The Chargers haven’t scored a second-half landing since Week 1. They rushed for 59 yards in 22 carries in opposition to an Arizona protection that was permitting 153 yards per sport on the bottom. They failed to guard a one-point lead on the ultimate possession, giving up the game-winning subject objective as time expired.
Though a refrain of considerations arose after the crew’s 17-15 “Monday Night Football” loss, coach Jim Harbaugh is singing a special tune.
“You could be singing with the choir with ‘the would have, could have and should have. If this, if that,’’’ the Chargers coach said Wednesday. “But it took watching [the tape] three, four times, all sides of the ball, to turn the hymn book to ‘we were better.’ We were better. We got better.”
Attempting to remain above .500, the Chargers (3-3) hope to channel the emotional hearth from a loss right into a studying lesson to face the New Orleans Saints (2-5) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
“I don’t lose,” Harbaugh mentioned calmly, “I either win or I learn.”
The coach would possibly not painting that the losses eat at him, however linebacker Daiyan Henley is aware of they do. It’s why gamers have continued to consider in Harbaugh at every of his profitable stops within the NFL and in school.
“I just love when Harbaugh talks because I can feel that he hates losing,” Henley mentioned. “He may not show it, but he stresses the emphasis of winning, the importance of winning. And I think that’s the best thing about having him as a coach is he feels what I feel, even though he’s not on the field with me. I hate losing. I hate being the reason, I hate being the cause of it. And I know him as a coach, he hates losing as well.”
Within the midst of a breakout season, Henley, a second-year inside linebacker, leads the Chargers in tackles with 41. Nevertheless, he missed 4 tackles in opposition to the Cardinals, in keeping with Professional Soccer Focus.
On the decisive last drive, Henley had each arms wrapped round James Conner one yard behind the road of scrimmage, however the Cardinals working again broke free, stepped via one other missed sort out from cornerback Tarheeb Nonetheless and ran for 33 yards to arrange the game-winning subject objective.
Rewatching the tape was “the hardest thing,” Henley mentioned, the ache nonetheless evident in his voice two days after the sport.
Though Daiyan Henley (0) had 4 solo tackles in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, the Chargers linebacker is concerned by the sort out he missed.
(Rick Scuteri / Related Press)
“I know that I can make those plays,” Henley mentioned. “Because I’ve done it and I haven’t had a game like this in my career. I can look back and I can get better, and I can move forward and bring my guys along with me, because I got a hell of a defense, a hell of a team, and I know we all believe in each other.”
Though the Chargers nonetheless lead the NFL in factors allowed per sport (13.8) and racked up 395 yards in opposition to the Cardinals, they’ve struggled to shut video games. In every of their losses, the Chargers have been tied or led within the fourth quarter.
Even discounting the 16 unanswered factors allowed in opposition to the Denver Broncos, who trailed by 23 factors after three quarters, opponents have outscored the Chargers 30-22 within the fourth quarter this season.
Settling for 5 subject objectives Monday, the Chargers failed to attain an offensive landing for simply the third time with Justin Herbert beginning. The quarterback who threw for a season-high 349 yards mentioned the offense, underneath first-year coordinator Greg Roman, is “still finding our identity.”
“You’re never going to find it within camp, or you’re never going to find it within OTAs,” Herbert mentioned. “It’s about going through the trials.”
The Chargers rank twenty fifth within the NFL in scoring (17.7 factors) and yards (300) per sport. Regardless of three consecutive season-bests in yards passing from Herbert, the crew continues to be ranked twenty fourth in passing. The working sport that has been a staple of Roman’s scheme has averaged simply 75.8 yards within the final 4 video games.
Accidents to Herbert and offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt handcuffed the offense early, and now extra accidents are piling up within the receiver room. Ladd McConkey (hip) and Quentin Johnston (ankle) and tight finish Will Dissly (shoulder) didn’t apply Wednesday. The trio makes up three of the Chargers’ high 4 pass-catchers.
McConkey, a second-round draft select of Georgia, is main the Chargers with 265 yards receiving on 24 catches with two touchdowns. Johnston has three of the crew’s six receiving touchdowns.
And so on.
OLB Joey Bosa (hip) was a restricted participant in apply after not practising all of final week. He has missed three video games with the damage. … WR D.J. Chark Jr. (groin) continues to be restricted and dealing via his 21-day window to return to the lively roster after occurring injured reserve with a hip damage. … CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring) and DB Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) additionally have been restricted in a apply that was held at a slower tempo than a typical Wednesday due to the quick turnaround from the Monday night time sport. … LB Denzel Perryman (toe) didn’t apply.
