Evaluating the Chargers' Season: Success or Disappointment?

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00:00Was this season a success for LA?

00:04It's a valid question,

00:05because you walked into the game as a field goal favorite,

00:08you're an 11-win football team,

00:11and you were spotted an early lead.

00:13That probably should have been more, but it wasn't.

00:16You pick your head up now, Leecey.

00:19And for me, Justin Herbert has a playoff bugaboo

00:25that he's gonna have to try and get over.

00:27He's been there twice.

00:29Game number one, he's on the wrong side

00:31of the biggest comeback in NFL post-season history,

00:34and game number two, he manages to throw more interceptions

00:38in a playoff loss than he threw the entire regular season.

00:40Yeah. Not great?

00:41Four interceptions yesterday really put his team

00:44in terms of a disadvantage, to your point.

00:46They start with the lead 6-0.

00:48They looked like they were dominating,

00:50running the football with Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins,

00:53and then all of a sudden, the wheels fell off, right?

00:55Houston started to dominate the trenches

00:58from a defense and offensive line perspective.

01:00We saw big plays in the late second quarter by C.J. Stroud.

01:04He throws for 282 yards.

01:06Once they got the lead about 10-6,

01:09they just took over from a defensive perspective,

01:12and the front seven led by Will Anderson.

01:14You hold L.A. to 2.8 yards per carry,

01:17three of 11 in terms of third down conversions,

01:20forced four interceptions.

01:21That's a very difficult recipe to overcome,

01:24and that's why they got blown out

01:25in terms of that matchup for Houston.

01:27They got back to their offensive identity.

01:29We saw Nico Collins, seven receptions,

01:31a buck 22 on a touchdown, mixing over 100 yards.

01:34They play like that from a defensive perspective, Donnie.

01:37They're gonna be a very difficult,

01:39I don't put a lot, Herbert played terrible.

01:41I'm not gonna bash Herbert and say,

01:43is his playoff career like Lamar or Dak

01:48up until this point where he hasn't lived up

01:50to expectations, only two games,

01:52but again, this team, I believe,

01:54over-exceeded expectations in year one with Jim Harbaugh.

01:58They weeded the players that don't fit in,

02:00they got the players that do fit in,

02:02and now year number two, I think sky's the limit

02:04for this team.

02:05I actually like the season,

02:06the way it played out for the Chargers,

02:07because Harbaugh came in, instilled that foundation

02:09as we like to talk about, here's how we're gonna play.

02:11You know, tried to challenge for the division,

02:13but it's gonna be tough, obviously,

02:14in that tough AFC West they have,

02:16but getting to the playoff, they lost.

02:18You know what, I actually like that for them.

02:19I said, that's crazy.

02:20Why would you like it in the actual losing,

02:21and that's an embarrassment the way they did it?

02:23No, but here's what happens.

02:25They understand they have the foundation

02:26of a good football team.

02:27All of those warts completely showed up

02:28in that playoff game.

02:29You have one wide receiver, basically.

02:31Look at the actual statistics

02:32on who the quarterback Justin Hurt was throwing to.

02:34He had one player, nobody else could show up.

02:36You now know that your first round bus

02:38that has shown up multiple times over the past two years

02:40did not even have catches, to have 150 yards,

02:43then go back to having no catches.

02:44He's gone, he's completely done.

02:45He's cheap there, might be able to keep him around

02:47to see what he can get, but at the same time,

02:49you know you need multiple wide receivers

02:50next year in free agency.

02:51That you cut this year, rightfully so, you did that.

02:53You also need a tight end that can actually

02:55get down the field and sort of help you out.

02:57You need another running back,

02:58because J.K. Dobbins is forever gonna stay injured

03:00when you need him in the biggest moments here.

03:01So from my money, I liked what I saw,

03:03because hardball can't say, you know what?

03:06We won two playoff games.

03:07I love this football team.

03:09No, you saw exactly what this football team is,

03:12and the flaws it has.

03:13Go out and make the improvements in the offseason,

03:14because next year, I'm looking forward

03:15to see what the Chargers bring to the table.

03:17I think you're correct that there is a lot of room

03:19for improvement.

03:20I think the expectations are they're gonna have

03:22a big offseason.

03:23They're gonna push that Chiefs number a little bit.

03:26Maybe depends on how well Kansas City does

03:27within the postseason this year.

03:29Talking about top four, five odds to win a conference

03:31next year from L.A.

03:34But again, now Herbert has a hurdle.

03:38We talk about these things, and it's real,

03:40because yesterday, he looked broken.

03:43It looked like it was getting to him.

03:45He's like, man, I'd like for this to be over.

03:47I'd like to go home.

03:49I'm not having a good time.

03:50No, he wasn't.

03:51The offensive line broke down, though.

03:53When you can't run the football consistently,

03:55and you're in third and eight,

03:57and now you're down double digits,

03:58and Will Anderson and that front seven

04:00are pinning their ears back

04:01because they know it's pass only,

04:03he got battered, right?

04:05And he got exploited.

04:06The team got exploited in regards

04:08to that type of situation.

04:09Just a bad matchup for Hearson,

04:11and I credit D'Amico Ryans and that defense.

04:13We talk about how they stepped up

04:15against better quarterbacks this year,

04:16and they proved themselves coming back at home.

04:19But think about the defense for a second.

04:21They were the worst under Brandon Staley, right?

04:24And again, the first playoff loss, Kev,

04:26he puts up 30 points.

04:27It's not like a Lamar Jackson

04:29where he threw 136 yards.

04:32They scored 13 points and lost the ball game by 17 points.

04:35It was part Justin Herbert in the second half

04:37and part on Brandon Staley.

04:39But think about the evolution of defense

04:41under Jim Harbaugh.

04:42At one point this season,

04:43they're the number one ranked scoring defense

04:46with the same basically team

04:48that they had under Brandon Staley,

04:51and they elevated.

04:52So that's why I think there's room for optimism.

04:54But to your point, they get back to the playoffs next year.

04:57Justin Herbert has to answer the bell.

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