The high-voltage game between the NFL tacticians witnessed the Andy Reid-led side take the eventual win. The intensity of the game was apparent in all scenes, with Justin Herbert’s sideline reaction taking the center seat. Still recovering from his ankle injury, the QB seemed visibly frustrated as he could be seen slamming his helmet during the game.
Advertisement
After the game, Justin Herbert was asked about the incident but the QB downplayed his reaction. He claimed that it was just part of the game and said:
“I wouldn’t consider that a highlight, just the NFL it’s part of the game, you know, emotion.”
The quarterback wasn’t wrong about the ’emotion’ part. The football gridiron has time and again been a witness to varied feelings—from joy and excitement to thrillers and last-minute disappointments. Today’s game inclined more toward the latter part. It was a thriller in all its essence.
From the Chargers taking the lead and hyping the SoFi Stadium to the Chiefs handing over the close defeat, the game ticked all the boxes of intense competition. It was evident that Herbert was struggling due to his injury, but the team’s offense also did not provide any comfort to the fans.
After the first quarter, the O-line failed to score a single point. Despite a 10-point head start against the Chiefs, the defending champions showed resilience throughout the game as the defense did not give any breathing space to the Chargers. The KC Chiefs’ comeback witnessed 2 TDs and a field goal.
The reason behind Herbert’s frustration wasn’t clear. While the team struggled to put numbers on the board, the penalties just added to their plight. They accumulated 9 penalties and lost 51 yards in the game whereas the Chiefs only had 5 penalties.
But, Herbert was clear about one thing. He took the blame as a leader and promised a better performance on the gridiron, especially when it came to his O-line.
“I can do a better job”: Justin Herbert takes the blame for pre-seed penalties.
The Chargers QB blamed the issues on unclear cadence and lack of communication with his O-line. He elaborated that the offense failed to execute the correct plays in the game, resulting in more penalties than anticipated. He said:
“As far as the penalties yeah I think it’s you know it’s just on us to lock in to listen to the Cadence and understand that we’ve read rep, we’ve practiced them. You know I can do a better job communicating them um, especially at the line of scrimmage so I think it’s on all of us.”
The Chargers’ offense line was severely depleted with Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater out from an injury and the makeshift arrangement crumbled under pressure from the Chiefs’ defense. Herbert struggled with his ankle injury and tried his best to steer the offense but was constantly under attack by the defense.
He was sacked twice, took 10 hits, and ended the game with just 1 touchdown. This implied that the QB wasn’t able to play his natural game and the offense wasn’t providing any support either.
However, Herbert eventually claimed that he couldn’t fully blame the result on the pre-seed penalties as it was not something they could control or prepare for. So, all they could do was to remain patient. While frustration on the field is part of the game, the quarterback will look forward to their next clash and convert this emotion into a W for the team.
