The Chargers suffered one of the more frustrating losses in recent memory, allowing the Jaguars to beat them in California for the first time in franchise history and end a road win drought that extends to before the pandemic.
Jacksonville dominated Los Angeles from start to finish, and while I’m of the opinion that the Jaguars are a legitimately good football team, there’s still plenty to criticize on LA’s side.
Here’s who earned the brunt of that criticism, along with the bright spots:
Stud: Justin Herbert
Given the circumstances, I probably would’ve named Herbert a stud simply for making it through the entire game. While the stat line was uglier than normal – 22/39 for 278 yards, one touchdown, and one interception – Herbert still made some of the extraterrestrial plays we’re used to seeing from him when fully healthy. His strike to Jalen Guyton for a gain of 54 yards was one of the best throws we’ve seen from him. Especially after Rashawn Slater went down at left tackle, Herbert was consistently forced to escape the pocket to make plays and did so. If this is what we get from Herbert while he recovers from the rib injury, the Chargers should at least have a chance going forward.
Dud: Chris Rumph II
After Joey Bosa went down with a groin injury, it seemed like this was the time for Rumph to show that his preseason was no fluke. And yet, while Rumph did show some flashes here and there, today’s game was marked more by the sight of #94 on the ground and gashing runs to his side of the field. It seems like the second-year edge rusher may still not have the power and mass to be an every-down player in the NFL, and to be fair to him, he wasn’t expected to be. But if he’s the next guy up with Bosa out, he needs to be a significantly better run defender at the very least.
Stud: Derwin James
James has, unsurprisingly, been one of the Chargers’ best and most consistent players through three weeks. After powerbombing Travis Kelce last Thursday, James continued his reign of terror against Jacksonville. Every tackle the All-Pro made looked like his opponent had run into a concrete wall, not to mention James making life difficult for Trevor Lawrence as a blitzer. James also performed well in coverage, as he was the one that had the most success on Jaguars primary receiver Christian Kirk.
Dud: Mike Williams
Bottom line: the Chargers need more out of Williams than 1 catch for 15 yards, even if that catch was a beautiful toe-tap…
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