Chargers OC Mike McDaniel: Week 1 loss was "a case of humble pie"

Expectations for the pairing of quarterback Justin Herbert with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel started high and kept rising all offseason, but the Chargers’ first outing of the 2026 season fell far short of them.

The Chargers gained 268 yards and turned the ball over twice in a 26-14 home loss to the Cardinals. The Chargers entered the game as the biggest favorites of the week and McDaniel called the result “a case of humble pie” at a press conference on Thursday.

“You have a lot of visions over coming to a new team and working on something for months and the vision never looked like that,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel called the offensive performance “shocking” based on what he’s seen in practice, but said that he remains confident in what the team can do because of the way players have “understood the moment and risen to the occasion” this week.

The chances of rebounding against the Raiders will be slimmer if wide receiver Ladd McConkey is unable to play through his rib injury, but McDaniel, Herbert and the rest of the unit will have to find a way regardless of the circumstances if belief in their capabilities are going to remain as high as they were earlier this year.