https://theathletic.com/3629268/2022/09/25/chargers-lose-jaguars-justin-herbert/

Takeaways from Chargers’ loss to Jaguars: Why was Justin Herbert still
in the game?

By Daniel Popper
Sept 25, 2022

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Chargers were thoroughly dominated Sunday
afternoon in a 38-10 blowout loss to the Jaguars at SoFi Stadium.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert fought through pain and discomfort
in his ribs to play against Jacksonville after he fractured his rib
cartilage in a Week 2 loss at the Chiefs. There was considerable
uncertainty about whether he would be able to suit up this weekend.

Herbert played, but that was not enough to keep the Chargers from
falling to 1-2 with their second straight loss.

Here are my takeaways.

Why was Herbert still in the game?

Herbert said he felt good enough during warmups Sunday to give it a go.
He would not say if he received a pregame pain injection in his ribs,
preferring to keep that “private.” Herbert added that he felt safe going
out there, and coach Brandon Staley said the Chargers medical team, the
coaching staff, Herbert and his personal team were “aligned” throughout
the week and on the final decision.

I have no issue that Herbert played. But the game was out of hand late
in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars had scored with 4:54 remaining in
regulation to extend their lead to four touchdowns. The Chargers were
not going to come back. It was over.

Yet Herbert, despite his serious rib injury, went back out there for the
final Chargers possession. The Chargers were without starting center
Corey Linsley, who missed the game with a knee injury. They were without
starting left tackle Rashawn Slater, who left with a biceps injury in
the second half. The protection was a mess. Storm Norton replaced Slater
and gave up nine pressures in 23 pass-blocking snaps, according to
TruMedia. This was not a safe situation for Herbert. And still there he
was, running for his life, evading pressure and taking hits in a
meaningless final five minutes.

This was an inexcusable decision by Staley.

“He wanted to be out there with his teammates,” Staley said after the
game. “He felt good, and he wanted to finish the game. He wanted to give
our group some energy. We were going to protect him there at the end
with really sound protection the best we could. But it was more about
him wanting to finish with his guys.”

There has to be a risk-reward calculation in this situation. The risk is
enormous — potentially worsening your star quarterback’s already
significant injury. The reward is quite literally nonexistent.

When asked why he took on that unnecessary risk, Staley said, “That was
just the decision that we made. And it was about us finishing that game
as a team, and it was important for us that we did it.”

“I just didn’t want to quit on my team,” Herbert said.

You can certainly commend the toughness and mentality from Herbert. But
Staley must step in and remove Herbert from the game — in the best
interest of Herbert and the long-term success of the entire team.

The Chargers do not have a chance at contending for the playoffs if
Herbert misses time. That cannot be argued. Even if Herbert was refusing
to come out — because he didn’t want to “quit” on his teammates — Staley
has to overrule him. He has to make the tough decision as the head
coach, even if Herbert disagrees.

“What wins out in the end is always the long term,” Staley said.
“Always. And there was just that point where he wanted to make sure that
he finished with his teammates. And until you’ve been in that position,
it’s hard to explain. But it was important for us to do it.”

This did not feel like a decision that prioritized the long-term goals
of the team.

“Justin is going to be feeling like this when he’s out there playing,”
Staley said. “This injury is going to be there for a while. … It’s not
like it’s going to feel better next week or the week after that. This
thing is going to be present for a while. He felt good today, and we’re
going to continue to manage it the best we can.”

Herbert completed 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards, one touchdown and one
interception. The pick resulted from a dropped Sony Michel checkdown
deep inside the Chargers’ own territory in the second quarter.

Herbert was under duress all game. He was pressured on 42.6 percent of
his dropbacks, according to TruMedia, including on a sack-fumble in the
second quarter that eventually led to a Jaguars touchdown. The pressure
affected how Herbert operated.

