Herbert said. “Panicting doesn’t help. … We have the right people out there. It’s a new offensive. It’s a tough offense. We will do it.”

Given the difficulties of the running game, Harbaugh senses the questions that will remain as the offense continues. The head coach interrupted a reporter Wednesday before he could finish asking whether the team would try to throw more shots with Herbert.

The former Pro Bowler has yet to pass for 180 yards in a game this season and is averaging 22.8 pass attempts after throwing nearly 40 times per game in his first four seasons.

“If we throw it 500 times or 50 times, we just have to run it as an offense,” Herbert said. “Selfishly, I would like to throw the football, but I want this offense to be as good as it can be. And what that looks like changes from week to week.”

The passing plan started to show against Pittsburgh, Roman said. Herbert threw 16 times for 125 yards and a touchdown in the first half as the Chargers led 10-7. But an injury to left tackle Rashawn Slater left a gaping hole in pass protection and led to Herbert re-injuring his right ankle. The plan went out the window.

Although Herbert returned to start against the Chiefs, the lingering injury affected the game plan, Roman said. With the benefit of the week off, Herbert completed some team drills during training for the first time since his initial injury, and Slater (pectoral muscle) also made a limited return.

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Right tackle Joe Alt was back in full practice Thursday for the first time since suffering a knee injury against the Steelers, potentially giving Herbert some much-needed protection to boost the offense.

“I love it when Justin Herbert is back and can throw the football. We all do that. It’s a wonderful thing,” Roman said. “But we are trying to build something here that is sustainable and can win football under many different conditions and circumstances. These days are coming.

Etc.

Linebacker Junior Colson (hamstring) and right tackle Joe Alt (knee) were in full practice on Thursday. Colson practiced fully for the first time since his injury against the Carolina Panthers. … Linebacker Joey Bosa (hip), running back Gus Edwards (ankle) and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor (calf) did not practice Thursday. … Defensive back Deane Leonard (hamstring) was limited.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.