IF HERBERT OFF, BOLTS LOSE
COSTA MESA
In the two least-productive games of his NFL career, Justin Herbert’s team has lost by a combined score of 79-6.
That’s not a coincidence, Herbert’s immense talent and presence tied that directly to the Chargers’ success.
On Sunday, a comprehensive, three-phase meltdown resulted in a 34-6 loss at Baltimore. The situation was similar in Week 13 last year, when the Chargers fell at home to New England 45-0.
Not even Herbert — the NFL’s 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year — could prevent either calamity.
In the swirling winds and dizzying chaos of M&T Bank Stadium, he repeatedly was out of sync with his receivers as the Chargers appeared nearly powerless in trying to emerge from a 17-0 secondquarter hole.
“He was just a touch off, nothing more than that,” coach Brandon Staley said Monday. “From a timing standpoint, (he was) just a little bit off that normal rhythm that he established for the first five games. Days like that happen in the NFL.”
So Herbert is far from a concern for Staley and his staff as the Chargers enter their off week, sitting at 4-2
and with a share of first place in the AFC West.
Despite their record — against a schedule rated among the league’s toughest to date — the Chargers do have issues. Most notably:
They have struggled to stop the run, their 162.5-yard per game average last in the NFL — and by more than 20 yards.
The Chargers’ defensive front has lacked consistency and experienced problems in both execution and toughness.
Last week, safety Derwin James suggested as one solution “whooping the man in front of you.”
Staley called the run defense’s performance Sunday “a step forward,” noting that the 187 yards the Chargers allowed on the ground included a 22-yard scramble by Lamar Jackson.
He also credited the defense as a whole for surrendering only 327 total yards even though the Ravens possessed the ball for 38 minutes while running 15 more plays than the Chargers did.
“I felt like, with our physicality, we did take a step forward with our front and our edges,” Staley said. “It’s not where we want it to be yet. But I felt like we definitely improved.”
More encouraging still, reinforcements appear to be on the way. Linebackers Kenneth Murray Jr. (ankle) and Drue Tranquill (chest muscle), defensive tackle Justin Jones (calf ) and safety Nasir Adderley (hip) are all expected back soon.
Staley said the experience gained against Baltimore can only help now. He specifically mentioned how the Ravens challenge run-support rules.
“That’s a game that’s like an NFL teaching session because there’s a lot that you can apply for the rest of the season,” Staley said. “You can really teach your defense at a high level off that film. We’re going to get a chance to do that.”
A lack of depth was exposed against the Ravens when the Chargers were soundly defeated on special teams.
They don’t have an explosive returner, and Sunday gave up a 47-yard return on the opening kickoff of the second half, leading to a touchdown drive. Baltimore’s Devin Duvernay also had a 14.7yard average running back three punts.
As opposed to a team like Kansas City, which features speed on special teams, the Ravens take a more powerful approach. The Chargers have struggled to keep up with both options.
“You got to match personnel better on special teams,” Staley said, “because we lost a lot of field position (Sunday) in the return game.”
During his news conference, Staley mentioned the possibility of acquiring more talent. He called exploring that avenue “the responsibility we need to have for our team.”
The NFL’s trade deadline is Nov. 2.
Rookie Tristan Vizcaino beat out incumbent Michael Badgley in part because he has a stronger kicking leg. But Vizcaino’s accuracy remains a question.
He has missed five extra points over the past four games. Vizcaino is 6 of 7 on field goal tries, but the Chargers haven’t attempted a field goal since Sept. 26.
His progress will be closely monitored after the break.
“I think these next two weeks, we’ll learn a lot,” Staley said. “We’re going to go look at the film. We have six games of kicks to learn from, and we’ll see where we go with it.”