The Chargers slumped to a 17-10 home loss to the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon and head coach Jim Harbaugh focused on the team’s pass protection when talking about why the team fell short.
Quarterback Justin Herbert played on an injured ankle and was sacked twice while being pressured 12 times over the course of the afternoon. Several of those pressures led to throws while Herbert was being hit and the quarterback ended the day 16-of-27 for 179 yards.
“We’ve got to get Justin another half-second, second, we really do,” Harbaugh said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. “I mean, he’s trying to get the ball out as fast as he possibly can, and he is. And like I said, some of those throws that he made, I mean I don’t have the adjective for it. It’s warrior-like; it’s everything within his human power, and then some, is the way I look at it. It’s incredible what he can do. We do need to get him more [time], just another second.”
The Chargers played without tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt in the loss, so they can hope for better health for both Herbert and the offensive line when they return to action after their Week Five bye. If that doesn’t solve the protection issue, the Chargers will have to dig a little deeper to fix a major issue with their offense.