As Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Joe Alt suffered an ankle sprain in the 21-18 loss to the New York Giants, there was no doubt that star Justin Herbert experienced a ton of pressure, metaphorically and physically. While the Chargers quarterback in Herbert has transformed into a premier player in the NFL, the pressure given by the Giants garnered the attention of head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Herbert was pressured 21 times in Sunday's loss in 47.7 percent of dropbacks, according to Kris Rhim, as it was no doubt a rough performance from Los Angeles's offensive line. As Herbert has been hit 26 times in the past two games, 12 against New York, Harbaugh would say that “he’s taken too many [hits],” and spoke about how concerning it is to see.
“Very concerning,” Harbaugh said, according to the team's website. “Go back and look, and we got to get better. We got to put him in a better position. Don't think he's been in a good position.”
Chargers' Justin Herbert on the pressure he's receiving
With other injuries to the Chargers' offensive line like Mekhi Becton being out against the Giants, Herbert has been receiving the pain of the opposing defensive lines. Herbert would speak on the pressure he's receiving, but downplayed it, saying it's part of the game and how the team knew going in that New York has an impressive defensive line.
“Yeah, they're really good. You know, we knew that going into it, and, you know, we just didn't execute,” Herbert said, via the team's website. “And that's the part about the NFL, you're gonna get a lot of good guys that you're going up against. And we didn't play the way we needed to today.”
“It's part of the game,” Herbert continued. “Playing quarterback is, you're gonna get hit. And, you know, thankfully, we got a great training staff, and we're gonna do everything we can to get back out there, and that's part of the game, and got to be ready to get hit.”
At any rate, Los Angeles gets their first loss of the season, though the team looks to get back in the win column against the Washington Commanders next Sunday.