I thought the injury also affected his accuracy and overall performance.
He missed some throws. He was slightly hesitant in certain situations —
and understandably so, as he was trying to protect himself. Herbert was
not his typical self outside the pocket and in off-script situations,
besides his 54-yard deep ball to Jalen Guyton in the third quarter.

“The rush was there today,” Staley said of Herbert, “which forced him to
have speed up at times.”

Defense falters

The Chargers had played really good defense through their first two
games of this season, but they were simply outclassed Sunday, both in
coaching and player performance.

Joey Bosa left in the first half with a groin injury and did not return.
That was a massive loss for the Chargers, considering edge rusher depth
is one of the weakest parts of the roster. Chris Rumph II is an improved
player this season, but the drop-off from Bosa to Rumph is enormous.

The turning point was James Robinson’s 50-yard touchdown run on a
fourth-and-1 early in the third quarter. The Chargers were down only
seven points at this stage of the game. The Jags ran right at the spot
where Bosa would have been playing if he wasn’t hurt — on the right edge
of the defensive front. Kyle Van Noy was in his place. Jacksonville
opened up a massive hole, and Robinson exploded untouched for the score.

Staley entered the game with an aggressive blitz-heavy game plan to try
to create pressure on Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It did not work.
Jags head coach and play caller Doug Pederson seemed to be a step ahead
of Staley virtually every time the Chargers blitzed. Lawrence hit his
hot routes on several occasions, most often on throws to running backs
in the flat. The Jags also picked up the blitzes with extra protection.

The Chargers blitzed on 42.5 percent of Lawrence’s dropbacks in the
game, according to TruMedia — well above their 20.3 percent rate over
the first two weeks. They created pressure on only 17.5 percent of
Lawrence’s dropbacks.

“We tried to mix up the rush plan, and just didn’t win enough
one-on-ones today,” Staley said. “They did. And you got to give credit
to them. They played a good game.”

Lawrence completed 28 of 39 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. He
did not turn the ball over.

“We got to be able to get to the quarterback, and that’s all three
levels,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said. “We got to cover better. We got
to rush better. We just got to play better together.”

The Jaguars converted eight of their 15 third downs. They ran for 151
yards on 36 carries.

The Chargers defense did well to keep the team in the game despite the
offense’s two second-quarter turnovers on consecutive possessions. The
Jags took over at the Chargers’ 5-yard line after Herbert’s
interception. The Chargers held Jacksonville to a field goal.

But the Chargers defense was on the field for 41 plays in the first
half. The defenders ran out of energy in the second half, and the
Jaguars capitalized in a big way.

“We didn’t get the ball back to our offense,” Tranquill said. “They
gashed us on a few runs. We couldn’t get to Trevor, couldn’t create any
type of pressure, and we definitely couldn’t get off the field on third
down. That was kind of the story on defense, and that was kind of the
ball game.”

News and notes

• The Chargers’ running game — and specifically Austin Ekeler’s
efficiency — is officially a major concern. Ekeler has just 80 rushing
yards in three games this season. He had just 5 rushing yards on four
attempts Sunday. Some of that, of course, was game script. The Chargers
fell behind early and had to pass to try to get back into it. But the
blocking up front has not been good enough. According to TruMedia, 77 of
Ekeler’s 80 rushing yards have come after contact. Ekeler is also not
running with the same juice. I just do not know how this part of the
offense improves if Linsley and Slater — the Chargers’ two best
offensive linemen — continue to miss time. Slater left the locker room
with his left arm wrapped and in a sling.

• The Chargers’ injury situation has to be mentioned when discussing
this game. They had eight players make the NFL’s Top 100 list. Three of
those — wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring), Linsley and cornerback
J.C. Jackson (ankle) — were ruled out before this game. A fourth,
Herbert, played through significant injury. And two more — Slater and
Bosa — did not finish the game because of injuries. By the end of the
game, only two fully healthy players in this group of eight were left
standing. When you lose that much top-end talent, it is hard to compete
against good teams. And the Jags are a good team.