Chargers QB Justin Herbert on Wild Card loss to Jaguars: ‘It falls on us for not executing’

Justin Herbert seemed shellshocked in his comments following the Chargers’ epic collapse in their Wild Card loss to the Jaguars.

After blowing a 27-point lead in the AFC Wild Card game, the Los Angeles Chargers’ season is officially over. They inexplicably lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in this game, and expectations are that heads will roll for it.

Quarterback Justin Herbert addressed the loss after the game in his comments to the media at Los Angeles’ final post-game press conference.

When asked if the Jaguars’ approach was significantly different in the second half, Herbert told reporters that whatever changes Jacksonville may have made were only part of the story.

“A little bit,” Herbert explained. “We got a lot of respect for the Jaguars and their defense, and they’re a really tough defense. It falls on us for not executing in the second half. We were able to put up some points in the first half, but you got to be able to play four quarters as a NFL team.”

While their season may be over, Herbert and the rest of the Chargers’ offense are sure to get to work on making sure that they can better prepare and execute next year if they manage to get another opportunity at a playoff run in 2023.

Chargers WR DeAndre Carter questionable to return vs. Jaguars

The Chargers are down to three active receivers.

The Chargers are down to three active receivers.

DeAndre Carter left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and has been ruled questionable to return. With Mike Williams being ruled out earlier in the week, LA activated only Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer, Michael Bandy, and Carter for Saturday’s contest.

It’s unclear when Carter was injured, but Bryce Callahan did field a punt with 3 minutes left in the second quarter. The Chargers then ran a jet sweep, a play usually reserved for Carter, to Bandy on the ensuing drive.

Carter’s status was updated just before the half, with sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung relaying that Carter was in the X-ray room undergoing tests on the ankle.

Chargers vs. Jaguars first-half highlights

Here are the Los Angeles Chargers’ first-half highlights from Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Chargers are dominating the Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card round matchup, leading 27-7 at the half.

To get caught up with all the action, here are Los Angeles’ notable plays from the first half.

The Chargers got off to a scorching start.

On Trevor Lawrence’s first pass attempt, both Sebastian Joseph-Day and Joey Bosa got hands on the throw before it was intercepted by Drue Tranquill. Tranquill returned it 17 yards to give LA the ball on the Jaguars’ 18 and quiet the crowd.

The Chargers struck first after the Lawrence interception, as Austin Ekeler punched it in from 13 yards out to give LA a 7-0 lead.

Ekeler, who led the league in total touchdowns in the regular season, found a seam blocked open by guard Zion Johnson and tight end Tre’ McKitty and then stumbled into the end zone.

The Chargers had Trevor Lawrence in a blender to start the first quarter.

With the Jaguars facing 4th-and-7 from the Chargers’ 33, Doug Pederson elected to bypass the field goal and get aggressive. Asante Samuel Jr. responded, playing physical coverage with Jaguars receiver Zay Jones. Jones failed to get his hands up in time for the impending throw, allowing Samuel to secure his third interception of the season.

Samuel returned the ball to the Chargers’ 39, giving LA’s offense an extra six yards of field position to start their second drive.

Samuel played the first half of his life.

Running downfield with Marvin Jones, Samuel deflected a pass that was initially called as pass interference after Lawrence targeted them downfield. The flag was eventually picked up, as the referees determined that Samuel was playing in phase with Jones.

On the next play, Samuel sat in a flat zone and intercepted a Lawrence pass intended for Evan Engram on a drag route. It was Samuel’s second interception of the first quarter.

Ekeler’s nose for the endzone is second to none.

After Samuel’s second interception of the first quarter, the Chargers’ offense took over from the Jaguars’ 16. Three straight Ekeler rushes later, and LA was in the endzone for the second time tonight to extend their lead to 17-0.

It’s Ekeler’s 20th total touchdown of the season. Both of his scores in this game came from within the red zone.

Early in the Chargers’ fifth offensive drive, Gerald Everett was forced to leave the game with an undisclosed injury after being rolled up by Jaguars linebacker Chad Muma.

An official update was never released, and it didn’t need to be.

The next time the broadcast found Everett on the field, he was finding the endzone, hauling in a nine-yard touchdown from Justin Herbert to extend the lead to 24-0, Chargers.

Everett broke a tackle from Muma, the player who inadvertently caused his injury to begin with, to get across the goal line to give the touchdown an extra hint of revenge.

