The Chargers didn’t have any desire to dig themselves in a deeper hole after dropping their last four games.
Fresh off their bye week in a Week 7 battle against the Jaguars, Los Angeles looked shaky at times, but they were able to overcome it behind the performance of rookie quarterback Justin Herbert.
Coach Anthony Lynn said “It wasn’t pretty. We needed this victory.” He added the team has a lot of work to do.
Lynn praised Herbert, saying he was a reason of why they won today. He said Herbert was able to make plays with his arm and legs, and that he stood in the pocket making plays even when he knew he was going to get hit.
Los Angeles used the bye week to draw up some new plays, and the among them that was a bit head-scratching was when second-year Easton Stick came in for two plays while Herbert watched from the sidelines.
Lynn said the plays for Stick were mainly to protect Herbert from taking hits.
The kicking woes continued on Sunday as kicker Michael Badgley missed a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter and had a missed extra-point attempt in the first quarter.
“He’s never been in a stretch like this that I could remember,” Lynn said about Badgley. “He’s gonna have to dig deep. He’s gonna have to come out of it, but I have all the confidence in the world in Mike.”
Defensive end Melvin Ingram returned to the field after missing some time with a knee injury.
“I feel like I am not from this planet. I am a machine. I am always trying to rush back from injury,” Ingram said. He finished the game with two quarterback hits.
Ingram wasn’t surprised by Herbert’s performance, adding that’s why the Chargers drafted him in the first-round. “The kid is special,” Ingram said about Herbert. “He’s always poised. The sky is the limit for him.”
The rookie did everything he could to pick up his first professional win and it paid off.
“It’s huge. Its an awesome feeling especially the way the things have happened over the past few weeks. It feels good to put together a full game,” Herbert said.
