JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Chargers didn’t have to worry about another historic comeback.
This time, the Jacksonville Jaguars left no room for doubt.
Unable to handle Jacksonville’s ground game or its pass rush, the Chargers offered little resistance in a 35-6 defeat under blue skies at EverBank Stadium.
It was the worst loss of Jim Harbaugh’s 1½ seasons with the Chargers, and the club’s worst loss since a 63-21 thrashing by the Raiders on Dec. 14, 2023.
The Chargers proved as mild as the balmy weather, mustering a pair of field goals and making the Jaguars look like playoff contenders, even though Jacksonville had lost three of its previous four games.
The Jaguars ran for 192 yards — the Chargers got 42 in that department — and won the time-of-possession battle by almost 16 minutes.
Justin Herbert took a beating, spending some time in the blue medical tent, as the Chargers’ offensive line woes came home to roost in a big way. He was under heavy pressure on most of his drop-backs even though Jacksonville entered the game tied for last in sacks.
Three starters missing from the Jacksonville secondary? That didn’t seem to bother the Jaguars a bit, as Herbert was limited to 81 yards passing with an interception, and was sacked three times. He oversaw a Chargers offense that gained a total of five yards in its first three second-half possessions.
Herbert mercifully was replaced in the fourth quarter by backup Trey Lance, with the game long since decided. In fact, the Chargers pulled most of their starters with 11 minutes remaining.
Jacksonville was the scene of the crime where three years ago the Chargers blew a 27-point lead in a first-round playoff loss to the Jaguars.
The first half Sunday was a forgettable one for the Chargers, who made their way to the locker room in a 14-6 hole.
Their biggest concern was Herbert, who was slammed to the turf on a fourth-down drop-back with 29 seconds to play.
The play had been whistled dead — left tackle Trevor Penning was lined up wrong — but that didn’t stop Jaguars defensive end B.J. Green from racing around the edge and obliterating the star quarterback. The Chargers didn’t even get the benefit of the roughing-the-passer call, as the penalties were offsetting.
Herbert headed to the blue medical tent and Lance began warming up.
Chargers running back Kimani Vidal, promoted from the practice squad earlier this season after the team’s top two backs were injured, spent much of the first half on the sideline with a leg injury. The Chargers had promoted two more practice-squad running backs to play behind him.
In shambles is the Chargers offensive line. Penning, acquired in a trade with New Orleans two weeks ago, made his debut as the starting left tackle. Like his team, he struggled mightily all day.
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