Chargers Justin Herbert Receives Failing Grade On Latest QB Report Card After Rams Loss

Chargers Justin Herbert Receives Failing Grade on Latest QB Report Card.

That harsh assessment arrived immediately following another dismal offensive outing for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers dropped the battle of Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Rams by a final score of 24-9.

Offensive stagnation has plagued the franchise throughout the entirety of the campaign.

Quarterback Justin Herbert once again endured a difficult afternoon under center.

Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brent Sobleski reviewed the performances across the league for the Week 8 quarterback report cards.

Sobleski officially handed Herbert a failing grade of F for his showing against the crosstown rivals.

The failing mark reflects an afternoon where Herbert struggled to consistently sustain drives down the field.

Moving the football effectively has been an elusive task for the Chargers all year long.

A ROUGH OUTING IN THE BATTLE OF LA

Herbert finished the contest completing 24 of his 32 pass attempts.

Those completions generated 257 passing yards through the air.

However, the starting quarterback failed to record a single touchdown pass during the game.

Herbert was also intercepted twice by a swarming Rams secondary.

He put the ball on the ground once on a fumble, though the Chargers managed to recover it.

Herbert registered a QBR of 57.7 by the conclusion of the contest.

On the ground, he contributed four rushing attempts for 15 yards.

The overall box score could not mask the costly errors that altered the trajectory of the game.

The Rams capitalized directly on Herbert’s mistakes by converting his two interceptions into 10 points.

Those turnovers placed an enormous burden on the Chargers' defensive unit.

Outside of those 10 giveaway points, the Chargers defense surrendered only 14 points to the Rams.

Spotting an opponent 10 points off turnovers created an insurmountable deficit for a struggling team.

THE GROUND GAME OFFERS NO HELP

Herbert did not receive much support from his backfield colleagues during the game.

The Chargers once again found it nearly impossible to establish an effective running attack.

Los Angeles carried the football 25 total times throughout the game.

Those 25 rushing attempts yielded a meager 64 yards on the ground.

That output translated to a dismal average of only 2.6 yards per carry.

Failing to run the football consistently backed the offense into obvious passing situations.

Defenders pinned their ears back on later downs against predictable play calls.

That one-dimensional dynamic applied tremendous pressure to Herbert in the pocket.

It also exposed vulnerabilities across the offensive line and placed heavy demands on the pass catchers.

AN OFFENSE IN DISARRAY

The ongoing troubles on offense point to deeper operational concerns within the coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has faced increasing scrutiny over his play calling.

McDaniel was brought in ahead of the season to elevate Herbert and ignite the scoring unit.

Instead, the offense has sputtered significantly through an 0-7 start to the year.

The unit currently ranks last in the entire league in scoring with an average of 14.1 points per game.

Their 288.3 total yards per contest ranks second to last across the NFL.

Against the Rams, the Chargers managed only three field goals across the entire first half.

The offense was completely shut out after the halftime intermission.

While multiple areas of the roster share culpability, the highest level of accountability sits with the quarterback.

Herbert carries the responsibility of checking into optimal looks at the line of scrimmage.

Protecting the football remains paramount for any franchise signal caller.

At this stage, Herbert and McDaniel do not appear to be operating on the same page.

OPPOSING DEFENDERS SOUND OFF

Rams safety Quentin Lake played an instrumental role in dismantling the Chargers' game plan.

Lake stepped in front of a Herbert throw intended for tight end Charlie Kolar.

After jumping the route, Lake returned the interception 46 yards to set up a Rams field goal.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie intercepted Herbert on another miscue.

Following the victory, Lake made an appearance on the St. Brown Podcast.

The defensive back did not hold back in his assessment of Herbert’s performance.

Lake delivered a blunt critique that quickly circulated around the league.

“I mean, he was throwing deli meat out there,” Lake said during the podcast appearance.

“He’s seeing ghosts, I’m not gonna lie,” the safety continued.

“We knew we were gonna get a couple,” Lake added when discussing their pregame expectations.

HARBAUGH AND HERBERT PUSH BACK

The sharp remarks from Lake reached the Chargers facility during Wednesday media availability.

Herbert maintained a measured demeanor when reporters asked him about Lake’s postgame comments.

“I haven’t looked into it, haven’t heard anything about it, so I can’t really make a comment about it,” Herbert told reporters.

“We’re really just focused on what’s going on in the building, playing football and doing what we can and doing our best to, you know, go put our best effort out on Sunday,” Herbert added.

“And that’s all that really matters,” the quarterback stated calmly.

“Anything outside of that is out of our control,” Herbert said in closing.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh chose to mount a vocal defense of his franchise quarterback.

Harbaugh adamantly rejected the outside criticism leveled by the Rams safety.

“As far as anybody’s opinion, I don’t see that,” Harbaugh stated firmly to the press.

“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” the head coach remarked.

“Not what I see,” Harbaugh emphasized.