Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh vowed to evaluate every aspect of his operation, including offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, after a 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday dropped the team to an 0-6 start ahead of their bye week.
Chargers Drop to 0-6 Following Loss to Kansas City Chiefs
The Los Angeles Chargers hit rock bottom Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, managing just two field goals in a 22-6 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. The loss marks the team’s sixth consecutive defeat to open the 2026 season, representing the franchise’s worst start since 2000. Harbaugh, who was the starting quarterback for that 2000 squad that finished 1-15, found himself facing intense questions about the direction of his coaching staff as the team heads into its bye week. The Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders both won 26-14 at SoFi Stadium; Buffalo and Seattle won at home, and Denver edged a tight one 23-17 in Week 5.
Genuinely a Chargers offense sequence that I think could qualify for the worst in league history:-standard QB sneak with Herbert that's almost a safety-Delay of Game-Illegal Shift every Chiefs defender saw-IOL blown up on Hampton rush pic.twitter.com/jwYfjIRpVM
While Harbaugh previously defended his offensive coordinator after a 0-4 start, his postgame tone changed in Kansas City. Asked directly if McDaniel would remain the play-caller, Harbaugh told reporters they were going to look at everything. Harbaugh would not commit to McDaniel calling plays after the defeat, stating only that they must address everything, especially on offense. Mike Florio questioned whether any team has ever failed so badly to live up to its preseason expectations.
We have to address everything, and especially offensively.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach
We need to look at it all — everything we’re doing, how we’re doing it.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach
Justin Herbert and the Offense Rank Near the Bottom in Every Major Metric
The unit sits comfortably last in expected points added per play, averaging just 15 points per game through six weeks, a sharp contrast for a team that reached the postseason in back-to-back 11-win years under McDaniel, who arrived in the offseason following his four-year stint running the Miami Dolphins. Los Angeles averaged roughly 22.7 points per game across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, totaling 770 points across those years.
From @gmfb: The #Chargers are considering everything with regards to how to fix their offense. pic.twitter.com/HBtqfoibUu
Quarterback Justin Herbert has completed just 59.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 190.2 yards per game while throwing eight interceptions—already more than halfway to his career high of 15 set in 2021. Herbert has struggled immensely to adapt to a complex pre-snap scheme built around timing and anticipatory throws. Josh Kendall and Chad Graff noted that amazingly, the most valuable Charger from a fantasy perspective this year is quarterback Justin Herbert, who ranks 109th in scoring at 10.4 points per game.
Compounding the scheme issues, injuries have affected the offensive line. Ladd McConkey left Sunday's game with a concussion, forcing Herbert to throw to receivers such as KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Theo Wease Jr.
Team Faces Decisions During the Bye Week
No team in NFL history has ever made the playoffs after starting a season 0-6. With the Chargers sitting at 0-6 alongside the winless Miami Dolphins, the postseason is mathematically out of reach under historical precedent. Attention has rapidly turned to whether Harbaugh will strip McDaniel of play-calling duties or make a mid-season firing during the upcoming bye week. A longtime San Francisco 49ers staffer prior to that point, McDaniel worked with Day in San Francisco during the 2019 and 2020 seasons and kept the recent Greg Roman assistant on staff despite the two-year Charger offensive coordinator’s firing in January.
Reports indicate that former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, currently serving as the Chargers’ pass game specialist on Harbaugh’s staff, stands ready to step into an interim role should a change occur. Meanwhile, the defense continues to battle.
It's not because Mike McDaniel can't coach. It's not because Justin Herbert can't play QB anymore. It's because the two can't do it together.Why the Chargers should move on at OC at the bye week, and what happens next: https://t.co/qF4Ziyg2Ho
The Chargers will return from their bye week to face their SoFi Stadium neighbors, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 8, giving the franchise time to decide on McDaniel’s future.
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Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh on Mike McDaniel 2 weeks ago:"His job is not is not in jeopardy…We're going to keep growing"Today: "We're looking into everything at this point"Once the offense's savior, McDaniel's status now seems tenuous at best.https://t.co/V1k3dKSGYg
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