The Los Angeles Chargers hired Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator with hopes of faring better in 2026 than in 2025. However, McDaniel hasn’t been able to prove that the Chargers made the right choice.
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After six straight losses, there’s not much the Chargers have to defend McDaniel. After posting 14 points in the first two games, Los Angeles went up to 16, 23, and dropped down to 17 in Week 5. In Week 6, against the Chiefs, the Chargers were steamrolled to a 22-6 defeat.
“We’re going to look at everything,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said, via The Athletic’s Noah Furtado. “I feel bad for our players, our team, our coaches, our fans. And (the offense) needs to be addressed.”
The Chargers could manage only two field goals and zero touchdowns. In the end, the Chiefs secured a 22-6 win over the Chargers. The first came at a time when the Chiefs already had a 9-3 lead, and the second was recorded when Kansas City had already racked up 19 points.
The Chargers offense had no spark; they finished with only 259 yards of total yards, while the Chiefs posted 422. The Chargers also had more drives, but were averaging only 4.1 yards per play.
Now, the NFL community has long been asking the Chargers to make some difficult decisions about the offensive coordinator. However, Harbaugh refused to make changes.
“His job is not in jeopardy,” Harbaugh said of McDaniel after the Chargers fell to the Seahawks. “He’s a skilled coach, and we’re going to keep growing.”
McDaniel was expected to unlock Justin Herbert’s potential. But he has faced nothing but disappointments. Herbert has thrown at least one interception in each game this season. He threw his eighth interception in the last game on Sunday.
Before the season, it would be laughable to think Herbert’s production would grow this alarming.
In the second half, the QB connected on a 57-yard pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston. That was followed up by an offensive holding penalty, pushing the Chargers back to Kansas City’s 11. After two incompletions, they had to settle for a field goal.
Nevertheless, the offensive coordinator has already taken all the blame.
“I understand as the offensive coordinator and play-caller, that when things don’t work, I should take the blame,” McDaniel told reporters after the Chargers’ third loss this season. “But, shoot, like, bottom line is we need to be better and no one cares how.
“Plenty of the time things are being done, individually, that are good enough to win. But then there’s way too often when it’s not 100% unilateral. Everyone has a part in it. No one is safe from the blame, but no one’s exclusive to blame, either, besides the guy putting together the offense and calling the plays. And that will forever be the case. I don’t shy away from that.”
That was three games ago. The offensive breakdowns are only piling up for McDaniel.
Offensive troubles were the reason why the Miami Dolphins fired McDaniel as their head coach. They also failed to make the playoffs in the last two years McDaniel was HC. Looks like he might have to bid this job farewell, too.
“The next move very well could be a separation from employment of first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel,” Mike Florio wrote for Pro Football Talk. “There’s a growing buzz that the Chargers will be making that move, soon. Pass game specialist Adam Gase, a former head coach of the Jets and Dolphins, is expected to take over, if McDaniel is fired.
Now, with the Chargers on a six-game losing streak, switching offensive coordinators might be the only thing they can do to save the season.