Justin Herbert did not hide behind excuses after the Los Angeles Chargers got handed a brutal 35-6 loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. The quarterback walked up to the podium post-game and did what he always does. He took the blame for the loss on his shoulders. But anyone who watched the game knew that it wasn’t entirely his fault.  

While playing against the Jaguars, Justin Herbert posted a career-low 81 passing yards and threw an interception. He did not throw a touchdown for the first time since Week 13 last season. So, he owned it.

“I have to play better,” Justin Herbert said in the post-game presser. “It’s not good enough for this team.”

Here’s the thing: Jacksonville came into the game tied for the fewest sacks (12) in the league. Yet they pressured Justin Herbert 12 times and sacked him twice. The Jags got 6 QB hits too against the Chargers. So, Herbert knows he held the ball too long, and he admitted that too openly. 

“Too many times where I hold onto the ball and take a sack and an unneeded sack,” said Justin Herbert post-game. “You gotta trust your gut, and you go out there and try and play as fast as you can and not think, but sometimes they get you. I could have done a much better job of getting rid of the ball and not taking some of those sacks.”

That’s an honest admission, but is it fair to put all of that on himself when his offensive line is patched together with duct tape? The reality is obvious: Justin Herbert is not the root of the Chargers’ issues. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has tried to build the OL, but it has collapsed under injuries. 

Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture in training camp. Then, Joe Alt went down in Week 8 with an ankle injury that required surgery. Meanwhile, Mekhi Becton keeps going in and out of the OL due to injuries.

So what is Justin Herbert supposed to do with a group that changes every week? The Chargers’ head coach also made it clear that the QB deserves better, for sure.

Jim Harbaugh blames the OL for the loss to the Jaguars 

After the Week 11 game, it became crystal clear that the protection for Justin Herbert up front is basically duct tape and hope. As such, Jim Harbaugh also made it clear post-game that the offensive line needs to do a better job. 

“We didn’t do a good enough job in that regard,” said Jim Harbaugh. “We gotta be better.”

The Chargers acquired Trevor Penning at the trade deadline to fill some holes in the OL, but his debut in Week 11 was rough. Penning gave up eight pressures and a sack against the Jaguars when no other lineman gave up more than three pressures. But the Chargers’ offensive coordinator Greg Roman didn’t give him much help.

Penning was left alone in one-on-one situations on 71% of his snaps against the Jaguars. 

Nevertheless, following the injuries on the OL, Justin Herbert has to move on with players like Trevor Penning, Austin Deculus, and Trey Pipkins. Yet, the QB strongly felt the weight of the disappointing loss this week. 

“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,” said Justin Herbert. “It’s tough because now we have to wait two weeks to get back and play… The rest could be good for us, but it wasn’t good enough for us at all.”

Now the Chargers sit at 7-4, still wildly unpredictable. A bye week won’t fix everything, but it might help settle the offensive line around Justin Herbert.

The question is: will it be enough before they face the Las Vegas Raiders? If things don’t change soon, Herbert will keep taking the hits – physically and publicly. But he deserves much better than this.