INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers are an improved workforce. However Monday evening’s 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens confirmed simply how far they’ve nonetheless to go.
That isn’t an indictment of what coach Jim Harbaugh and common supervisor Joe Hortiz are constructing. It’s nonetheless 12 months 1 of an organizational overhaul. The Chargers are 7-4. They’ve a extremely good likelihood of constructing the playoffs. The mere incontrovertible fact that the Chargers will play significant December video games, beginning subsequent week in Atlanta, is proof of an upward trajectory.
The roster simply has limitations at this stage of the method. The Ravens are bona fide contenders. The Chargers aren’t but at that stage. Within the NFL, high quality opponents will exploit weaknesses and reveal the reality.
“They performed higher soccer than we did tonight,” Harbaugh mentioned.
GO DEEPER
Henry powers Ravens previous Chargers 30-23 in ‘Harbaugh Bowl’: Takeaways
This loss goes to sting for Harbaugh, as he falls to 0-3 towards his large brother, John. This loss goes to sting for Hortiz, who spent 26 years working for the Ravens. It’s going to sting for offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was let go by the Ravens following the 2022 season after six years in Baltimore. It’s going to sting for all the previous Ravens now with the Chargers, from assistant common supervisor Chad Alexander, to offensive line coach Mike Devlin, to tight ends coach and run sport coordinator Andy Bischoff.
Good teaching and sound roster building can result in fast and speedy progress. We now have seen that this season with the Chargers.
Constructing a workforce able to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy takes time.
“You possibly can say there’s a whole lot of combat and all these various things,” edge rusher Khalil Mack mentioned. “However there’s no ethical victories at this level within the season. You bought to exit and play successful soccer when it issues probably the most.”
The Chargers didn’t have the physicality to match up with Ravens working again Derrick Henry, who completed with 140 speeding yards on 24 carries.
Coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit began quick. The Chargers compelled punts on the primary two possessions of the sport. However the Ravens leaned into Henry on the following drive. Henry broke off a 19-yard run on the opening play. He adopted that up with a 14-yard run. He totaled 44 speeding yards on the drive, which quarterback Lamar Jackson capped off with a 10-yard landing run.
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Henry is a freight practice, and the Chargers didn’t have an emergency brake to drag. As soon as Henry received rolling, there was no stopping him.
The Chargers misplaced on the line of scrimmage. They didn’t sort out effectively at any stage.
“We want higher block destruction simply throughout the board,” Harbaugh mentioned.
Henry averaged 7.1 yards per keep on first down. The Ravens had a median distance to realize of 6.4 yards on second, third and fourth downs, in accordance with TruMedia.
Derrick Henry getting the @Ravens offense going.
📺: #BALvsLAC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/otSPxAT7JH— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2024
“He’s going to be efficient after they play that approach,” security Derwin James Jr. mentioned.
Baltimore efficiently transformed three fourth-and-1s. Two of these got here from Henry on a landing drive within the second half.
Mack mentioned giving up 212 speeding yards is “the factor that pisses me off probably the most.”
The Chargers weren’t at full energy, and that mattered. Linebacker Denzel Perryman was inactive with a groin damage. This sport was begging for one in all Perryman’s trademark violent hits. Perhaps if Perryman performs, he meets Henry within the gap within the first quarter and units a special tone for the protection.
“He’s positively one of many hearts and souls in the course of our protection,” James mentioned of Perryman.
Mack was additionally on a snap depend in his first sport again from two pulled groins. Mack, who was inactive final week towards the Cincinnati Bengals, solely performed 27 of the protection’s 64 snaps Monday evening.
The Chargers didn’t set constant edges towards Henry.
Mack mentioned after the sport he was “making an attempt to not bounce on the sector in sure conditions.”
“I didn’t need no setback,” Mack mentioned, “so I form of simply stayed coachable in these moments.”
Extra snaps from Mack, maybe the protection’s most constantly bodily participant, may have made an enormous distinction.
“It’s not arduous for me to play towards that man,” Mack mentioned of Henry. “I like taking part in towards the greats.”
The Chargers struggled all evening to comprise Ravens working again Derrick Henry. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Photos)
The Chargers had been additionally with out cornerback Cam Hart, who has been good in run assist this season. He aggravated his ankle damage in Saturday’s follow, in accordance with Harbaugh, and was inactive for the sport. Fellow rookie Tarheeb Nonetheless began rather than Hart at outdoors cornerback and ended up one-on-one with Henry a number of instances.
On the identical time, the Chargers had their full steady of inside defensive linemen. That they had Tuli Tuipulotu and Joey Bosa on the sting. That they had their greatest cornerback Kristian Fulton, who gave up a 40-yard landing from Jackson to receiver Rashod Bateman within the second quarter. That they had linebacker Daiyan Henley, they usually had all three of their beginning safeties in James, Alohi Gilman and Elijah Molden.
The Ravens scored on 5 straight drives after their two early punts.
“We simply received to get him on the bottom,” James mentioned of Henry.
Regardless of the defensive unraveling, the Chargers had an opportunity to tie the sport within the fourth quarter, trailing 23-16. Quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense confronted a third-and-6 from their 34-yard line.
Herbert dropped again after a shotgun snap. Receiver Quentin Johnston got here extensive open on a crossing route. Herbert delivered an ideal throw. Johnston dropped what would have been a simple conversion — and far more.
“I felt I had some house upfield,” mentioned Johnston, who didn’t have a catch on 5 targets, “so I simply turned my head earlier than I’d seen the catch all the best way in.”
Johnston struggled with drops as a rookie final season. He referred to as the play a “full lack of focus on the catch level.”
“He’s a fighter,” Herbert mentioned of Johnston. “I’m going to maintain throwing him the ball.”
Rookie Ladd McConkey is an rising participant. He led the Chargers with six catches on six targets for 83 yards.
However Monday evening was a obtrusive instance of how badly the Chargers want receiving assist. It’s a roster limitation after Harbaugh and Hortiz moved on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams within the offseason.
The Ravens had given up at the very least three completions of 20-plus yards in each sport this season.
The Chargers didn’t have a single completion of 20 yards within the sport.
Receiver Joshua Palmer had three catches on eight targets.
Receiver DJ Chark, who the Chargers signed in free company in March, was a wholesome scratch for the sport. He may probably give the passing sport a lift. Chark has performed just one offensive snap all season. He was on injured reserve till early November. However the actuality is that including the kind of difference-maker the Chargers want must wait till the offseason.
“We’re all going to have some issues that we want we might have performed, coached higher,” Harbaugh mentioned.
The Chargers scored solely three second-half factors earlier than a garbage-time landing made the ultimate rating look nearer than the sport really was.
Operating again J.Okay. Dobbins, one other former Raven, left the sport with a knee damage within the second quarter, and the Chargers struggled to run the ball after his departure. Gus Edwards had 11 speeding yards on 9 carries.
“They executed,” Harbaugh mentioned, “they usually had been the higher workforce tonight.”
Monday evening was a measuring stick. And now it’s clear the place the Chargers stand.
“We’ll regroup,” Harbaugh mentioned.
(Prime photograph: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Photos)