EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsEL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh defended offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's struggling offense and said that the coordinator's job was "not in jeopardy."On Thursday, McDaniel said calls for his firing "comes with the territory of the job.""When you have high expectations, and you're getting the results we're getting, and you're 0-4, that's pretty standard operating procedure," he said. "I would be foolish, or I would feel entitled, if I didn't expect there to be disappointment.""And so, if you want things to change and you want narratives to change, you have to change them through action collectively. If our results are better, that's the only thing that matters. So it's pretty easy for me to focus on what I need to focus on."It's been a disaster for McDaniel and the Chargers offense as the team sits at 0-4, going from Super Bowl contenders to in contention for the first pick in the 2027 NFL draft.They rank 28th in points per game (16.8), 31st in offensive efficiency (22.90), and quarterback Justin Herbert has the league's second-worst QBR (28.0). The offensive line had its worst day of the season in the loss to Seattle. According to ESPN Analytics and Next Gen Stats, the Chargers' pass-block win rate was 13%, the lowest in ESPN's 10-year dataset.The chances of things improving for this group seem bleak, too, as the Chargers offense has been decimated by injury. They will likely be without starting offensive tackles Joe Alt (neck) and Rashawn Slater (ankle); Trevor Penning, already the team's third-string guard, is in concussion protocol, and wide receivers Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest) are dealing with injuries."It won't be good enough until it is," McDaniel said. "And I think our guys have done a good job getting better, but not better enough. So that's what we're looking to do this week."The encouraging sign for the Chargers is that their best offense this season came in the second half against Seattle on Sunday, when the team was playing without most of these players and an offensive line that had four rookies.The Chargers nearly came back to win the game, thanks to late-game heroics from Herbert, who had two of his best throws of the season: a 44-yard pass over Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett and into the arms of wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Three plays later, he floated a pass over cornerback Josh Jobe and connected with wide receiver Tre' Harris for a 21-yard third-down conversion despite being hit by safety Nick Emmanwori."Really, really played the best, most competitive football that I've been around him for," McDaniel said. "I think the warrior mindset that he approached the second half with was very impactful to the entire team. Everybody sees a guy fighting, and I think that helped their fight."Herbert's second-half renaissance came after one of the worst first halves of his career.On the opening play of the game, Herbert threw an interception directly to linebacker Drake Thomas. Then did the same thing the following quarter, when he appeared to be targeting McConkey or tight end Oronde Gadsden, but threw the ball to Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Herbert finished the half 5-for-14 with 36 passing yards and two interceptions. It was the first time he had fewer than 40 passing yards in a half this season.These plays would typically be considered uncharacteristic for Herbert; except they have become commonplace this season. He is tied for second in the NFL with six interceptions, half of his total from last season.But McDaniel defended Herbert Thursday, saying that his interceptions are a combination of bad play calls and Herbert trying to make a play. He also warned against rushing to any conclusions about Herbert -- or anyone -- this early in the season."It would probably be an inaccurate wholesale assessment of Justin Herbert four games into a new system with new coaches, new players," McDaniel said. "And fortunately we have plenty of opportunities to change whatever narratives exist because this is just in; narratives in the first quarter of the season are generally about 40% right, good or bad. Coach, what areas do you feel like there's room for?"
