How Herbert and the LA Chargers can take the next step
The Season
The Los Angeles Chargers are an average team, who had an average season. They finished with a mediocre 10-7 record. Funny enough, the Chargers were predicted to go 10-7. The Chargers are very what you see is what you get. A middle-of-the-pack team with a QB who has the ability to take the next step - but we are still waiting on that step to happen.
On paper, the team should be better with a defense led by Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Their offense also had major issues. One of which being bit hard by the injury bug. The team's star receivers - Keenan Allen and Mike Williams - did not play together in consecutive games until Week 14. The Chargers running game also left a lot to desire. The Chargers ground game ranked 30th, barely beating out Houston and Tampa Bay. Austin Ekeler played most of the games this season and that should have helped, but it did not seem to aid the rushing attack as we would have expected.
.@chargers @Jaguars on 3-1 with 2 1/2 minutes left they had a great chance to add on to their 27-0 lead; except this disaster occurred. Never know which plays help you win games; and which plays help you lose games #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/xDwI7WAuC9
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 19, 2023
Before the season started, Justin Herbert was seen as a Tier 2 quarterback - QBs ready to ascend to being superstars. During the regular season, he showed flashes. Even though the team's mediocre performance doesn't completely fall at his feet, he does own some of the blame. On paper, Herbert seemed to have had an amazing season, going 25-10 in touchdown to interception ratio. However, those lack the context of his showing in big-game situations. In the clutch, Justin Herbert becomes just another man on the team. Teams depend on their QB in those situations, and that is something Herbert needs to work on if he wants to be seen as a Tier 1 QB.
The Post Season
In the 2022-23 playoff opener, the Jacksonville Jaguars led by the young upstart Trevor Lawrence hosted the top-seeded wildcard Chargers. It was the textbook definition of a tale of two, very different, halves. The Chargers came out hot as fire, leading a whopping 27-0 by halftime. The defense picked off Trevor Lawrence, a record-breaking four times. In the mood to break some record of their own, the Chargers said hold my beer. And then proceeded to give up 31 points in the second half. In what should have been the Chargers and Herbert's legacy defining moment, they allowed the Jaguars to mount and historic comeback against them.
The Off Season
The Chargers will have a lot to figure out this off-season. They are coming off one of the most bitter losses in NFL playoff history - some would even say in sports playoff history.
The first question they will have to answer is who should they hire as Offensive Coordinator. Joe Lombardi, the grandson of the great Vince Lombardi, was fired after the collapse against the Jags. They had hopes that they could lure former Colts head coach, Frank Reich to take the job. Unfortunately, Frank took the job as the Carolina Panthers head coach. This is a very important role for the Chargers to fill, and quickly. They have an amazing defense, but they sometimes lack the offense to match it. Many called for the job of head coach Brandon Staley, especially with noted offensive guru Sean Payton hungry to coach again. If he wants to ward off the noise, nailing this OC pick will be vital and could help Herbert - and the rest of the team - take the step up into relevance.
Check out our other NFL Offseason Outlooks:
Minnesota Vikings | New York Giants