After dropping a series of interceptions early in the season, Samuel caught fire in the first half, reeling in everything even remotely in his area. With a 3rd-and-10 from midfield, Lawrence forced a throw to tight end Evan Engram, who had Samuel covering him down the seam. Samuel made a better break on the ball and came away with the interception, once again giving the Chargers plus field position.

Forced to punt for the second time, JK Scott lined up and delivered a kick inside the Jaguars’ 15. The ball rebounded off the helmet of Jaguars cornerback Chris Claybrooks, resulting in a scramble for the ball.

Jaguars returner Jamal Agnew looked to have a clear path to a recovery, but Ja’Sir Taylor knocked it out of his hands before he could establish possession and the ball continued to bounce around before being recovered by Chargers linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.

The recovery gave the Chargers the ball on the Jaguars 5, which LA converted into a second Cameron Dicker field goal to extend their lead to 27-0.

4 areas where Chargers must improve going into Wild Card Round vs. Jaguars

We identified four areas where the Chargers need to improve as the playoffs get underway on Saturday.

The Chargers are hot, winning their last four of five games. However, they have to improve in certain areas to avoid being one-and-done. Which areas may be most vital in making necessary adjustments?

We identified four areas Los Angeles could improve as its postseason play kicks off on Saturday night against the Jaguars.

 

NFL Playoffs: Date, time set for Chargers vs. Jaguars

The stage is set.

The NFL announced the full schedule for Super Wild Card weekend.

The Chargers will travel to take on the Jaguars next Saturday, Jan 14, at 5:15 pm PT.

The game will be televised on NBC.

Los Angeles and Jacksonville played in Week 3 of the regular season, and the Jaguars beat the Bolts, 38-10.

In that game, Justin Herbert was a week removed from his fractured rib cartilage. Keenan Allen did not play. In addition, the team lost Rashawn Slater and Joey Bosa to their respective injuries.

The Jaguars won their final five games after a 2-6 start to capture the division title over the two-time defending AFC South champion Titans.

Chargers officially have playoff opponent set

After the Ravens’ loss to the Bengals, the Chargers have officially locked up the fifth seed. 

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After the Ravens’ loss to the Bengals, the Chargers have officially locked up the fifth seed.

Los Angeles will face the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL. The date and time for the matchup, along with the rest of the Wild Card round games, will be determined after all games are played today.

L.A. and Jacksonville played in Week 3 of the regular season, and the Jaguars beat the Bolts, 38-10.

In that game, Justin Herbert was a week removed from his fractured rib cartilage. Keenan Allen did not play. In addition, Rashawn Slater and Joey Bosa were lost to their respective long-term injuries.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert on playing vs. Jaguars: ‘Decision will be made on Sunday’

We now wait to see who will be under center for the Chargers against the Jaguars.

The Chargers are taking on the Jaguars on Sunday, and the biggest question remains who will be under center.

Justin Herbert, who has a rib cartilage fracture that he sustained in the Week 2 loss to the Chiefs, did not practice Friday and is listed as questionable.

This comes after he returned to practice earlier this week where he had two limited sessions.

With the decision looming, Herbert said it “will be made on Sunday,” adding that the plan is to go through a workout before the game.

“I’m certainly going to do everything I can to prepare and be ready to play on Sunday,” Herbert said.

If Herbert can’t play, Chase Daniel will get the start. Daniel took first-team reps during Friday’s practice.

Daniel, the 13-year veteran, has played 71 games with five starts, throwing for 1,694 yards and eight touchdowns.

If Daniel is under center, the offensive game plan would be altered quite a bit.

With an arm nowhere near the talent of Herbert, Daniel would likely be relegated to short and quick passes. The running game would also be relied on more than usual.

Ultimately, the defense could be the deciding factor in this game, as it is difficult to see the offense having a lot of spark if Daniel is given the start.

Jags punter Logan Cooke ruled out vs. Ravens with an illness

The Jags will be without a punter Sunday against the Ravens as Logan Cooke missed their trip to Baltimore due to an illness.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled just one player out on their final injury report from Friday in cornerback Sidney Jones, but one more player will be joining him. That player is punter Logan Cooke, who didn’t travel with the Jags to Baltimore due to an illness.

Initially, the Jags announced that cook was ruled questionable early Saturday night, then listed him as questionable not too soon afterward.

The Jags don’t have a backup punter listed for emergency purposes on their depth chart, so it’s unknown as to whom will take over for Cooke Sunday. It’s possible kicker Aldrick Rosas will handle all of the kicking duties against the Ravens, while Gardner Minshew II or Mike Glennon could be the holder for the Jags on extra-point attempts and field goals.

