The Los Angeles Chargers briefly held a lead in yesterday’s blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. For three glorious minutes in the first quarter, the Bolts were up 3-0. The Florida sun was shining. Justin Herbert had yet to be sacked. And first place in the AFC West remained in sight.
But things quickly went downhill. By the second half, Jacksonville was dismantling Los Angeles in every aspect and went on to win 35-6. It was Jim Harbaugh’s worst loss since joining the Chargers, and the 29-point gap tied his greatest margin of defeat as an NFL head coach.
“We were out-physicaled [in] every phase,” Harbaugh told reporters after the game. “We got beat every which way you could possibly be beat.”
Harbaugh Benches Trade Deadline Acquisition
The offensive line has been LAC’s weakest unit all season, and it particularly underperformed in Sunday’s loss. While no Chargers’ lineman necessarily deserves a game ball, much of the scrutiny fell on Trevor Penning. The 26-year-old tackle was acquired at the trade deadline for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick. The hope was that he would assuage the ongoing offensive line issues. Yesterday, he finished with the lowest PFF score on the team (46.3) and was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Austin Deculus.
“The early returns on the deadline trade for Penning are here and they’re about as bad as you may have expected after watching Sunday’s game,” Michael Peterson writes for Bolts From the Blue. “Penning’s 36.1 in pass blocking was the worst among the offensive linemen and his five pressures allowed were tops on the team with the second closest player (Pipkins) allowing two.”
Reasons for Optimism
While yesterday was bleak, there are reasons for optimism. Penning, a former first-round pick, played left guard for the New Orleans Saints this season prior to the trade. He has plenty of tackle experience, but it’s a tall order to convert back on short notice. The Chargers head into their much-needed bye in Week 12, and there’s a chance Penning looks much better with an extra two weeks of reps.
Harbaugh didn’t comment on benching Penning in his postgame press conference. It’s possible the decision had more to do with the lopsided score than Penning’s poor play. After all, Herbert sat for most of the fourth quarter as well, with the game out of reach.
Chargers’ Offensive Line Struggles
The Chargers have struggled all season to find an answer after losing star offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. The team has allowed 37 sacks, which is the second-most in the league, behind only the woeful Tennessee Titans. Following yesterday’s game, the Chargers have used 21 different offensive line combinations. The O-line’s inconsistent play is no secret.
“We’ve lost a few guys throughout the year, but I think we’ve had guys who have stepped up big time in roles that we really needed,” Herbert told DJ Siddiqi in a one-on-one interview for the Escapist. “Offensive linemen, we’ve kind of shuffled around a few guys. I think the way that everyone has dealt with that is going to bring us into the next half and give us a better shot of continuing to play good football.”
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