Several things stood out among the smoldering wreckage of the Chargers’ 38-24 loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts, not least of which was Jim Harbaugh’s unwavering defense of his team’s willingness to “battle” and “fight” and Justin Herbert’s remarkable right arm.
Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Chargers’ latest defeat, another cause for concern despite what Harbaugh had to say after the game and the outstanding statistics Herbert posted while once again performing under siege behind a makeshift offensive line:
PLAYING DEFENSE
Publicly, at least, coaches in all sports don’t like trashing their players after a thrashing like the one the Chargers received Sunday from the Colts, a team that’s firing on all cylinders. Harbaugh, now well into his second season as the Chargers’ coach, is no exception to the rule.
“Courage, fight,” Harbaugh said of the Chargers’ defense. “Our guys never quit.”
Playing hard and playing well are two different things, though.
“I thought our guys competed,” Harbaugh said of the offensive line.
Again, playing hard and playing well are two different things.
“I believe, I believe in our guys,” Harbaugh said.
He had no choice since the Chargers couldn’t swap rosters with another team. These are the players they have entering Week 8 and a home date with the Minnesota Vikings for “Thursday Night Football” at SoFi Stadium. Harbaugh can’t magically make injured standouts healthy again.
So, this is where things stand, with the Chargers holding a 4-3 record after losses in three of their past four games and the rival Denver Broncos (5-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) building momentum in the AFC West. The Chargers have injuries and it’s going to take time to get whole again.
“Continue to work,” Harbaugh said. “There have been fits that have been off. That’s what we do. You regroup, reload, keep working. Keep chipping away. The Colts did an outstanding job. They had us on our heels. That was something. Not our best. But on to the Vikings.”
Defensive standouts Khalil Mack and Denzel Perryman returned from injured reserve Sunday against the Colts and left tackle Joe Alt could be back from a sprained ankle against Minnesota, which means the injury reasons/excuses for lackluster play could be ending sooner than later.
HERBERT STANDS TALL
Facing a double-digit halftime deficit, the Chargers turned Herbert loose in the second half Sunday. He ended up throwing for 420 yards overall, a career high, completing 37 of 55 passes with three second-half touchdowns and two costly second-quarter interceptions.
Herbert was sacked three times and under steady pressure.
Now, imagine what he could do with a healthy offensive line in front of him.
Asked point-blank if the pressure in the pocket is becoming an issue, Herbert said, “No, that’s football. That’s part of the job. We threw the ball a lot today. It’s going to happen. It’s the way it is when you’re down and we had to throw. The offensive line is doing an incredible job of battling.”
GADSDEN SHINES
Back in training camp, it seemed like only a matter of time before Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman turned over the starting tight end position over to Oronde Gadsden, a rookie who was the Chargers’ fifth-round draft pick. He proved more than capable of handling it Sunday.
Gadsden caught seven passes on nine targets from Herbert for a career-high 164 yards and one touchdown, his first in the NFL. It was the most receiving yardage by a rookie tight end in a game since the New York Giants’ Mark Bavaro caught passes totaling 176 yards on Oct. 13, 1985.
Gadsden certainly has Herbert’s vote to become a full-time starter ahead of Will Dissly, Tyler Conklin and Tucker Fisk. Gadsden has the mentality of a wide receiver, which he was for a time while at Syracuse University, combined with the willingness to be an effective blocker.
“I think he did an incredible job,” Herbert said of Gadsden, who averaged 23.4 yards per catch Sunday. “He found ways to get open and, when we needed him most, he stepped up big time. He’s done a great job all year and he’s going to continue to make big plays for us.”
WHAT COMES NEXT
The Chargers don’t have time for a pity party with the Vikings (3-3) arriving Thursday at SoFi. There is barely enough time to prepare for their Week 8 game, which might not be such a bad thing, after all. The Chargers might be best served by burning those hideous gold uniforms and moving on.