Cooke has been a good special teams player for the Jags this year, averaging 47.6 yards per punt in 2020. He’s pinned teams within the 10-yard line or less 11 times this season, which is a total that is good for second in the league.

Podcast: Jags Wire chats with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah

The Jags will need a lot of help from their 2020 draft class. To discuss the group, Jags Wire sat down with draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are to have a successful 2020 season, they are going to need a lot of help from their rookie class. While that may seem like a difficult feat to achieve, it’s worth noting the team had arguably 2019’s best class in terms of contributions with players like Gardner Minshew II, Jawaan Taylor, and Josh Allen aiding the team to six wins.

To discuss the potential of the Jags’ most recent class from April, we spoke to someone who covered it live on ESPN for NFL Network in draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. The former scout of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles joined us for our latest episode of the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast” and had plenty of takes the fans will definitely like.

Some of the specific topics we discussed outside of the Jags 12-man draft class was Jeremiah’s pick for the Jags’ top undrafted addition, his thoughts on how COVID-19 will affect college football, Gardner Minshew, being a general manager one day, and more.

After our conversation with Jeremiah, Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and I continued to discuss Jimmy Smith’s recent resurgence on Twitter and the Jags’ value, according to Forbes.

Feel free to listen to the archived episodes of “Bleav in the Jags,”too, and subscribe via Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

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Jaguars training camp primer: Everything you need to know about team’s new additions

The Jags made a lot of moves to get to the start of training camp with key additions like Joe Schobert, C.J. Henderson and more.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reported for their first day of training camp. There were a lot of moves made this offseason to get to this point in addition to navigating through the issues coronavirus has caused.

To get you all prepared for what will be a unique training camp, we’ve decided to group all of the team’s new additions into one post. Here are all the new draft picks, free-agents, and coaches that Doug Marrone and company were able to add this offseason:

New additions

TE Tyler Eifert: Tight end has long been an area of concern for the Jags and 2019 was no exemption. The Jags were left almost bare at tight end last season when Geoff Swaim, Josh Oliver, and James O’Shaughnessy all had to go on injured reserve. With Swaim not showing much when he was healthy, the Jags released the veteran and picked up someone familiar with the scheme: Tyler Eifert. He’s a former Pro Bowler and will be TE1 but comes with injury concerns, missing over 50 career games.

RB Chris Thompson: Like Eifert, Chris Thompson brings familiarity to the Jags’ new system because he was with coordinator Jay Gruden in Washington. With such a young running backs room, the Jags felt the need to bring in a veteran, and with seven years of experience, Thompson should be a very good role model and player for the group.

LB Joe Schobert: The Jags tried Myles Jack out at MIKE linebacker after locking him up to a long-term deal, and to put it lightly, it didn’t work out. That said, they added veteran Joe Schobert this offseason to man the spot and move Jack to WILL linebacker, an area where his skill-set could better thrive.

DL Rodney Gunter: With the Jags trading Calais Campbell, they needed to find a cheaper option to replace him and Rodney Gunter ended up joining the Jags as a result. He’ll play both on the interior and exterior of the Jags’ defense and could be a sleeper to have a solid season.

DT Al Woods: Nobody expected the Jags to pick up Marcell Dareus’ expensive contract option this offseason and they didn’t. With a hole left at nose tackle, the ended up signing veteran Al Woods, who brings nine years of experience to the table and will be the oldest player on the team (33).

DE/LB Cassius Marsh: The Jags wanted more help on the edge and at SAM linebacker. That sent them in the direction of Cassius Marsh, who will compete with rookie K’Lavon Chaisson to start at SAM on early downs.

CB Rashaan Melvin: Jalen Ramsey was traded before the 2019 season was over and A.J. Bouye was traded before the 2020 offseason could end. With that being the case, the Jags needed a veteran at corner and added Rashaan Melvin as a result. He’ll enter his career with the Jags with 40 starts to his name and will compete with Tre Herndon to start alongside rookie C.J. Henderson.

Notable departures

DL Calais Campbell: The Jags made the tough decision to trade Calais Campbell as a result of needing to reallocate money and get younger. It’s possible they would’ve kept him on a smaller cap hit, but the good thing about the trade is that he ended up with a great team.

CB A.J. Bouye: Bouye is another testament of the Jags needing to reallocate money. Like Campbell, the Jags added him in 2017 through an expensive “win now” free-agent class, but success didn’t come for the team. That put the Jags in a predicament where they wanted to keep the veteran but had to dump his salary on the Denver Broncos.

