EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Monday night's performance could be a game that Quentin Johnston wants to forget and move on from—it can also be a learning experience.
Monday's game could be a teachable moment for the former first-round receiver.
Lamar Jackson had just thrown a touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews to put the Ravens up 23-16.
Justin Herbert and the offense needed to answer back. They faced 3rd-and-6 when Herbert found a wide-open Johnston, who was running a similar drag route to the one he did for TCU in the college football semifinal of 2022. This time, though, he didn't take it 76 yards to take the lead on Jim Harbaugh's Michigan team; he dropped it.
If he catches the ball and turns upfield, there may have been one defender to beat. Johnston had three drops in the fourth quarter and didn't register a catch, but stood at his locker after the game and answered all questions.
"You kind of just learn not to dwell on it too much and just try to put it past me as much as I can," Johnston said. "Obviously I want to have catches back, but I can't. So I can't do anything but just learn from it. ... I know I've got to get better."
After he spoke, his quarterback quickly defended him and even shouldered some of the blame.
"He's done an incredible job all year, and you never want to see that," Herbert said. "Just like when I throw an interception or when I miss a throw, he's going to come up to me and tell me, 'Hey, it's the next play.' And that's the way it is. Everyone in that locker room is professionals, and Q will do a great job. I can give him better placement, better balls. It's on all of us. It's not just on him."
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers drops back to pass during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at SoFi Stadium on November 25, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
It could be one bad game for the Chargers receiver because, up until that game, he had been clean for the most part. It wasn't like his rookie season; he has made an impact.
Johnston has found the end zone consistently with six touchdowns and had a streak of a touchdown in the last three games in a row before the Baltimore game.
"I think we're all going to have some things that wish we could replay or coach better. That's how I feel," Harbaugh said. "That's my reaction."
The progress that Johnston has made this season isn't a fluke. He had the best game of his career in week nine, catching five passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.
"We believe in him and we'll get this thing right," Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.
The Chargers' offense will need him in this final stretch of the season. They currently sit at 7-4 and can make a push to secure their spot if they can limit their mistakes.
Johnston has heard all the noise before but can hush it up with good contributions moving forward. He needs to show it isn't in his head.
He has the faith of his head coach and quarterback, so he will have opportunities to show that these problems won't linger.
"He's a fighter, you trust him," Herbert said of the second year receiver. "I'm going to keep throwing him the ball and that's what we did out there."