The Chargers have not scored a second-half touchdown since Week 1. Last week they rushed for 59 yards against an Arizona defense that was giving up 153 yards per game on the ground. They failed to protect a one-point lead on the final possession, giving up a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Although a chorus of concerns arose after the team’s 17-15 loss on “Monday Night Football,” Jim Harbaugh is singing a different tune.
“You could be singing with the choir with the ‘would have, could have and should have. If this, if that,’” the Chargers coach said Wednesday. “But it took watching [the tape] three, four times, all sides of the ball, to turn the hymn book to ‘we were better.’ We were better. We got better.”
Trying to move above .500, the Chargers (3-3) hope to channel the emotional fire from a loss into a lesson when they face the New Orleans Saints (2-5) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Harbaugh started trying to shift the narrative before the Chargers even left State Farm Stadium on Monday night, paraphrasing Nelson Mandela during his postgame news conference.
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“I don’t lose,” Harbaugh said calmly. “I either win or I learn.”
The coach might not let on that the losses eat at him, but linebacker Daiyan Henley knows they do. It’s why players have continued to believe in Harbaugh at each of his successful stops in the NFL and college.
“I just love when Harbaugh talks because I can feel that he hates losing,” Henley said. “He may not show it, but he stresses the emphasis of winning, the importance of winning. And I think that’s the best thing about having him as a coach is he feels what I feel, even though he’s not on the field with me. I hate losing. I hate being the reason, I hate being the cause of it. And I know him as a coach, he hates losing as well.”
In the midst of a breakout season, Henley, a second-year inside linebacker, leads the Chargers in tackles with 41. However, he missed four tackles against the Cardinals, according to Pro Football Focus.
On the decisive final drive, Henley had both arms wrapped around James Conner one yard behind the line of scrimmage, but the Cardinals running back broke free, stepped through another missed tackle by cornerback Tarheeb Still and ran for 33 yards to set up the winning kick.
Rewatching the tape was “the hardest thing,” Henley said, the pain still evident in his voice two days after the game.
“I know that I can make those plays,” Henley said. “Because I’ve done it and I haven’t had a game like this in my career. I can look back and I can get better, and I can move forward and bring my guys along with me, because I got a hell of a defense, a hell of a team, and I know we all believe in each other.”
Although the Chargers still are giving up the fewest points per game (13.8) and racked up 395 yards against the Cardinals, they have struggled to close games. In each of their losses, the Chargers were tied or led in the fourth quarter.
Even discounting the 16 unanswered points given up against the Denver Broncos, who trailed by 23 after three quarters, opponents have outscored the Chargers 30-22 in the fourth quarter.
Settling for five field goals Monday, the Chargers failed to score an offensive touchdown for just the third time with Justin Herbert starting. The quarterback, who threw for a season-high 349 yards, said the offense, under first-year coordinator Greg Roman, is “still finding our identity.”
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“You’re never going to find it within camp, or you’re never going to find it within OTAs,” Herbert said. “It’s about going through the trials.”
The Chargers rank 25th in the NFL in scoring (17.7 points) and yards (300) per game. Despite three consecutive season bests in yards from Herbert, the team still is ranked 24th in passing. The running game that has been a staple of Roman’s scheme has averaged just 75.8 yards in the last four games.
Injuries to Herbert and offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt handcuffed the offense early, and now more injuries are piling up in the receiver room. Ladd McConkey (hip) and Quentin Johnston (ankle) and tight end Will Dissly (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday. The trio makes up three of the Chargers’ top four pass-catchers.
McConkey, a second-round draft pick out of Georgia, is leading the Chargers with 265 yards on 24 catches with two touchdowns. Johnston has three of the team’s six receiving touchdowns.
Injury updates
Outside linebacker Joey Bosa (hip) was a limited participant in practice after not practicing all of last week. He has missed three games because of the injury. … Wide receiver D.J. Chark Jr. (groin) still is limited and working through his 21-day window to return to the active roster after going on injured reserve because of a hip injury. … Cornerback Kristian Fulton (hamstring) and defensive back Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) also were limited in a practice that was held at a slower tempo than a typical Wednesday because of the short turnaround from the Monday night game. … Linebacker Denzel Perryman (toe) did not practice.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.