Chargers’ loss to Ravens exhibits simply how a lot work Jim Harbaugh nonetheless has to do

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers are an improved group. However Monday evening’s 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens confirmed simply how far they’ve nonetheless to go.

That isn’t an indictment of what coach Jim Harbaugh and normal supervisor Joe Hortiz are constructing. It’s nonetheless 12 months 1 of an organizational overhaul. The Chargers are 7-4. They’ve a extremely good likelihood of constructing the playoffs. The mere indisputable fact that the Chargers will play significant December video games, beginning subsequent week in Atlanta, is proof of an upward trajectory.

The roster simply has limitations at this stage of the method. The Ravens are bona fide contenders. The Chargers aren’t but at that stage. Within the NFL, high quality opponents will exploit weaknesses and reveal the reality.

“They performed higher soccer than we did tonight,” Harbaugh mentioned.

This loss goes to sting for Harbaugh, as he falls to 0-3 in opposition to his huge brother, John. This loss goes to sting for Hortiz, who spent 26 years working for the Ravens. It would sting for offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was let go by the Ravens following the 2022 season after six years in Baltimore. It would sting for all the previous Ravens now with the Chargers, from assistant normal supervisor Chad Alexander, to offensive line coach Mike Devlin, to tight ends coach and run recreation coordinator Andy Bischoff.

Good teaching and sound roster development can result in fast and fast progress. We have now seen that this season with the Chargers.

Constructing a group able to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy takes time.

“You possibly can say there’s quite a lot of struggle and all these various things,” edge rusher Khalil Mack mentioned. “However there’s no ethical victories at this level within the season. You bought to exit and play profitable soccer when it issues probably the most.”

The Chargers didn’t have the physicality to match up with Ravens working again Derrick Henry, who completed with 140 speeding yards on 24 carries.

Coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit began quick. The Chargers pressured punts on the primary two possessions of the sport. However the Ravens leaned into Henry on the following drive. Henry broke off a 19-yard run on the opening play. He adopted that up with a 14-yard run. He totaled 44 speeding yards on the drive, which quarterback Lamar Jackson capped off with a 10-yard landing run.

Henry is a freight prepare, and the Chargers didn’t have an emergency brake to tug. As soon as Henry received rolling, there was no stopping him.

The Chargers misplaced on the line of scrimmage. They didn’t deal with properly at any stage.

“We’d like higher block destruction simply throughout the board,” Harbaugh mentioned.

Henry averaged 7.1 yards per stick with it first down. The Ravens had a mean distance to achieve of 6.4 yards on second, third and fourth downs, in line with TruMedia.

Derrick Henry getting the @Ravens offense going.

📺: #BALvsLAC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/otSPxAT7JH

— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2024

“He’s going to be efficient after they play that method,” security Derwin James Jr. mentioned.

Baltimore efficiently transformed three fourth-and-1s. Two of these got here from Henry on a landing drive within the second half.

Mack mentioned giving up 212 speeding yards is “the factor that pisses me off probably the most.”

The Chargers weren’t at full power, and that mattered. Linebacker Denzel Perryman was inactive with a groin damage. This recreation was begging for certainly one of Perryman’s trademark violent hits. Perhaps if Perryman performs, he meets Henry within the gap within the first quarter and units a distinct tone for the protection.

“He’s positively one of many hearts and souls in the course of our protection,” James mentioned of Perryman.

Mack was additionally on a snap depend in his first recreation again from two pulled groins. Mack, who was inactive final week in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals, solely performed 27 of the protection’s 64 snaps Monday evening.

The Chargers didn’t set constant edges in opposition to Henry.

Mack mentioned after the sport he was “making an attempt to not bounce on the sector in sure conditions.”

“I didn’t need no setback,” Mack mentioned, “so I type of simply stayed coachable in these moments.”

Extra snaps from Mack, maybe the protection’s most constantly bodily participant, may have made an enormous distinction.

“It’s not arduous for me to play in opposition to that man,” Mack mentioned of Henry. “I like enjoying in opposition to the greats.”

The Chargers had been additionally with out cornerback Cam Hart, who has been good in run help this season. He aggravated his ankle damage in Saturday’s follow, in line with Harbaugh, and was inactive for the sport. Fellow rookie Tarheeb Nonetheless began instead of Hart at outdoors cornerback and ended up one-on-one with Henry a number of instances.

On the similar time, the Chargers had their full steady of inside defensive linemen. They’d Tuli Tuipulotu and Joey Bosa on the sting. They’d their finest cornerback Kristian Fulton, who gave up a 40-yard landing from Jackson to receiver Rashod Bateman within the second quarter. They’d linebacker Daiyan Henley, they usually had all three of their beginning safeties in James, Alohi Gilman and Elijah Molden.

The Ravens scored on 5 straight drives after their two early punts.

“We simply received to get him on the bottom,” James mentioned of Henry.

Regardless of the defensive unraveling, the Chargers had an opportunity to tie the sport within the fourth quarter, trailing 23-16. Quarterback Justin Herbert and the offense confronted a third-and-6 from their 34-yard line.

Herbert dropped again after a shotgun snap. Receiver Quentin Johnston got here huge open on a crossing route. Herbert delivered an ideal throw. Johnston dropped what would have been a straightforward conversion — and far more.

“I felt I had some area upfield,” mentioned Johnston, who didn’t have a catch on 5 targets, “so I simply turned my head earlier than I’d seen the catch all the way in which in.”

Johnston struggled with drops as a rookie final season. He known as the play a “full lack of focus on the catch level.”

“He’s a fighter,” Herbert mentioned of Johnston. “I’m going to maintain throwing him the ball.”

Rookie Ladd McConkey is an rising participant. He led the Chargers with six catches on six targets for 83 yards.

However Monday evening was a obvious instance of how badly the Chargers want receiving assist. It’s a roster limitation after Harbaugh and Hortiz moved on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams within the offseason.

The Ravens had given up a minimum of three completions of 20-plus yards in each recreation this season.

The Chargers didn’t have a single completion of 20 yards within the recreation.

Receiver Joshua Palmer had three catches on eight targets.

Receiver DJ Chark, who the Chargers signed in free company in March, was a wholesome scratch for the sport. He may probably give the passing recreation a lift. Chark has performed just one offensive snap all season. He was on injured reserve till early November. However the actuality is that including the kind of difference-maker the Chargers want must wait till the offseason.

“We’re all going to have some issues that we want we might have performed, coached higher,” Harbaugh mentioned.

The Chargers scored solely three second-half factors earlier than a garbage-time landing made the ultimate rating look nearer than the sport truly was.

Operating again J.Okay. Dobbins, one other former Raven, left the sport with a knee damage within the second quarter, and the Chargers struggled to run the ball after his departure. Gus Edwards had 11 speeding yards on 9 carries.

“They executed,” Harbaugh mentioned, “they usually had been the higher group tonight.”

Monday evening was a measuring stick. And now it’s clear the place the Chargers stand.

“We’ll regroup,” Harbaugh mentioned.

(High picture: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Pictures)