The LA Chargers were one of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into Week 6 with two huge wins over the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. The Bolts came back down to earth a bit in Week 6 as the Baltimore Ravens thoroughly beat the Chargers, 34-6.
The game itself was very ugly. The Chargers' biggest issue, defending the run, was predictably on full display as the Ravens were able to move the ball early and get a two possession lead in the first quarter. Even when the defense started to show some success the offense could not get going, which is evident from the six points scored.
A loss like this is bound to cause some overreactions from fans and that is exactly what it did. While a loss like this is alarming, it is better to have this kind of game in Week 6 than in Week 16 when you are fighting for a playoff spot.
Plus, the Chargers still have a 4-2 record heading into the bye week. Any Charger fan would have taken that as a massive W before the season began.
However, what made it such a tough pill to swallow was the fact that something happened to the LA Chargers that practically never happens to the team, especially this season.
The LA Chargers were outplayed at the quarterback position.
Justin Herbert was outplayed by Lamar Jackson in this game, plain and simple. Granted, Herbert was not helped much by some of the drops that his receivers made while the Chargers' defense made it too easy for Lamar at times.
But at the end of the day, the 2019 MVP had a better game than the 2021 MVP candidate and that was evident by the final score. As we do with every Chargers game, win or lose, we are going to dive in and grade the quarterbacks.
Let's start with Justin Herbert's game grade.