Column: If Justin Herbert is incredible, what does that say about the rest of the Chargers?
He was sacked four times and under constant siege.
His leading rusher was injured.
The inability of his receivers to catch his passes was too much for the fans at SoFi Stadium to bear, prompting them to boo after one particular fourth-quarter drop.
In the ultimate team sport, Justin Herbert remains a one-man offense.
The Chargers are who everyone suspected they were, better than they were last season but lacking the necessary weapons to elevate their star the way he has elevated them.
A not-as-close-as-the-score-suggested 30-23 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night revealed what Herbert is up against this season as he looks for the first postseason win of his career.
The Chargers jumped to a 10-0 lead but the defense allowed a season high 212 yards rushing and the Ravens took advantage of second-half mistakes in a 30-23 win.
An inconsistent offensive line.
An unreliable running game.
An absence of perimeter threats.
The Chargers scored just three points in the second half before running back Gus Edwards’ garbage-time touchdown, but coach Jim Harbaugh nonetheless described Herbert’s play as “incredible.”
If the quarterback was “incredible,” how inadequate did the rest of the offense have to be for it to be shut down like that?
The Chargers won only five games last and Harbaugh has done what he could with what he has. Even after the reality check they received from Harbaugh’s big brother, they’re 7-4. But there’s a reason Harbaugh made multiple references to “what we’re building.” The team’s reconstruction is still in its early stages.
Harbaugh’s and general manager Joe Hortiz’s first offseason with the Chargers resulted in the drafting of Joe Alt, who is the league’s best rookie tackle, and Ladd McConkey, who has quickly become Herbert’s most sure-handed target.
McConkey caught all six of the passes Herbert threw in his direction Monday, registering a game-high 83 yards in the process.
Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer failed to inspire similar confidence, each failing to haul in passes that struck them in their hands. Their blunders were magnified by the absence of running back J.K. Dobbins in the second half. Dobbins, who rushed six times for 40 yards in the first half, was sidelined with a knee injury.
A former first-round pick, Johnston had an especially disheartening performance, as he was targeted five times but finished with no catches.
With the Chargers down by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, a wide-open Johnston dropped a third-down pass from Herbert, forcing them to punt. The Ravens scored on the ensuing drive to extend their lead to 30-16.
Johnston couldn’t hold on to a couple of other passes later in the game, the second of which elicited boos from the pro-Chargers crowd.
“We beat ourselves up, starting for me,” Johnston said.
Johnston, who has made significant strides after an underwhelming rookie season last year, owned up to his mistakes.
Although the brothers are ultra-competitive, Ravens coach John Harbaugh had nothing but praise for Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh after improving to 3-0 against him.
“Obviously, I would want to have those catches back, but I can’t, so I can’t do anything, really, but learn from it,” he said.
Asked about what he said to Johnston after the drop on third down, Herbert replied, “I think the tough part about the NFL. He’s a playmaker. He’s done an incredible job all year, and you never want to see that. Just like when I throw an interception or when I miss a throw, he’s going to come up to me and tell me, ‘Next play.’ That’s the way it is.”
Herbert has had only one pass intercepted this season, and that was in Week 2.
“It’s not just on him,” Herbert continued. “It’s on me for the way I gotta deliver him the ball.”
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and his brother John, the Ravens’ coach, can thank their parents, who have been married 63 years, for a wealth of memories.
How should Herbert have delivered him the ball? Hand it to him?
The efforts to protect Johnston spoke well of Herbert as a leader, as well as the kind of environment Harbaugh has strived to create. That Herbert was forced to defend a teammate in this manner, however, was a problem.
In the days leading up to the latest Harbaugh Bowl, Herbert was called “one of the best of all-time” by his coach. For that view to become widely accepted, however, Herbert will have to win in the postseason. He can’t do that alone.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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