Through two weeks, it’s tough to say that there’s been a more disappointing team in the NFL than the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite being heavily favored to beat the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders in each of their first two games, the Chargers ended up losing both contests.
Considering all the hype that surrounded this team entering the season, it’s safe to say that the alarm bells are already going off in Los Angeles. One guy who was part of the Chargers’ offseason overhaul is new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, but so far, things haven’t looked particularly good during his time in town. When discussing the state of the offense, McDaniel made his thoughts very clear with a quick eight-word message.
Mike McDaniel Doesn’t Hold Back on Chargers’ Offense
After a disappointing playoff performance against the New England Patriots last season, the Chargers brought in McDaniel to be their new offensive coordinator. While things fell apart for him with the Miami Dolphins as their head coach in 2024 and 2025, when they were at their best, they featured the most devastating offensive attack in the league.
McDaniel was the mastermind behind that system, and the thought process was that if he could make Tua Tagovailoa a Pro Bowler, he could work wonders with Justin Herbert. Through two games, though, that hasn’t materialized. Herbert has been a mess behind a shaky offensive line, with his only two consistent playmakers being wide receiver Ladd McConkey and running back Omarion Hampton.
Things are only going to get more difficult for L.A. in terms of its opponents, so if the offense doesn’t get its act together soon, it’s going to be in serious trouble. McDaniel knows that he and the rest of the team need to operate with a sense of urgency, as he offered a blunt assessment on what he’s seen from this group to this point.
“Mike McDaniel on the offense: ‘We’re not standing on business in the least,'” Kris Rhim of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Mike McDaniel Already Running Out of Time to Salvage Chargers Offense
It’s tough to harp too much on two games’ worth of action, but the Chargers have been so bad against two teams that were expected to be among the worst in the league entering the year that it’s clear something has gone wrong. Beyond that, Los Angeles is about to face an absolute gauntlet of opponents over its next seven games, and it’s not a stretch to suggest that it will be the underdog in each of these matchups.
The offense has shown an ability to put up points in previous years, but McDaniel is going to have to find a way to free things up for Herbert and company, or else the 2026 campaign could quickly spiral out of control for Los Angeles. The Chargers will start their aforementioned nightmare stretch of seven games with a matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Chargers’ Mike McDaniel Gets Brutally Honest on Offensive Struggles