The Los Angeles Chargers have only played two games in the 2026 campaign, but they may already be in trouble. After making a bevy of changes over the offseason in an attempt to make star quarterback Justin Herbert‘s life easier, the Chargers have been a mess in just about every possible aspect to this point.
Herbert is playing in a new offensive system led by incoming offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, but so far, he has looked lost under the former Miami Dolphins head coach’s lead. Los Angeles is well aware that it has failed to meet expectations early in the year, and it has outlined a clear goal for the Herbert/McDaniel pairing moving forward.
Chargers Send Strong Message to Justin Herbert on Mike McDaniel’s Scheme
Considering the work McDaniel did with Tua Tagovailoa early in his tenure with the Dolphins, there was a lot of hype surrounding his arrival in Los Angeles. Herbert is undoubtedly a better quarterback than Tagovailoa, and with an assortment of weapons around him on offense, the belief was that McDaniel could help him take his game to another level.
Instead, Herbert has looked more like Tagovailoa than himself through two games under McDaniel’s lead (which isn’t exactly a good thing). Herbert has completed just 32 of his 54 pass attempts for 401 yards, and while he’s tossed a pair of touchdowns, they have essentially gotten canceled out by the three interceptions he’s thrown.
It’s tough to make any sweeping assessments after two games, but Herbert has been a mess, and there hasn’t been much that indicates he and McDaniel are on the same page. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Chargers are willing to be patient with Herbert as he figures out McDaniel’s offensive system, but they have sent a clear message to him ahead of Week 3.
My understanding is (McDaniel’s offense) is incredibly complex, probably more complex than people realize, which may explain why Justin Herbert has not looked like himself,” Rapoport said on “NFL GameDay.” “What they’d like to do is get Herbert to just take the checkdown from time to time and just function within this offense. They know, though, it’s gonna take some time.”
Chargers Need a Bounce-Back Performance From Justin Herbert in Week 3
While this is meant to lift Herbert up, it’s tough to see this and not be more concerned about his status moving forward. Sure, McDaniel’s offense is complex, but after working with him all offseason long, the hope is that he would be a bit more comfortable in it by now. The fact that Herbert still looks so lost is worrying, and while the team had a great week of practice by all accounts, it is running into a tough Buffalo Bills team in Week 3.
After losing its first two games to inferior opponents, L.A. faces an absolute gauntlet over its next seven weeks in which it will likely be the underdog for each matchup. Simply put, if Herbert doesn’t get his act together immediately, Buffalo is going to beat the brakes off Los Angeles, so if there was ever a time for him to begin figuring out McDaniel’s scheme, it would be at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Insider Gets Brutally Honest on Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Mike McDaniel Pairing