The Los Angeles Chargers likely couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start to the season.

They’re the first team in NFL history to begin 0-2 against squads that suffered 14 or more losses in the previous season. Although that stat is certainly skewed by the expansion of the NFL’s schedule in this century (and both the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders seem majorly improved from last season), you get the picture. With the schedule they have ahead of them, these were defeats Los Angeles simply couldn’t afford.

The disappointment is intensified by where the expectations were set this offseason. Although McDaniel fell short towards the end of his time with the Miami Dolphins, he was supposed to be the innovative type of coordinator that could finally unlock Justin Herbert and the rest of Los Angeles’ playmakers. His West Coast-style scheme was meant to take a burden off of Herbert by negating opposing pass rushes, and his outside-zone run approach was meant to give the Chargers a baseline level of efficiency.

Instead, what we’ve seen so far is an offense riddled with mistakes and miscues—botched snaps, miscalculated routes, and a lack of ball security have been the defining traits so far. As the Chargers face a make-or-break Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, it’s easy to dial in on the anxiety about what the rest of this season could look like for Los Angeles.

But McDaniel’s individual storyline can’t be forgotten in all of this. He’s here to work his way back into a head coaching job, and so far, that seems like a far-off possibility.

Mike McDaniel’s early-season failures with the Chargers will leave a lasting impression

We remember how great the excitement was when McDaniel began his tenure in Miami. When he unlocked a major campaign from the Dolphins offense in 2021—finishing first in total yards and second in total points scored—that optimism seemed justified.

But by the end of his tenure, the criticisms were rampant. McDaniel was too focused on schematic tricks in the passing game to truly establish the run. His antics were distracting. There was a lack of discipline in the locker room. In short, he didn’t know how to operate as a head coach.

At least, that’s what his critics claimed.

His role as offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh is his chance to flip that perception on its head. If he were able to come in and immediately resurrect this offense, showing a complete command over the details of his scheme and his ability to prepare his playmakers for their roles, there’s a chance the league-wide perception of him would’ve taken a massive turn. There was always a possibility that, with an offensive resurgence, the Chargers would be poised to lose McDaniel under just one season.

But I don’t need to tell you that this offense has looked entirely ill-prepared and under-equipped through its first two games. Los Angeles gambled on McDaniel this offseason, granting him virtually every personnel piece he could’ve asked for to bring this offense to fruition. So far, that gamble has come up decidedly short.

There’s still room to turn things around, of course. But no matter how the rest of the season unfolds, this type of start will leave a lasting impression on McDaniel’s résumé.

At the very least, it only provides further fuel to the criticisms that followed him out of Miami.

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