West Coast Read: Time To End Justin Herbert-Mike McDaniel Marriage? Brock Purdy’s MVP Start

SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles) — Dejected, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert sat next to offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on the bench toward the end of their disappointing 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The two appeared to be having an uncomfortable conversation about how to put the pieces together. It was supposed to look different, but through two games, the Herbert-McDaniel marriage has been a failure. That newfangled offense, led by the most coveted offensive coordinator in this past offseason’s coaching cycle, has been stuck in neutral. “Fire the OC,” a longtime NFL scout told me when asked how to fix Herbert, firmly placing the blame on McDaniel. “Go back to a scheme that fits him. Starting NFL QBs need coaches to fit their strengths and weaknesses — not fitting the coach’s scheme to the QB.” The numbers aren’t pretty. Herbert is 23rd in passing yards (401), 28th in passer rating (71.6) and tied for third in interceptions (3). The Chargers are 29th in the NFL in scoring (14 points per game) and have generated just three passing plays of 20-plus yards. The Chargers had six fumbles against the Raiders. Pro Bowl right tackle Joe Alt leads the league in penalties with five. In a preseason conversation with McDaniels, he told me the focus during the offseason was on creating an offense that got the ball out quicker so Herbert didn’t get hit as much as he did last season. Herbert took the second-most hits among quarterbacks (74) and was the third-most sacked quarterback in 2025. McDaniel also pushed Herbert to take more risks down the field during training camp, asking him to play with more anticipation and try to fit the ball into tighter windows. One thing that could help Herbert is the return of less pre-snap motion to distort the defense, which has led to more confusion. That included a botched snap on an important third down against the Raiders where the snap hit receiver Tre’ Harris, which caused Herbert to lose his temper. The Chargers have used motion on 79.6% of their plays this season, No. 2 in the league, per Next Gen Stats. In 2025, under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Chargers used pre-snap motion on 61% of their plays. Expected to compete for a Super Bowl, the 0-2 Chargers face a stretch of five playoff teams from last year, the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs and a competitive Baltimore Ravens team over their next seven games, a daunting stretch to prepare for while trying to fix a disjointed offense. However, a longtime NFL front-office executive I spoke with believes head coach Jim Harbaugh will get things right. “Usually, less is more,” the exec told me. “Cut the game plan down. I wish they would let Justin go back to his old footwork and less pistol, but they are probably too far down that road. “The offensive guards are struggling and the fullback is poor. Plus, they never replaced all of Keenan Allen’s production. But Harbaugh is a problem solver. He’ll get more involved with the offense is my bet.” Reading headlines about the San Francisco 49ers this offseason was like watching an episode of “Cops.” WARRANT ISSUED FOR BRANDON AIYUK AFTER VIRAL SPEEDING VIDEO 49ERS HEAD COACH KYLE SHANAHAN INJURED IN CAR CRASH 49ERS OWNER JED YORK ARRESTED IN PROSTITUTION STING MAN POSING AS 49ERS PLAYER CHARGED WITH FRAUD Through it all, San Francisco ignored the noise and rightly showed up in Australia a week early to throttle the late-coming Los Angeles Rams. The following week, San Francisco easily handled the tanking Miami Dolphins. And the center of the team’s success has been quarterback Brock Purdy playing at an MVP level. The reason? After three years of battling through nagging injuries that began with a torn UCL in his right elbow in the NFC Championship Game in his second NFL season, Purdy appears fully healthy. Purdy leads the league in completion percentage (80.4%), is third in passer rating (125.6) and is fifth in passing touchdowns (5). And because he’s healthy, Purdy’s mobility has returned. He’s run for 59 yards and a touchdown through two games. “I just feel like I’ve grown a lot with who I am as a person, as a quarterback, trying to grow my game,” Purdy recently told reporters. “What I knew then compared to now is obviously a night-and-day difference. And understanding still, though, that same love of the game that I had from my first start until now has been the same” San Francisco sitting tied atop the NFC West should not be a surprise because all their key foundational players are healthy. Along with Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner all started the first two games and are healthy heading into the team’s Week 3 contest at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Purdy, McCaffrey and Williams were the only three of those players on the field for the 41-6 NFC divisional playoff loss to the Seahawks last season. Against the Dolphins, Purdy had one of his best games as a pro, finishing 20 of 22 (90.1%) passing for 287 yards, with two touchdowns and barely missing a perfect passer rating at 149.1. The game included 18 straight completions, as San Francisco scored on its first five drives. Still just 26 years old and in his fifth NFL season, Purdy is just starting to come into his own as a pro. “It’s unbelievable to watch,” McCaffrey said about Purdy’s last outing. “How decisive he is. How good he is at throwing on time but also creating when he has to. When he’s at the helm, we feel good.” Few NFL observers expected the Raiders to sit at 2-0 to start the year while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza still held a clipboard. But the Raiders’ success reminds me of a conversation I had late last year with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold about this team’s new head coach Klint Kubiak, when I asked him to describe his then stoic offensive coordinator’s personality. “We’re very similar,” Darnold told me at the time. “No BS is the best way to describe it. We just kind of go about our business. If something needs to be done, we’re going to get it done. If something needs to be said, we’ll say it. But we like to work, and we love football.” Kubiak’s no-nonsense, lunch-pail approach to building a culture is similar to the approach Mike Macdonald took in leading the Seahawks to a Super Bowl last season. “It’s 17, one-game Super Bowls in a row,” Kubiak said. “That’s how our guys have to treat it if we want to be a successful organization.” So far, Kubiak’s approach has served him well in Las Vegas, according to the team’s best player, defensive end Maxx Crosby. “He’s hard on us during the week, for sure,” Crosby said after the game. “But it’s because he wants us to go play free, have that confidence and we have the confidence in him. We believe in putting us in situations where we’re going to capitalize. And we believe in him and what he’s doing.” There’s no arguing with the results. Second-year pro Ashton Jeanty has come to life, with 210 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns through two games. Kirk Cousins has done a nice job of managing the game and creating explosive plays. Defensively, the Raiders have held teams to 13.5 points per game, No. 5 in the NFL, and forced five takeaways in two games. The son of former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak, the younger Kubiak understands there’s more to do. “This is the NFL,” Kubiak said after his team’s win over the Bolts. “This is the most competitive business in the world. So, our players, our coaches all want to win. And that’s our job, is to win. “We’ve got 15 more games. I’m really proud of today, but the way that you win more is you forget about quick and you back to work on the next one.” 5. Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas is off to a good start, and their best player, tight end Brock Bowers, has yet to play. 4. Los Angeles Rams Kyren Williams (23 carries, 126 yards) and Blake Corum (22 carries, 133 yards) have pretty much split the carries through two games, providing extra playmaking beyond Davante Adams in their win over the New York Giants on Monday night. 3. Kansas City Chiefs Much has been made about Patrick Mahomes’ return and Kenneth Walker III’s hot start, but don’t sleep on the Chiefs’ defense. The defense is surprisingly holding teams to 252.5 total yards per game, ranking third in the NFL. 2. San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers have had as good of a start to the season as they could’ve asked for. There are some questions, though, about their depth at receiver. They addressed that on Tuesday, with former Rams WR Brandin Cooks returning to NFC West by joining San Francisco’s practice squad. 1. Seattle Seahawks Starting quarterback Sam Darnold (glute) is slated to return to practice this week, but the Seahawks can take their time bringing him back with Drew Lock leading the league in passer rating (127.3). “Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn. And sometimes you have a dumb ass coach who makes travel plans that put you in a bad spot.” Rams head coach Sean McVay on his team’s failed travel plans to Australia.