Chargers Week 7 Loss: What Went Wrong

Offensive Inconsistency

This side of the ball fared better – in that they did look good for a portion of the game, whereas aside from the defensive line, virtually nothing about the Chargers defense looked good. The Chargers offense was hot during the first half and early in the third quarter. But it went downhill from there.

Part of the problem was actually offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. In the last two games, we’ve seen the offense start out aggressive – and then take the gas pedal off later. Sound familiar? It’s a pattern the Chargers seem to be incapable of avoiding, no matter who is calling the plays on offense. It’s especially egregious, however, when you’re playing the Chiefs and don’t even have the lead. We actually saw a drive in the third quarter with three straight runs on one set of downs. And it failed. That should not be the scheme when Herbert is your quarterback. Ultimately, the offense was shut out in the second half – and it was mostly because the play-calling got too passive and Moore did not adjust until it was too late.

Herbert Struggling?

While it is easy to point the finger at Staley for the defensive failures – and even Moore for taking his foot off the gas pedal when he didn’t even have the lead – something else that can’t be overlooked is that in this game and the previous one, Herbert has looked unusually off at times. He is still making plenty of great throws, but he is also having more misses than usual on what should be easy throws. There was one point where he had Keenan Allen wide open in the end zone – and overthrew him. He had two interceptions against the Chiefs, and while the first one was bad luck off a deflection, the second one at the end of the game was uncharacteristically bad.

The question becomes: what is wrong? There are a couple of factors to keep in mind. One is that injured finger on his non-throwing hand – which, if it’s hurting enough, could be affecting things a little. There is also the fact that star center Corey Linsley is out indefinitely – maybe even for good – due to a heart issue. As a result, Herbert has been under more pressure lately, as Will Clapp has been inadequate as the new starter – and the line seems to be missing a stabilizing factor without Linsley there.

Between playing through pain and being under more pressure, this could explain much of why Herbert has not seemed entirely himself. He’s dealt with o-line problems before and still done fine, so perhaps once the finger is fully healed – or healed enough that the pain doesn’t bother him much anymore – we will start to consistently see more of the Herbert we’re used to.

In Conclusion

After a game like this, Brandon Staley’s seat is going to be heating up again. He got a bit of a reprieve after two wins against coaches that are just as bad or worse. Some had wondered if Moore could end up getting promoted to the HC spot, but this game – and probably the previous one too – has not done him any favors.

Ultimately, both sides of the ball failed in this game, and it does seem clear now that the Chargers are unlikely to make the playoffs (if it wasn’t clear before). The best hope they have at this point is for Herbert to carry them, but even he can only do so much when both his coaching staff and aspects of the roster are failing him.