Chargers News: Why Justin Herbert's Struggles Against Dallas Weren't His Fault

Herbert just needs to play better, plain and simple.

After your Los Angeles Chargers lost to the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 in a disappointing Monday Night Football matchup this week, there has been a lot of talk about who is to blame. LA now sits at 2-3, with a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs looming. 

We won't put all the blame for the loss on Herbert, because we have to give credit to the Cowboys defense. They played their hearts out and made life tough on the Chargers signal-caller all night.

"Much of Herbert's struggles can be attributed to the Cowboys' dominant defensive line play. Herbert seemed to be scrambling all game as the Cowboys' pass rush blew by Chargers offensive linemen with ease. According to Next Gen Stats, the Cowboys generated pressure on 47.6% of Herbert's dropbacks, the highest rate of pressure Herbert has faced in any game this season.”

Per Kris Rhim of ESPN

While the offensive line did let Herbert down in the game, the star quarterback needs to figure out a way to adjust as the game goes on. His team desperately needed a win against Dallas, and he came up short once again.

He shouldn’t get all the blame, but he also didn’t play his best game either. The offensive line didn’t have him make multiple overthrows in the game, so he needs to clean some things up moving forward.

"I feel like we prepared. Some of it was just technique, some of it was just tough luck," offensive guard Jamaree Salyer said of the offensive line struggles. "Obviously, they got a lot of good players who get paid a lot of money ... just some situations we got to have better technique, some situations you got to have a better plan."

Per Kris Rhim of ESPN

The Cowboys defense is very good, and they get after the quarterback effectively. But the Chargers didn’t seem to have an answer for it, and that goes back to the coaching staff.

However, after we all watched his fellow 2020 NFL Draft counterpart, Joe Burrow, drag the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021 with a much worse offensive line, it’s hard to fully take the blame away from Herbert. But when he is running for his life, things can be difficult for sure.

Herbert is great in his own right, but he isn't immune to criticism, especially when he didn't put together his best outing.

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