Jim Harbaugh defends Mike McDaniel despite 0-4 start, Justin Herbert earns ugly Chargers honor

Los Angeles is struggling on offense and its franchise quarterback is a shell of himself

Oct 5, 2026 at 11:13 am ET • 2 min read

Offensive execution continues to lack for the winless Los Angeles Chargers, partly due to schematic changes following the offseason hiring of former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.

After Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, coach Jim Harbaugh was peppered with questions about his team's struggles on that side of the football and whether he thought the Chargers could turn things around, with McDaniel calling plays.

Los Angeles has the fourth-worst scoring offense (16.8 points per game) in the NFL, and its passing offense (185.3 YPG) is on pace for its lowest full-season per game average since 1998.

"No, his job is not in jeopardy," Harbaugh said of the OC, via the Associated Press. "He's a skilled coach, and we're going to keep growing.

According to the NFL's stats department, Justin Herbert is the first Chargers quarterback with at least six interceptions and 10 sacks through the team's first four games since Ryan Leaf in 2000. 

Herbert's never thrown six interceptions in his career this early in the season, and he's already been sacked 12 times, tied for the second-most in the league.

Like Harbaugh, however, Herbert's not putting the onus on his play-caller.

"I think (McDaniel) is the greatest and I want to make him proud and do everything I can to pick up the offense and do exactly what he asks," Herbert said. "But I think we've just got to go make plays. I've got to make plays out there and haven't done that, but I know we'll get it next time."

Last month, after a Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Harbaugh encouraged Herbert to "be better" as the orchestrator of McDaniel's offense. The former first-round pick acknowledged he needed to perform at a higher level.

But so much for Harbaugh attempting to energize his franchise player. Herbert turned it over three times in Sunday's loss, including a loss-clinching fumble after a sack on his team's final possession.

Herbert's QBR is a career-worst 27.9 through four starts, alarming for a signal caller whose efficiency usually rests in the 60s. He's only completing passes at a 59.7% clip, and two first-half interceptions against the Seahawks led to an early 17-point deficit.

McDaniel said after the Chargers' struggles against the Bills that the team's personnel was failing to do their "jobs" on offense and admitted he was part of the problem.

"I'm fully responsible," McDaniel said prior to his team's fourth straight setback, via ESPN. "I spend zero time trying to avoid blame. It's quite the opposite."

Harbaugh has a mess on his hands offensively if Herbert and McDaniel fail to get this ship turned in the right direction before the midseason mark in a couple of weeks.