In the thick of a playoff race, the Chargers have the attention of four prime-time games in six weeks. Now it’s a matter of what they can do in the spotlight.
A 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday pumped the brakes on the team’s rapid rise under coach Jim Harbaugh. Instead of loud music and joyous laughter, the team’s locker room was mostly silent as players emptied their lockers, got dressed and shuffled out as quickly as possible.
With one of the loudest home crowds of the season at SoFi Stadium, the loss felt like a missed opportunity for the Chargers (7-4) to capitalize on the growing interest around Harbaugh’s rebuild. But with a short week to prepare for a road game against the Atlanta Falcons, Justin Herbert insists it’s just the beginning of a new opportunity.
“These are the games that you want to be playing in November and December,” the star quarterback said, “and hopefully in January as well.”
Read more: Chargers drop the ball on offense and defense in second half as Ravens prevail
Here are four things we learned from the loss:
J.K. Dobbins injured
Harbaugh did not have an immediate update on the knee injury that sidelined J.K. Dobbins for the second half. The former Ravens running back who suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2021 was standing on the sideline during the second half while wearing a gray sweatsuit with no visible brace or supports.
Dobbins last appeared on the field on a run up the middle with 5:09 remaining in the second quarter when he got stopped for no gain on a play that was negated because of a holding penalty. He ducked into the injury tent after the drive.
“J.K. is a dynamic back,” left guard Zion Johnson said. “Losing him definitely hurt.”
Dobbins and fellow former Ravens running back Gus Edwards were a bright spot for the Chargers early as they combined for 26 rushing yards on the team’s opening 70-yard touchdown drive.
In Dobbins’ absence, Edwards struggled to spark the running game, adding only three more rushes for minus-eight yards. He finished with nine carries for just 11 yards and a one-yard touchdown. Hassan Haskins had one carry for three yards after Dobbins left.
Dobbins finished with 40 yards on six carries as the Chargers were held to 83 yards rushing, their lowest total since Oct. 21 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens were the second-ranked rushing defense in the NFL, allowing 77.5 yards rushing per game.
“It’s obviously tough, but that’s also part of our job — to win when a guy like that goes down,” right guard Trey Pipkins III said of the rushing performance. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get that done.”
Second-half struggles continue
Dobbins’ injury may have contributed to the Chargers’ already struggling second-half offense. After a third-quarter swoon allowed the Cincinnati Bengals to overcome a 21-point margin, the Chargers scored just three points in their first three drives of the second half against the Ravens (8-4). By the time Edwards scored with 46 seconds remaining, the Ravens had already run away with the game.
“We just got to figure it out,” receiver Derius Davis said of the second-half inconsistencies.
Read more: Hernández: If Justin Herbert is ‘incredible’ what does that say about the rest of the Chargers?
The Chargers failed to match the firepower of two of the NFL’s top offenses in the last two weeks. Instead of controlling the clock or increasing the lead toward a comfortable win against Cincinnati or keeping pace with the Ravens, the Chargers punted seven times in their 12 second-half drives of the two games.
Despite a three-touchdown lead against the Bengals, the Chargers handed the ball off to a running back only seven times in the second half. They have gone three-and-out on six of their 12 second-half drives in the past two games while converting just four of 15 third-down attempts.
The Chargers outscore opponents 151-93 in the first half, but are being outscored 112-92 in the second half.
Hail the King
While the Chargers struggled to run the ball, the Ravens found an easy solution with 6-foot-3, 247-pound Derrick Henry.
“King Henry” finished with 140 yards rushing on 24 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush against a Chargers defense that was without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin). Henry gained 84 yards after initial contact and frequently finished runs at the second and third levels. He also added four rushes of 10-plus yards.
“We knew it was going to take multiple guys to tackle him,” said linebacker Nick Niemann, who rotated with Troy Dye in Perryman’s place. “Can’t go high on him, and I just don’t think we tackled well enough.”
The Chargers had just four tackles for loss and one sack Sunday after wreaking havoc in the backfield in recent weeks. They had 16 sacks in the three games prior to Sunday’s loss.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack returned, but was “ashamed” to admit coaches kept him on a snap count because of a groin injury that sidelined him last week. He had a quarterback hit and two tackles, including one stop on Henry, on the Chargers’ opening defensive possession. While he watched Henry truck his teammates most of the night, Mack pushed back on the notion that it was “hard” to stop the dynamic running back.
“I don’t think it’s hard to play against that guy,” Mack said. “Hopefully we see this team again.”
When given the chance to walk back an answer that would almost surely end up as bulletin board material, Mack doubled down. It was a challenge, he said, but it wasn’t hard.
“I love playing against the greats,” Mack said. “This was no different.”
Quentin Johnston owns up to critical drop
Selected 21st and 22nd in the 2023 NFL draft, respectively, receivers Quentin Johnston and Zay Flowers met again on the field Sunday.
Read more: Harbaugh Bowl III: Brotherly love and another win for John’s Ravens
While Flowers led the Ravens with 62 yards receiving on five catches, Johnston struggled with no catches on five targets with a critical third-and-six drop in the fourth quarter that led to a Chargers punt. The Ravens scored the decisive touchdown — a 51-yard run from Justice Hill — six plays later.
Johnston, who struggled with drops as a rookie last year before finding a rhythm in his second pro season, acknowledged a lack of focus at the point of the catch.
“Just try to put it past me as much as I can,” Johnston said.”
Despite the high-profile miscue, Johnston has shown improvement in his second year. After 431 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 38 catches as a rookie, he has a team-high six touchdowns this year with 354 yards receiving and 22 catches.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
