Back in late October, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert insisted that first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was not to blame for Herbert’s struggles and for the struggles the Chargers offense endured over the season’s first six weeks.
Things have not improved for Herbert and the Chargers since then, however, as Los Angeles fell to 0-8 on the season when it suffered a 44-22 loss to what had been a two-win Houston Texans (3-5) team on Sunday. Following that defeat, Herbert again defended McDaniel amid calls from fans for the team to part ways with the OC.
Justin Herbert: Mike McDaniel is “the toughest coach that I know”
“He’s the toughest coach that I know,” Herbert said about McDaniel, per Noah Furtado of The Athletic, “and obviously wants to win and is such a competitor and gives his best every week. He shows up; he’s there all day and all night, and he wants to give his absolute best for our offense. I feel horrible that we haven’t been able to get it done for him yet, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop trying for him. We’re going to keep working and keep getting better and doing everything we can for him.”
McDaniel moved from the sideline to the booth for the Houston game, but that didn’t prevent the Chargers from falling into a 38-9 hole during Sunday’s contest. In total, Herbert completed 13 of 23 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Texans before he suffered an injury to the middle finger on his left (non-throwing) hand in the fourth quarter.
According to ESPN, Herbert is expected to start for the Chargers at the 4-5 Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 16. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that he began Monday ranked last in the league among qualified players with a 29.1 adjusted QBR on the season. No player has thrown more interceptions than Herbert (11, tied with Drake Maye of the New England Patriots) since Week 1.
Chargers “still have trust in the coaches, trust in each other”
Numerous reports have said that the Chargers won’t sell veteran players before the NFL trade deadline arrives at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Per Furtado, the Chargers “don’t want to send the wrong message” about possibly punting on the rest of the campaign and haven’t “entertained any offer for any player.”
“We still have trust in the coaches, trust in each other,” Chargers running back Kimani Vidal said after Sunday’s loss. “We’ll eventually get something done.”
It continues to seem like that “something” will “eventually” involve the Chargers parting ways with at least McDaniel.
