Los Angeles Chargers fans were stunned by a 35-6 beating from Jacksonville. Now comes a long bye week filled with frustration and questions. And right in the middle of it, Jim Harbaugh delivered a blunt message to Justin Herbert about his offensive line.

After the game, Harbaugh did not sugarcoat it. He spoke straight, just like he always does. “We got beat, and we can learn from it.” Then he went right at the big guys in front of Herbert.

“Like anything, you can improve. We know we’re capable. We’ve had games where we’re more capable. This game, we regressed in all phases.”

The Chargers rolled out their seventh offensive line combination of the season. That is not normal.

Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Mekhi Becton, and Trey Pipkins III remained in the lineup. They had started in Week 1. Now, Trevor Penning was at left tackle, playing his first game in powder blue after a trade with the Saints. He was expected to stabilize the line, but instead, the unit looked disjointed. Herbert took hits again.

Harbaugh was asked about Penning. He did not isolate him.

“There were times where he wasn’t getting chip help and times where he was. There are times when that happens. Everybody can’t be doubled. Again, when it comes to the strategy piece, I know we didn’t win that piece.”

It’s like telling the whole group that they failed the assignment. However, Harbaugh said the coaching staff and front office will spend the next week fixing everything the Jaguars exposed.

Jim Harbaugh will try to fix the Chargers’ lost identity

Justin Herbert played one of his roughest games since Jim Harbaugh arrived. He went 10 of 18 for 81 yards and one interception. It looked bad. It was not all on him, but the battered line gave him no help. Still, Herbert must play better if the Bolts want to win. The Bolt Fam knows that. The City of Angels watched a franchise quarterback stuck in a broken system.

Right after, Harbaugh did not hide the truth.

He said, “We were out-strategized. I mean, I don’t feel good about it. Now, I look at the issue and go about fixing it.”

Herbert backed that tone. He said the players need to reset physically. The injuries have piled up across key spots. Every hit to one unit creates issues everywhere else. The staff knows that. So do the players. Then Herbert shared what every player feels after a blowout.

“When you lose a game like that, you want to go back out there, and you want to get that taste out of your mouth. I think it’s tough because now we have to wait a week, two weeks to go back and play, but I think it will be good. I think a lot of guys will get their bodies back this week, and the rest will be good for us, but it wasn’t good enough today for us at all.”

That is honesty. That is a leader calling himself out. Now the wait begins. Every player and fan will feel that sting until kickoff returns.