Jim Harbaugh backed Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert after the Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-7 with a 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Asked after the game whether McDaniel will keep calling plays, Harbaugh gave a one-word answer: “Yes.”
The loss dropped the Chargers to 0-7, making them just the sixth team in the Super Bowl era since 1966 to start that poorly after making the playoffs the previous season. Harbaugh chose not to make an offensive coordinator change during the team’s bye week, and his postgame comments made clear that decision still stands.
Harbaugh’s Postgame Response
When reporters pressed further on McDaniel’s status following the loss, Harbaugh declined to elaborate. “Not going to address anything. I’m focused on this game, and that’s my focus,” he said, according to ESPN.
Harbaugh did explain why he remains confident in McDaniel staying put. “Yeah, our motivation is dedication to getting it. To getting it changed, to getting it fixed,” he said.
He extended that same message to the full roster, placing the burden for a turnaround squarely on the people in the building. “I believe in our guys. I believe in our players, our coaches, and, yeah, it’s us who are the ones that the challenge is with, and we’re the only ones that can fix it,” Harbaugh said.
What It Means For McDaniel And Herbert
Harbaugh’s refusal to bench or reassign McDaniel signals the Chargers intend to ride out the slump with the same play-caller rather than shake up the staff midseason. That stance lines up with what Harbaugh said before the Rams game, when he described the bye week review as thorough. “I feel like every stone, any part that we could look to better, that’s the way we responded,” Harbaugh said on Wednesday, according to Yahoo Sports.
He added at the time, “We’re very confident in Mike and his talent, his work ethic and his ability. We continue to be.”
The public support for Herbert follows a rough statistical day. The quarterback completed 24 of 32 passes for 257 yards with two interceptions, pushing his league-high total to 10 picks on the season. Herbert took ownership of the mistakes afterward.
“I’d love to have played better and made better decisions, but, you know, I haven’t, and that’s something I have to work on and continue to get better at,” he said. Herbert has also fumbled seven times this season, losing two.
Context: A Touchdown Drought And A 26-Year Echo
The Chargers have failed to score a touchdown in their last two games, a drought now stretching nine consecutive quarters and 27 straight possessions. Their last touchdown came Oct. 11 against the Denver Broncos. Harbaugh pointed to turnovers as the issue undermining a defense he said played well.
“I felt like our offense was getting into a rhythm. We had those three drives that didn’t end in scores. Our defense was playing extremely well, but when you turn the ball over and give them short drives, those are the issues,” Harbaugh said, according to the New York Post.
The 0-7 start carries personal history for Harbaugh. The Chargers last opened a season 0-7 in 2000, when Harbaugh was the team’s quarterback. “I’m aware of that.
We’re going to keep working and keep studying. It’s not a familiar position for any of the guys in our locker room and we’re the only ones who can change it. And we’re highly motivated and dedicated to change it,” he said.
Herbert previously described the bye week as productive time spent with his offensive coordinator after absorbing 21 sacks this season. “I think it was a very helpful and useful week. Got to meet with Mike a lot that week,” Herbert said before the Rams game.
What’s Next
Harbaugh said he plans to review the film before addressing further changes, repeating that the staff and roster bear responsibility for fixing the offense. “It’s a team effort. We’re going to look at the film and see where we can get better.
We’re the only ones who can fix it,” he said. The Chargers have not yet played their next game as of this report. Left tackle Rashawn Slater exited the loss with a high ankle sprain, adding another variable for an offense already searching for answers.
For more on the coordinator situation, see Mike McDaniel takes the blame for 0-3 Chargers’ huge slump and the Chargers vs. Seahawks preview for earlier coverage of the team’s skid.
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