Quentin Lake says Justin Herbert was 'throwing deli meat,' 'seeing ghosts' in Chargers' loss to Rams

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert tossed a pair of interceptions in his club's 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams that dropped the Chargers to 0-7 this past Sunday. 

Rams safety Quentin Lake collected one of those two picks. During the latest edition of the "St. Brown Podcast," Lake shared a worrisome take regarding what he and his teammates noticed about Herbert. 

Rams "knew" they would get "at least one" interception against Justin Herbert 

"He was throwing deli meat out there," Lake said about Herbert, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "He’s seeing ghosts. I don’t know what’s going on, but we knew we were gonna get a couple (interceptions). At least one."

Herbert's performances since Week 1 of this season have left members of the NFL community wondering what is wrong with the 28-year-old who was seen not all that long ago as a future superstar. ESPN stats show that Herbert began Wednesday ranked last in the league among qualified players with a 32.6 adjusted QBR for the season. Per Pro Football Reference, he heads into Week 9 ranked 30th out of 31 quarterbacks with a 69.3 passer rating. Additionally, Herbert has thrown a league-worst 10 interceptions this season. 

Justin Herbert may need more than just a coaching change

Despite Herbert's struggles, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is sticking with offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as the team's play-caller when Los Angeles hosts the 2-5 Houston Texans this coming Sunday. Recently, one unnamed offensive coach from another team said that Herbert has looked "incredibly uncomfortable" in McDaniel's offense throughout the campaign. 

While neither McDaniel nor Harbaugh may be working for the Chargers come the middle of January, Lake's "seeing ghosts" line suggests that Herbert may need more than just a different offensive coach. Sam Darnold famously saw "ghosts" during his New York Jets tenure (2018-20), and he seemingly was again haunted while with the Minnesota Vikings in January 2025. 

Whispers about the Chargers possibly trading Herbert will only grow louder if he continues to look like damaged goods through January. Then again, maybe some would-be buyers will be nervous that he could keep seeing "ghosts" for at least the next couple of years.