Chargers coach Harbaugh pushes back on suggestion offensive changes needed after latest struggles

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh brought in Mike McDaniel as coordinator this offseason with an objective to add a dynamic element to his Justin Herbert-led offense.

It’s yet to materialize for the Chargers (0-3), off to their worst start since 2017, or McDaniel, who landed in LA after four seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

While concerns are growing, Harbaugh pushed back on suggestions of whether he might consider making changes after a 24-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

“Ah, no,” Harbaugh said. “Believe in our guys, believe in our coaches, believe across the board we have not been good enough yet. I’m not singling out anybody. We win these games as a team, we lose as a team. Both the good and the bad.”

The bad on offense was apparent in an outing the Chargers forced five takeaways, only to have the offense unable to capitalize.

With LA leading 13-10, Herbert’s lone turnover, an interception at the goal line in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter turned the momentum. C.J. Gardner-Johnson's interception came three plays after Buffalo’s Josh Allen lost a fumble at his own 28, and set up Allen scoring the go-ahead touchdown.

Herbert's turnover highlighted an outing in which the Chargers lacked finish by combining for a touchdown and three field goals on six drives inside the Buffalo 30.

“Obviously not where we want to be,” Herbert said. “It starts with me. I’ve got to play better and do the things that allows our offense to score more points and help out the defense that’s playing really well and forcing so many turnovers.”

The offensive sputters have carried over from LA losing its first two outings by identical 26-14 scores to Arizona and Las Vegas. With Herbert’s interception, his fourth of the season, the Chargers have now committed more turnovers (six) than scored TDs (five).

Herbert defended McDaniel against criticism that the coordinator’s scheme has been too complex for the Chargers to execute.

“He’s definitely a guy that we need to lean on, he’s done such an incredible job,” Herbert said. “It’s on us as an offense to run the plays the way he sees them, listen to coaching, and do our job to make those plays. And we haven’t done that for him. So obviously, we feel horrible.”

The Chargers lost a game in which they had five takeaways and one giveaway for the first time since a wild-card playoff defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 14, 2023, when Brandon Staley was the team’s head coach.

The Bills had lost the past 24 games in which they had a minus-4 turnover margin, with their most recent victory coming on Sept. 21, 1997, against an Indianapolis Colts team with Harbaugh playing quarterback.

“We gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” left tackle Rashawn Slater said. “We have all the ability in the world and we’re falling short when it comes to the critical time to execute.”

The Chargers’ lack of finish wasn’t lost on Gardner-Johnson, who said he’s accustomed to making plays in the clutch.

“I’m used to this. I’ve been in two Super Bowl bowls, conference championships. It ain’t nothing new,” Gardner-Johnson said, before referring to the Chargers

“Teams like that, that ain’t really been to the top, they don’t know how to finish as well,” he said. “So no disrespect, just that’s what it is.”

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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Akheem Mesidor (90) celebrates after a sack during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Buffalo Bills defensive end Landon Jackson (94) pressures Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Saudi -led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said Thursday it has thwarted a missile attack on the holy city of Medina as well as another attack in the eastern part of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike in Gaza killed one man, hospital officials said.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed in a statement that it intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile over the province of Medina, but notably did not assign blame for the attack.

The Houthis’ military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree denied carrying out the attack. The rebel group previously pledged not to attack airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Medina is where the Prophet Muhammad established the Muslim community, while Mecca is where the prophet was born and received his revelations. It's viewed as the holiest city in Islam.

The international airport in the capital, Riyadh, has suspended service because of Houthi attacks. Dozens of flights also were canceled or delayed at Jeddah airport, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking platform.

Earlier Thursday, Saudi Arabia also said it destroyed a drone over Eastern province, a major oil-producing region.

The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for the transport of Gulf oil and other goods at the southern end of the Red Sea off Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition, backing forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has been trying to retake them.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that a mutual defense pact between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as any deployment of Turkish forces under the agreement, requires parliamentary approval.

In a statement, the ministry also indicated that no final decision had been made on the type of assistance Turkey might provide to Saudi Arabia.

The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in August, and Turkish officials say it is expected to be ratified by parliament in the coming days. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and other officials have ruled out the deployment of combat troops, stressing that the pact is purely defensive.

An Israeli strike north of Gaza City killed one man on Thursday morning, according to officials at Shifa Hospital.

Israel’s military said it struck a “terrorist” in the area, without elaborating.

The strike came over a year after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and the Hamas militant group, a period during which Israel continued to launch deadly strikes on the enclave.

More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire was reached in October last year, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It doesn’t give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

A Syrian court on Thursday sentenced two people to death and three others to prison terms over their roles in last year's sectarian violence in the country’s coastal region.

In March 2025, loyalists of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad attacked members of the new government’s security forces in areas where a large segment of the country’s Alawite religious minority live. The government’s counterinsurgency spiraled into widespread violence in which hundreds of civilians — most of them Alawites — were killed.

Two members of the pro-Assad groups were sentenced to death and a third to 12 years in prison. Two members of the security forces received prison terms.

The European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council members announced they are putting on hold their planned Oct. 24 summit in Riyadh.

No new date has been set for the gathering that was to bring together leaders from the 27 EU economies and the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The secretary-general of the GCC, Jasem Albudaiwi, said in a statement that the delay was made in light of Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and a desire "to ensure the safety of participating delegations.”

The EU-GCC summit was scheduled to discuss maritime security in the Red Sea, energy infrastructure investments and stabilizing energy prices in the wake of the Iran war and renewed fighting in Yemen.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Buildings line King Fahd Road in the Olaya district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026 (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)

Buildings and construction sites fill the skyline, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Pjoto/Baraa Anwer)