The Miami Dolphins finally got off the mat with a 28-25 win over the New York Jets, but the real fallout hits over 2,000 miles west in Los Angeles.
The win over the Jets marks the Dolphins’ first win this season, officially snapping their losing streak. That result took Miami off the hot seat, but it dumped all that heat straight onto the Los Angeles Chargers. The 0-6 Chargers are now the only winless team left in the NFL, and they weren’t even on the field this week.
Even while sitting at home and evaluating the damage, Miami pulling off a win hands Jim Harbaugh a brutal reality check. Calls to fire offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel have been mounting for weeks, yet the Chargers have stayed dead silent on making a staff change.
Chargers Only Remaining Winless Team in NFL
Leaving the offense untouched coming out of the bye week signals Harbaugh is willing to ride it out, even as fan patience completely runs out in LA.
The frustration with Mike McDaniel boils down to an offense that looks completely broken on paper and painful to watch on tape.
Through six games, the Chargers are averaging barely 14 points a night, and Justin Herbert looks nothing like the superstar fans are used to, throwing for just 200 yards a game with a single touchdown in five straight outings.
Herbert’s turnover-worthy play rate has exploded to a career-high 6.7%, and getting sacked 23 times already shows how uncomfortable he feels in this system. When an elite quarterback looks this lost six weeks in, fans aren’t blaming the roster anymore. They’re looking straight at the play-caller.
And if Harbaugh keeps ducking the obvious, the crosshairs slide right onto his head.
“We’re going to look at everything,” Harbaugh told reporters after their sixth loss when pressed on McDaniel’s job security. “The job I’m doing, it starts with me. The plan is we’ll watch this and get with our offensive coaches.”
Except nobody inside the building is hinting at an actual shakeup. McDaniel was right next to Harbaugh on the field at Tuesday’s practice, running things like usual. Holding onto a failing play-caller might keep the locker room peaceful for a week, but if this offense lays another egg after the bye, the question will be why Harbaugh is too stubborn to fix it.
Chargers Offense Needs Someone on the Hot Seat, Be It Mike McDaniel or Jim Harbaugh
However, Harbaugh’s seat is safer than McDaniel’s.
That’s because there’s an $80 million reality keeping Harbaugh fully insulated from any real firing line.
The Chargers handed him a five-year contract worth $16 million annually, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the entire league.
Dean Spanos isn’t known for throwing around massive checks, and the Spanos family is not about to eat roughly $64 million just to cut ties after six bad weeks. Firing an offensive coordinator like Mike McDaniel is cheap and easy.
Plus, an 11-win season buys Harbaugh plenty of cover.
Moving on from a heavy-hitting head coach who was hired to rewire the entire culture is an absolute non-starter this early. Harbaugh is mostly safe, but taking no action on the disastrous stats the offense is in might change the temperature on his seat.
If Harbaugh isn’t willing to make McDaniel the sacrificial lamb, the front office will be forced to see him as one.
The season is falling apart, but the Chargers still need a fall guy to save whatever face they can.
Dolphins Win Over Jets Leaves Jim Harbaugh’s Seat Hotter Than Ever With 0-6 Chargers