DT Marcell Dareus: As previously stated, the option to pick up Dareus would’ve been costly to retain at about $20 million on the season. Sure, he was arguably their best run defender, but that’s not worth the price that would’ve c0me with him. The Jags were able to find a significantly cheaper veteran option in Woods and got a sleeper in third-round pick DaVon Hamilton, who could be the future at nose tackle.

QB Nick Foles: The Jags took a costly swing on the Super Bowl MVP in 2019 and he ended up with a collarbone injury that allowed them to see some impressive things out of Gardner Minshew II. Understanding they may have caught lightning in a bottle, they moved on from Foles by trading him to the Chicago Bears to give Minshew a clear path to the QB1 spot.

WR Marqise Lee: The longtime veteran was another expected cut for the Jags. His career, unfortunately, was plagued with injuries and the Jags simply saw an opportunity to upgrade the spot with a strong receivers class that highlighted the 2020 NFL Draft.

Draft selections (12)

Round 1 (No. 9): CB CJ Henderson, Florida (More about Henderson)

Round 1 (No. 20): Edge K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State (More about Chaisson)

Round 2 (No. 42): WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado (More about Shenault)

Round 3 (No. 73): DT DaVon Hamilton, Ohio State (More about Hamilton)

Round 4 (No. 116): OL Ben Bartch, St. Johns (More about Bartch)

Round 4 (No. 137): CB Josiah Scott, Michigan State (More about Scott)

Round 4 (No. 140): LB Shaquille Quarterman, Miami (More about Quarterman)

Round 5 (No. 157): Safety Daniel Thomas, Auburn (More about Thomas)

Round 5 (No. 165): WR Collin Johnson, Texas (More about Johnson)

Round 6 (No. 189): QB Jake Luton, Oregon State (More about Luton)

Round 6 (No. 206): TE Tyler Davis, Georgia Tech (More about Davis)

Round 7 (No. 223:) CB Chris Claybrooks, Memphis (More about Claybrooks)

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Undrafted rookies (18)

Connor Slomka, FB, Army

Amari Henderson, CB, Wake Forest (Highlights) (Scouting report)

Steven Nielsen, OT, Eastern Michigan

Brandon Wright, kicker/Punter, Georgia State

Marvelle Ross, WR, Notre Dame College (Highlights)

James Robinson, RB, Illinois State University (Highlights) (Scouting report by NFL.com)

Kobe Williams, CB, Arizona State (Highlights)

Ross Matiscik, LS, Baylor (Highlights)

Josh Hammond, WR, Florida (Highlights)

Luqman Barcoo, CB, San Diego State (Highlights) (Scouting report by Mountain West Wire)

Nate Evans, LB, Central Florida (Highlights) (Scouting report by Black and Gold Banneret)

Tre’Vour Wallace Simms, OL, Missouri (Highlights) (Scouting report PFN)

Ben Ellefson, TE, North Dakota State (Highlights)

Nate Cottrell, RB, Georgia Tech (Highlights)

Tavien Feaster, RB, South Carolina (Highlights) (Scouting report by TDN)

Austen Pleasants, OL, Ohio (Highlights) (Scouting report by PFN)

J.R. Reed, Safety, Georgia (Highlights) (Scouting report by TDN)

New additions to the coaching staff

OC Jay Gruden: The Jags decided to mutually part ways with former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo this offseason, putting them on the market for a new offensive coordinator. They eventually ended up with former Washington Football Team head coach Jay Gruden to replace DeFilippo.

Gruden has had success with young quarterbacks in the past like Andy Dalton ad Kirk Cousins, which probably was a big reason Marrone wanted him on the team.

QB coach Ben McAdoo: Ben McAdoo, a former head coach for the New York Giants, will bring 16 years of coaching experience to the Jags’ quarterbacks room. His most notable run coaching the position came back in 2012-13, when he was with the Green Bay Packers and coached Aaron Rodgers.

Quality controls coach Dennard Robinson: Dennard Robinson is a familiar face to Jags fans as he was their No. 135th overall pick of the 2013 draft. As a quality controls coach on offense, the former multi-purpose weapon will be learning under guys like McAdoo and Gruden while also researching opponents in advance.

Assistant LB coach Tony Gilbert: Tony Gilbert is another former Jags player who will be joining the coaching staff as a newcomer. He spent time with the team during the Jack Del Rio era and will work alongside head linebackers coach Mark Collins.