Chargers' Jim Harbaugh defends Justin Herbert over viral 'deli meat' comment from Rams DB

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Chargers' Jim Harbaugh defends Justin Herbert over viral 'deli meat' comment from Rams DB originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 season for the Los Angeles Chargers has been a complete disaster. Coming into the year, they were seen as one of the more promising teams in the NFL. But, eight weeks into the year, and they've still yet to get a win.

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Most alarming of all is that quarterback Justin Herbert, once seen as a star, has looked horrible. It's gotten so bad that Los Angeles Rams defensive back Quentin Lake said Herbert was throwing "deli meat out there" on the St. Brown Podcast.

ESPN shared the response from Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh to those comments, as the 0-7 head coach defended his QB by stating that Herbert throwing "deli meat" is "not what I see."

Jim Harbaugh defends Justin Herbert amid viral 'deli meat' comment from Rams DB

"As far as anybody else's opinion, I don't see that," Harbaugh said. "Everybody's entitled to their opinion. It's not what I see."

Harbaugh is defending his QB, which isn't a surprise at all, but it's still noteworthy that he was asked about this brutal comment from an opposing player.

During the Chargers' Week 8 loss to the Rams, Herbert threw two interceptions, one of which did go to Lake, as he's adding to his NFL-worst mark of 10 interceptions in seven games this season.

While Harbaugh did admit that Herbert made "two throws he would have liked to have back," he is still defending his QB in a strong way even amid such a brutal start to the year.

MORE: 4 stats that show how bad Chargers' Justin Herbert has been in 2026

He thought Herbert "did his job exceptionally well," which is obviously up for debate considering his league-worst 32.6 QBR this season.

Things have gone horribly wrong for the Chargers this season, and Herbert's struggles are at the center of their issues amid a 0-7 start.

His biggest issue is throwing interceptions, and it's bad enough that opposing defenders are coming out saying Herbert is "seeing ghosts" and throwing "deli meat" during games, both of which are brutal digs at the once-superstar QB.

While Harbaugh continues to defend his quarterback amid a brutal season, the Chargers are still looking for their first win of the year. If things don't improve soon, Lake's comments might not be the last time Herbert is blasted by an opposing player this year.

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