Justin

Justin Herbert famously loves Subway subs. During his rookie season in 2020, the Chargers quarterback told GQ magazine he was “living off” the sandwiches, consuming both a Steak Philly sub and a Chicken & Bacon Ranch sub each night for dinner. He has since appeared in at least eight TV commercials for the restaurant franchise.

But the Chargers quarterback was making his own sandwiches Sunday — or at least that’s how it seemed to an opposing defender who picked off one of his passes that afternoon.

“He was throwing deli meat out there,” Rams safety Quentin Lake said this week on the “St. Brown Podcast,” apparently joining the current inclination of using sandwich-related metaphors to describe bad passes.

“Was he?” asked Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who co-hosts the podcast with his brother, former NFL receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.

“Bro, he’s seeing ghosts,” Lake told his former Mater Dei teammate as all three men started laughing.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but like we knew we were going to get a couple [interceptions], at least one,” Lake added.

The Rams snagged two during their 24-9 victory over the Chargers. Midway through the first quarter, Lake stepped in front of a pass intended for Charlie Kolar and returned it 45 yards to the Chargers’ 19-yard line, setting up a Rams field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Late in the third quarter, Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie also got a pick in front of Kolar and returned it 26 yards to the Chargers’ 22-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with receiver Puka Nacua for an 18-yard touchdown and a 24-9 lead.

Herbert completed 24 of 32 passes for 257 yards with no touchdowns. His struggles under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniels are seen as a large factor in the Chargers’ unexpected 0-7 record.

The seventh-year quarterback has thrown for five touchdowns and a league-high 10 interceptions this year, with at least one pick in each of this season’s seven games. In 2024, Herbert finished the 17-game season with 23 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

This week wasn’t the first time this season Herbert’s passes have been described like a lunchtime menu item.

On Sept. 27, after Herbert threw a floater to then-Buffalo Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, former NFL quarterback and current Fox broadcaster Tom Brady offered this on-air analysis: “Poor awareness. Poor decision. Throws him a meatball sub.”

This season, random social media users have given other quarterbacks the Subway treatment, including New England’s Drake Maye, Denver’s Bo Nix, Cleveland’s Deshawn Watson and even Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, a two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion.

Herbert told reporters on Wednesday that he hadn’t “heard anything about” Lake’s comments.

“We’re really just focused on what’s going on in this building and playing football and doing what we can and doing our best to go put our best effort out on Sunday,” Herbert said. “That’s all that really matters. Anything outside of that is out of our control.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t agree with Lake’s assessment of Herbert’s performance on Sunday.

“I don’t see that,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, [but] it’s not what I see.”

He added that he thought Herbert “did his job exceptionally well” against the Rams, except for “two throws he would have liked to have back.”

Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton): He makes a massive block in the second half, which would have made it 1-1, and if the floodgates open it would be a problem. He is not known for his defensive skills, but he was great.

Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace): A centre-midfielder playing at centre-back. He scored a goal, made some big tackles, and was also was able to play out from the back, being the catalyst for Palace, so he goes in as well.

James Justin (Leeds): I know he loves playing against Arsenal, but the transformation he has had from when he was at Leicester to Leeds – the ability to play right wing-back, right centre-back. Everything that he gives you in that situation, he’s just a joke of a centre-back. I don’t believe he gets anywhere near enough credit. An unbelievable goal and he could have had more on the day.

Ethan Pinnock (Coventry): When he moved to Coventry from Brentford, I thought, that’s a dodgy one for Coventry. He is decent, but he doesn’t move the needle. How wrong was I? He has been excellent. A big physical presence, but also has that calming influence to talk others through games, and you can see since he’s been in the team, Coventry have got better week-on-week.

Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal): He’s probably Arsenal‘s best forward at the moment. Getting in really good positions, defensively solid, but also offers you a lot from assists and goals.

MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers added left-handed reliever Justin Wrobleski to the National League Championship Series roster on Sunday, bolstering their bullpen with a pitcher who can cover multiple innings, as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers, the best team in the regular season.

In the Dodgers’ first best-of-seven series of the postseason, they will carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players — one more pitcher and one fewer position player than the previous round.

To even the balance, they left pinch-runner/defensive replacement Hyeseong Kim off the NLCS roster. Kim appeared in just one game in the NLDS, on defense in the ninth inning of Game 4.

Wrobleski was an All-Star for his first-half performance (2.69 ERA). But an up and down second half included a short stint in the injured list, as the team kept an eye on his workload, and a move to the bullpen. He finished the season strong, allowing just one run in his last eight appearances (8 ⅔ innings).

“Length, having a guy that can go two or three, is something where you essentially protect downside on the pitching,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday when asked what traits the Dodgers would prioritize when considering which pitcher to add. “As far as handedness, they’re pretty balanced, so that really doesn’t come into play. For us, it’s more of who can take down a couple innings.”

Here’s the Dodgers’ full NLCS roster:

Infielders (6)

1B Freddie Freeman

3B Max Muncy

SS Mookie Betts

IF Miguel Rojas

UTL Kiké Hernández

UTL Tommy Edman

Outfielders (3)

LF Teoscar Hernández

CF Andy Pages

RF Kyle Tucker

Designated hitters (2)

DH Shohei Ohtani

PH Josue De Paula

Catchers (2)

C Will Smith

C Hunter Feduccia

Starting pitchers (4)

LHP Tarik Skubal

LHP Blake Snell

RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

RHP Tyler Glasnow

Relief pitchers (9)

RHP Roki Sasaki

RHP Edwin Díaz

RHP Edgardo Henriquez

RHP Evan Phillips

RHP Brock Stewart

LHP Tanner Scott

LHP Alex Vesia

LHP Kris Bubic

LHP Justin Wrobleski

I’ve been a Justin Herbert fan since his days in Oregon. I kept believing he was going to lead the Chargers to new heights, even after all the leadership changes he’s been through. He’s talented, tough and all-in. I gave him every benefit of the doubt. But now, I can conclude only that Justin Herbert is the problem. Inconsistent, often slow to react, but mostly he’s unable to finish. He’s lost more games in the fourth quarter than he’s won.

So far this season the Chargers have the greatest negative point differential in the fourth quarter in the NFL. The pattern is consistent regardless of the coach. Is it all on Herbert? No. But he is the common denominator through all of this.

Charlie Pankow
Moorpark

The fumbling, bumbling Chargers keep stumbling in their unprecedented 0-4 start in the Jim Harbaugh era.

First, the fumbling. Thank you, Derius Davis. Your inability to simply complete a fair catch led directly to a Seahawks touchdown. How many points did your team lose by?

Next, the bumbling. Call it a banged up offensive line, (AGAIN!), a moderately skilled and depleted receiving core, or a lost, interception prone Justin Herbert, the Charger offense remains sketchy, inconsistent, and self-destructive.

Finally, the stumbling continues … as they cannot beat teams they should or pull out potential victories over the more challenging ones.

Good luck turning this around!

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

I don’t care much about the Chargers. I rarely read stories about them and would be elated if they’d return to San Diego where they belong.

But, much like a car accident on the 405 that you instinctively know you shouldn’t stare, I just can’t seem to avert my eyes from the wreck the Chargers have become.

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

Here is a modest proposal: Lincoln Riley and Jim Harbaugh waive their buyout clauses and swap jobs. It might be the rare trade that improves both organizations. It is difficult to see how it could make things worse.

Paul Hunt
Sierra Madre