Mike McDaniel has accepted full responsibility for the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive collapse through an 0-3 opening, with the unit entering a daunting matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in desperate need of a turnaround.
The Chargers have produced only 44 points in three games, their lowest total at this point of a season since 2003, when the franchise scored 37 points and finished 4-12. McDaniel said there is no attempt within the offensive staff to shift responsibility elsewhere.
“I’m completely accountable,” McDaniel said Thursday. “I don’t spend any time trying to dodge blame. It’s the reverse of that.”
Chargers offense has lagged behind the defense
- Los Angeles opened the season with three consecutive defeats while scoring fewer than 45 total points, the first such three-game skid of Justin Herbert’s tenure as the starting quarterback.
- The Chargers rank 30th in expected points added per play at minus-0.21.
- They are averaging 14.7 points per game, placing 29th in the NFL, and have committed six turnovers, tied for 27th in the league.
- Herbert owns a 73.4 passer rating, the lowest of his career. Among 32 qualified quarterbacks, only Drake Maye and Jameis Winston have posted lower ratings.
The on-field issues have extended beyond the production totals. Herbert has appeared uneasy in the pocket, the interior offensive line has repeatedly been overwhelmed, the ground game has failed to establish consistency, and penalties have compounded drives already under pressure.
McDaniel said the group must confront the role it has played in each loss rather than expect the problems to disappear.
“There have been things over these first three games that have directly contributed to losing,” he said. “Our work has to demonstrate everything. I’m not operating on hope; I’m operating in reality.”
Week 3 loss highlighted the problem
The Buffalo loss was especially damaging because the Chargers’ defense delivered enough opportunities to win. Los Angeles became the first NFL team since the 2012 Arizona Cardinals to lose despite allowing fewer than 25 points and finishing with a turnover margin of plus-four or better. Arizona fell 23-19 to Atlanta in Week 11 that season.
The defeat also marked the Chargers’ first loss since Week 4 of 1986 in which they forced at least five takeaways while holding the opponent below 25 points.
“We were the reason we lost that football game,” McDaniel said. “You have to carry your share in this league.”
Seattle awaits
The Chargers now face a Seattle team coming off a 33-point road defeat against Washington. The Seahawks had gone roughly 12 games without a loss before that result, and McDaniel expects an energized opponent rather than one willing to offer relief to a struggling offense.
“It’s going to be loud,” McDaniel said. “They’ll be a frustrated team after losing for the first time in about 12 games. That’s what we need: an opponent that certainly won’t feel sorry for us.”
