The Los Angeles Chargers entered the 2026 season with high expectations after back-to-back 11-win campaigns under Jim Harbaugh, pairing the established play-caller with Justin Herbert and a promising young roster that included running back Omarion Hampton.
Instead, the team has stumbled to an 0-6 start, their worst opening since 2000, after a 22-6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday that left the offense looking stagnant and the franchise searching for answers ahead of a Week 7 bye.
The struggles have centered on first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, hired in January after the Miami Dolphins parted ways with him following a 7-10 season.
The pairing with Herbert was supposed to unlock a more creative and versatile attack than the one run under previous coordinator Greg Roman.
Through six games, however, the Chargers have managed just 90 points, an average of 15.0 per contest, with only a handful of touchdowns overall.
Against the Chiefs, they managed 259 yards and zero touchdowns despite red-zone opportunities, continuing a pattern in which the unit has ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring and efficiency.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Sunday night that the Chargers are leaning toward a change during the bye.
“The next move very well could be a separation from employment of first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel,” Florio wrote.
“There’s a growing buzz that the Chargers will be making that move, soon. Pass game specialist Adam Gase, a former head coach of the Jets and Dolphins, is expected to take over, if McDaniel is fired.”
Florio added that the timing makes sense given the schedule.
“It’s not done yet, but it’s the move that many are expecting to see,” Florio wrote. “Especially with the Chargers limping into their annual week off — which will be followed by a ‘road’ game in their home stadium, against the 2-4 Rams.”
Harbaugh defended McDaniel earlier in the season and said the coordinator’s job was not in jeopardy after a loss in early October, but the continued lack of production has increased pressure on the head coach to act.
A move now would allow a new voice, potentially Gase, to install adjustments before the Chargers host the Rams in a SoFi Stadium matchup that counts as a road game for Los Angeles.
For a team that has already dropped nine straight games dating back to last season and sits alone at the bottom of the AFC West, the bye represents the clearest window to reset an offense that has yet to deliver on the promise of its talent.
