EL SEGUNDO, Calif — After a somber Justin Herbert said he wasn’t sure when his first playoff victory will come following Sunday’s 16-3 loss to the Patriots, Chargers veteran Khalil Mack said he hopes the quarterback stops “putting everything on his shoulders.”
As players cleaned out their lockers Monday for the beginning of the offseason, Mack said Herbert’s comments bothered him given how good a player he knows Herbert is and how hard he takes losses. Mack said he hopes Herbert takes time this offseason to reflect on how great a player he is.
“He wants to win. He wants to be great for us and this organization,” Mack said. “And we all want to be great for him. And he’s not in it alone. He’s not in it by hisself.”
Herbert finished 19-of-31 passing, with 159 yards and no touchdowns in the loss. He led the Chargers with 57 rushing yards. He didn’t appear in the locker room during the period open to the media.
As for Mack, Sunday’s loss marked another early postseason exit. A Defensive Player of the Year winner (2016) and one of the most decorated outside linebackers in NFL history, Mack has lost all six playoff appearances in his career. Mack said he would take some time to consider his football future, but reiterated that he wants to retire a champion. He will be a free agent for the second time in his career.
Last season, after a 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Mack mulled retirement and offers from contenders as a first-time free agent, but eventually signed a one-year $18 million contract to stay in Los Angeles. Mack said he believed he could win a title in L.A. and wanted to be a part of building a champion here. This time, he said, feels different.
“Just understanding how much time do you really have left to play at a certain level and what is that going to look like moving forward?” Mack said.
Mack was still one of the Chargers’ best players this season. He finished with 5.5 sacks and was perhaps the team’s best run defender. He missed four games with an elbow injury he suffered against the Raiders in Week 2 and the Chargers’ run defense took a major hit. When he was sidelined, the Chargers allowed 579 yards rushing, the sixth most in the NFL. When he returned in Week 7, L.A. allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards (1,046) to end the regular season.
Mack said he felt like the elbow injury hindered “certain elements of who I am as a player,” but still saw offensive lines shifting protections and sending extra blockers his way.
“I’m gonna figure it out, man,” he said of the future. “… I love this game. With the ups and downs, man. It just makes you appreciate what you’ve got to put in to winning in this league.”
