People seem to be wondering what it will take for the Los Angeles Chargers and their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, to finally fire offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Would it take a zombie apocalypse? The "Big One" striking Southern California? A nuclear one? A flock of mutant killer macaws descending on the region?
On Sunday, the Chargers lost 24-9 to the Los Angeles Rams, and yet again, their offense looked awful. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, and their running game mustered just 64 yards and 2.6 yards per carry. As has often been the case in their Chargers' games this season, they did hold a lead at one point — 9-3 in the second quarter — but they were unable to do anything with it.
Now, they head toward Week 9 and a matchup against the Houston Texans, and fans are calling more than ever for McDaniel to be fired. But Harbaugh has his own ideas.
Harbaugh expresses his confidence in McDaniel
In the postgame press conference, Noah Furtado of The Athletic asked Harbaugh if McDaniel will continue to call offensive plays.
"Yes," Harbaugh responded. "Not gonna address anything. I'm focused on this game and that's my focus."
Furtado then asked Harbaugh what from the last seven games makes him feel the offense can be fixed and why he's keeping McDaniel. Harbaugh didn't directly answer the question, even when Furtado asked three follow-up questions on the same topic.
The Chargers continue to look like the league's worst offensive team, and Herbert continues to play very low-quality football. He has completed 61.8% of his passing attempts and thrown 10 interceptions, which is more than any other player in the NFL, against just five touchdown passes. He continues to play by far the worst football of his pro career, and he doesn't even remotely resemble the player he was the last couple of years when pundits already said he was chronically underachieving.
A few days ago, Harbaugh had publicly announced that McDaniel would continue to call plays for the team. As time goes on, unless the team starts winning games, the speculation about the future of McDaniel — and even Harbaugh — will continue until some type of large changes are made.
More on the Los Angeles Chargers
This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

