EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh defended Mike McDaniel's struggling offense and said that the coordinator's job was "not in jeopardy."
On Thursday, McDaniel said hearing calls for his firing "comes with the territory of the job."
"When you have high expectations and you're getting the results we're getting and you're 0-4, that's pretty standard operating procedure," he said. "I would be foolish, or I would feel entitled, if I didn't expect there to be disappointment."
"And so, if you want things to change and you want narratives to change, you have to change them through action collectively. If our results are better, that's the only thing that matters. So it's pretty easy for me to focus on what I need to focus on."
The season has been a disaster for McDaniel and the offense as the team sits at 0-4, going from a supposed Super Bowl contender to in contention for the first pick in the 2027 NFL draft.
The Chargers rank 28th in points per game (16.8) and 31st in offensive efficiency (22.90), and quarterback Justin Herbert has the league's second-worst QBR (28.0). The offensive line had its worst day of the season in the loss to Seattle. According to ESPN Analytics and NFL Next Gen Stats, the Chargers' pass block win rate of 13% was the lowest in ESPN's 10-year dataset.
The chances of things improving for this group look bleak because the offense has been decimated by injury. The Chargers will likely be without starting offensive tackles Joe Alt (neck) and Rashawn Slater (ankle); Trevor Penning, the team's third-string guard, is in concussion protocol; and wide receivers Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest) are dealing with injuries.
"It won't be good enough until it is," McDaniel said. "And I think our guys have done a good job getting better, but not better enough. So that's what we're looking to do this week."
The encouraging sign for the Chargers is that their best offense this season came in the second half against Seattle when the team was playing without most of those players and with an offensive line that had four rookies.
The Chargers nearly came back to win, thanks to late heroics from Herbert, who had two of his best throws of the season, including a 44-yard pass over Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett into the arms of wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Three plays later, Herbert floated a pass over cornerback Josh Jobe that connected with wide receiver Tre' Harris for a 21-yard third-down conversion despite being hit by safety Nick Emmanwori.
"Really, really played the best, most competitive football that I've been around him for," McDaniel said. "I think the warrior mindset that he approached the second half with was very impactful to the entire team. Everybody sees a guy fighting, and I think that helped their fight."
Herbert's second-half renaissance came after one of the worst first halves of his career.
On the opening play of the game, Herbert threw an interception directly to linebacker Drake Thomas. Then did the same thing the following quarter, when he appeared to be targeting McConkey or tight end Oronde Gadsden but threw the ball to Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Herbert finished the half 5-for-14 with 36 yards and two interceptions. It was the first time he had fewer than 40 passing yards in a half this season.
Those plays would typically be considered uncharacteristic for Herbert, though they have become common this season. Herbert is tied for second in the NFL with six interceptions, half of his total from all of last season.
But McDaniel defended Herbert on Thursday, saying that his interceptions are a combination of bad playcalls and Herbert trying to make an impact play. He also warned against rushing to any conclusions this early in the season.
"It would probably be an inaccurate wholesale assessment of Justin Herbert four games into a new system with new coaches, new players," McDaniel said. "And fortunately, we have plenty of opportunities to change whatever narratives exist because this is just in: Narratives in the first quarter of the season are generally about 40% right, good or bad."