No team in the NFL has fallen flatter than the Los Angeles Chargers in 2026. Coming into the campaign, the offense was expected to be supercharged with the arrival of Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator. The hope was that McDaniel would elevate Justin Herbert and the rest of the unit to new heights, but the polar opposite has happened.
The offense ranks at the bottom of the league, the club is 0-7 entering Week 9 and the seat under McDaniel is piping hot. All that has led to a shakeup in how McDaniel will call plays going forward. He told reporters on Thursday he plans to work from the coaching box as opposed to being on the sideline.
"One of the things I talked with [Jim Harbaugh] about, one of the things that I want to try is call plays from the box to kind of see adjustments for myself and communicate to the position coaches appropriately what we can focus on between series," said McDaniel. "I'm being very open-minded with all things. Not trying to prove or justify anything that ultimately leads to underwhelming results.
You make decisions from a point of information, expertise, and integrity, and then you understand that no one is going to care unless something changes. "Seems like a good action to take based on how things have gone this year and realistically something that I've only brought up because of ... I'm very confident in the rest of the offensive coaching staff and how they're able to set the tone and communicate information on the sidelines.
So I feel a little bit more comfortable to try that." The Chargers host the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium in Week 9. This feels like a grasping-at-straws type of move for the Chargers and McDaniel. While seeing things from a different point of view in the coach's booth may bring a different perspective, it's hard to imagine it making a night-and-day difference.
On top of their winless record, the offense has been abysmal, ranking last in the NFL in points per game and 28th in total yards per game. Moreover, the team is 30th in yards per play. Coming into Week 9, Los Angeles has yet to score a touchdown in the past two games.
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