Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh regrets not using his offensive starters more in the preseason after they looked out of sorts during Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
"We made some preseason type of mistakes," Harbaugh said during his Monday press conference. "Now in retrospect, I wish we'd played our guys a little bit more in the preseason and given them those reps."
The Chargers entered the season with a retooled offense around quarterback Justin Herbert, having brought in former Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku, fourth-year running back Keaton Mitchell, and multiple offensive linemen, including center Tyler Biadasz. Los Angeles also hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as its offensive coordinator in January.
However, Herbert and several other starters were used sparingly during the preseason, with the 28-year-old signal-caller playing just seven snaps combined over two matchups.
After Omarion Hampton reached the end zone for the Chargers' first touchdown Sunday with 4:27 left in the first quarter, L.A. didn't score again until Herbert found Ladd McConkey with just over six minutes remaining in the third. McConkey then shortly thereafter left the game with a rib injury and did not play in the fourth quarter, during which Herbert threw an interception and the team turned it over twice on downs. Herbert was also sacked three times in the loss.
"Some uncharacteristic things happened," Harbaugh said postgame. "Give (the Cardinals) credit for making them happen. I would call it sloppy at times. Too sloppy. That's something we need to get fixed."
The Chargers are slated to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday of Week 2.
