Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh backed offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to keep his job after the team fell to 0-4 to start the season while ranking last in EPA per play
Jim Harbaugh speaks to Mike McDaniel during a game
Jim Harbaugh confirmed the job security of Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel after a 0-4 start
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As the Los Angeles Chargers continue to spiral out of Super Bowl contention just four weeks into the NFL season, coach Jim Harbaugh is ensuring his new offensive coordinator hire Mike McDaniel should still have a job on his staff to battle through the aches together.
Harbaugh's answer came right after the Chargers' fourth straight defeat of the season in a 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Chargers committed four turnovers in the defeat and allowed a Seahawks team with just 286 total yards to win.
The Chargers are averaging 14.7 points per game and rank last in the NFL in EPA per play at minus-0.22 under McDaniel, who was fired by the Miami Dolphins after four seasons that ended with a 35-33 record and a 0-2 playoff run.
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"His job is not in jeopardy," Harbaugh said after the loss. "He's a skilled coach, and we're going to keep growing."
Public support came after Los Angeles fell 0-4 for the first time since 2017 to extend a miserable start for an offense that has struggled to produce consistently under McDaniel.
Justin Herbert's slide has only fueled more panic among Chargers fans. The franchise quarterback has completed 71 of 119 passes for 816 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions in four games, while getting sacked 12 times.
Herbert threw for 189 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the Seahawks, then lost a fumble on a late strip-sack as Los Angeles' attempted comeback withered away.
Seattle pressured Herbert on 55 percent of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, with only one game last season producing a higher pressure rate.
Herbert went 7-of-13 for 101 yards and an interception while taking four more sacks. The offense showed some life after halftime and scored 17 second-half points after falling behind 27-6.
Justin Herbert throws a pass against the Seahawks
McDaniels has been blamed for the regression of Justin Herbert
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Herbert also defended McDaniel and called the former Dolphins head coach “the greatest” and said he wants to make him proud, while accepting responsibility for not making enough plays himself.
The Chargers have scored only three total points in fourth quarters this season, turned the ball over 10 times and allowed 12 sacks while committing 38 penalties through four games.
The road ahead gets tougher as Los Angeles hosts the Denver Broncos, then heads to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, followed by the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens.