After the Los Angeles Rams beat the Chargers last week, Rams safety Quentin Lake took a jab at Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert following an interception that helped seal the victory. On Amon-Ra St. Brown’s podcast, Lake said Herbert was “throwing deli meat out there” during a game in which Herbert threw two interceptions and Los Angeles suffered its seventh straight loss to start the season.
Lake later sent Herbert a text apologizing after his remark spread online. “I don’t know if he read it,” Lake told the Los Angeles Times on Friday. “He probably says, ‘I don’t care about it anymore. I’m not trying to see this. It doesn’t matter. You said what you said.’ But at the same time I . . . felt like it was right for me to at least say, ‘Hey, man, I didn’t mean it in any disrespectful way.’” After the game, Lake had also said Herbert “was seeing ghosts out there,” and that his defense anticipated Herbert would make mistakes.
Herbert downplayed the situation when asked by reporters, saying he hadn’t really looked into the comments and that the team is concentrating on preparations and playing football. “Anything outside of that is out of our control,” he added. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh defended Herbert after reviewing the tape, saying he thought Herbert “did his job exceptionally well” despite “two throws he would have liked to have back.”
Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel — who is struggling in his first season in that role — brushed off Lake’s critique, saying people will say what they want when a team isn’t meeting expectations and urging folks to “keep it moving.”
Statistically, Herbert has been turnover-prone this year, throwing at least one interception in every start and leading the NFL with 10 picks while posting the lowest QBR among starters (32.5). Still, reports this week indicated Herbert would be off-limits at the trade deadline — despite reported interest from the Minnesota Vikings — with ESPN’s Adam Schefter relaying a strong internal denial from the Chargers: trading Herbert “has never been uttered in our organization, nor will it be,” the source said.
The Chargers, who haven’t found the end zone in their last nine quarters, will host the Houston Texans on Sunday; Houston is 2-5 but has won two of its past three.
Fan Take: This storyline matters because it highlights how quickly on-field struggles can spill into public blame and chatter, affecting player narratives and locker-room dynamics. If turnover issues persist for a high-profile QB like Herbert, it could force difficult personnel or coaching decisions and shift how teams evaluate franchise quarterbacks moving forward.
Source: www.cbssports.com
