Chargers' Harbaugh standing by OC McDaniel: 'Job is not in jeopardy'

SEATTLE -- The script was familiar for the Los Angeles Chargers in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The offense struggled. Justin Herbert threw interceptions. The offensive line was abysmal. They racked up penalties. The defense held on for as long as it could. And the Chargers lost. This time the Chargers scored more points in the 30-23 defeat than they have all season, but it didn't matter. Despite sitting at 0-4, without a win since Week 16 of last season, and with an offense that is tanking this season, coach Jim Harbaugh is standing by offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. "His job is not in jeopardy," he said. "He's a skilled coach, and we're going to keep growing." The first half of this game was a continuation of the disaster that the Chargers offense has been all season. Herbert threw an interception directly to linebacker Drake Thomas on the first play of the game. This kind of interception would typically be stunning for someone of Herbert's caliber, but it's become the norm this season. So much so that Herbert did the same thing in the following quarter, Herbert appeared to be targeting wide receiver Ladd McConkey or tight end Oronde Gadsden but threw the ball directly into the hands of Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV. "The way I understood it, he saw the linebacker move inside, and then the linebacker made a very nice play back outside," Harbaugh said of that interception. Herbert finished the half 5-for-14, with 36 passing yards and two interceptions. It was the first time he had less than 40 passing yards in a half this season, as the Chargers went into the half losing 20-6. But Herbert and the offense bounced back in the second half, for what was perhaps their best stretch of football this season. The Chargers rallied back to a seven-point deficit with a chance tie the game with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. By that point, Herbert looked like the quarterback who had established himself as one of the league's best in his first six seasons. There was a fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter where a scrambling Herbert launched the ball 44-yards over Seahawks cornerback, Nehemiah Pritchett, and into the arms of wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Or the 21-yard third-down conversion three plays later to wide receiver Tre' Harris, that was floated up and over the arms of cornerback Josh Jobe, while Herbert was being hit by safety Nick Emmanwori. "Just settled down," Herbert said. "Guys got after it and made some plays when we needed to and were able to convert some third downs." Herbert had gone 13-of-16 with 144 passing yards in the second half when he took the field with a chance to win the game with 1:42 remaining, but the dream of a comeback win faded quickly. Seahawks outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu beat rookie lineman Logan Taylor for a strip sack on the third play of the drive. "I think there were a lot of good things in the second half," Herbert said. "I appreciated the battle and the fight from everyone and being able to strain out some of those long drives is really important for us and hopefully that's something we can build off of." Herbert's performance in the second half is about the only thing the Chargers should be encouraged about offensively. Outside of that, they have more questions than answers. The offensive line had its worst day of the season. According to ESPN Analytics and Next Gen Stats, their pass block win rate was 13%, their lowest in ESPN's 10-year dataset for blocking win rates. Herbert was sacked four times and pressured 22 times (55% of his dropbacks), according to Next Gen Stats. At different points in the game, Herbert grimaced or lay on the ground for moments in pain before getting up. On one hit in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Derick Hall hit Herbert after he released the ball and landed on him with his body weight. Herbert grimaced in pain and lay on the ground; Hall was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Harbaugh and trainers ran to Herbert's aid. But Herbert got up and fended them off. "One of the real grittiest performances I've been associated with from a quarterback," Harbaugh said. The line struggles were partly due to injuries, though the group struggled all game. The Chargers were already shorthanded on the offensive line, coming into the game starting their third string left guard, Trevor Penning. Then over the course of the game, they lost Penning (head) in the third quarter, Rashawn Slater (ankle) in the fourth, and Joe Alt (neck) in the second. After Slater got hurt on the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Chargers trotted out an offensive line with four rookies -- Travis Burke, Jacob Spomer, Jake Slaughter, Taylor -- and veteran Cole Strange. By that point in the fourth quarter, the Chargers didn't have any other lineman in uniform. To make matters worse, McConkey had already exited the game in the second quarter with a foot injury. Harbaugh didn't have any updates on the injured players but answered in the affirmative when asked if Herbert's hits were concerning. "Protecting him, that's always at the front of the mind," Harbaugh said. Another puzzling element to this offense on Sunday was the Chargers' rushing offense. Through the first two weeks, former first-round pick Omarion Hampton was the team's workhorse back; he was ninth in the NFL in carries (35) and 11th in rushing yards (137). In that second game, however, in a loss to the Raiders, Hampton fumbled in the fourth quarter on the Chargers' penultimate drive of the game. The Chargers were only losing by three then, but the Raiders scored on their next drive and won the game. Hampton also lost a fumble in Week 1 in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Over the past two weeks, Hampton's touches have reduced significantly. He ranks 26th in the NFL with 24 carries in the last two weeks. Running back Keaton Mitchell's share has increased; he has 18 over the last two weeks, ranking 31st in the league. On Sunday, Hampton had a season-low 22 snaps and nine carries, one behind Mitchell's ten. Harbaugh said that the rotation didn't have anything to do with Hampton's fumbles, but that they have three good running backs -- including Kimani Vidal, who had five carries Sunday. Harbaugh said the rotation is what's best for the team, but when asked why it wasn't best for the team in the first two weeks, he claimed he had already answered that question. The Chargers play the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium next Sunday as they look to avoid eight straight losses dating back to last season. "The plan did not work to result in a victory, and we'll go back and plan some more with the skilled coaches we have and the talented players and fight," Harbaugh said. "That's what gives me optimism."