Dolphins - 29, Chargers - 21
Q. Justin, tough game for you guys. How do you feel you guys performed on the offensive side of the ball and you, in particular?
JUSTIN HERBERT: We definitely could have played better. We didn't execute when we needed to. We didn't put up enough points. It's something that we've got to work on and definitely underperformed on offense for us, but we've got to get better and we'll have another good week of practice.
Q. What did you see from the Miami Dolphins defense scheme of things, how they were attacking you that kind of gave you some frustrations?
JUSTIN HERBERT: They've got a really great defense. And they're well-coached. They played better than us today. It's unfortunate that we didn't execute like we needed to. They did a great job disguising their looks. We just fell short out there today.
Q. Is there a situation, you guys had ran the ball, I think, 29 times today? Would you like to put the ball in the air a few more times to try to attack their defense a little more? Would you have liked to have tried that?
JUSTIN HERBERT: We did what we thought was going to do the job for us. That was our game plan going into it. We believe in those guys up front, especially the guys running the ball. So anytime you feel like you've got an advantage there, that's what we're going to do.
Q. But you got Keenan Allen out there, and Mike Williams, I don't know if you feel this way, but probably didn't get enough touches going into the game. What's your thoughts on that?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Kind of like I said, we really believe in the five guys up front, especially the guys carrying the ball. We could always get them the ball more. But hindsight is always 20/20, and that's what we did going into the game plan and we just didn't execute today.
Q. Last week, you said earlier in the week you're a very competitive guy, but how do you keep the team -- as a leader on the team -- how do you keep these guys fired up to get better next week than they were obviously this week? What's your strategy for that?
JUSTIN HERBERT: You never give up. It's a long season. A lot of football left to be played. There's a lot of games to be played left and I know that going forward we're going to be better. We're going to continue to do good things during practice and in games, and we're going to get better at it. You have to keep pushing forward, and to never give up.
Q. From your perspective, I understand the shock, what were the biggest challenges dealing with the Dolphins pressure and blitzes today?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Like I said earlier, they did a great job disguising. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple times with some penalties and poor decisions on my part. We just didn't execute. That's what it comes down to. We fell short out there today.
Q. You guys had success against the blitz-heavy team in the Bucs. Not so much today. Can you see any differences between those performances, having more time in the Bucs game to hit shots down the field?
JUSTIN HERBERT: We just didn't execute like we needed to. Like I said, we had a good plan going into the week. We had a pretty good idea for what they were going to do we just didn't execute. They did a great job disguising their defenses well-coached. They fly around on defense.
Q. Overall what were you seeing about the Dolphins that made you think that sort of running that often on early downs would lead to success? Did it come to fruition from what you saw?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I thought we ran the ball really well. Like I said, we believe in those five guys up front, especially those guys carrying it. That was the game plan. We felt it gave us a good chance. Didn't execute the way we wanted to by any means, but there's room for improvement.
Q. Justin, you guys tend to be in close games and stay competitive. But with this game, kind of felt like an ugly performance. What stood out to you the most? What was frustrating about this loss the most?
JUSTIN HERBERT: We didn't put up enough points. Every loss is frustrating. And every loss is tough. And definitely the guys in the locker room, we're not taking this easily at all. But it's on us for not putting up enough points. And we win and lose as a team.
It's unfortunate we didn't execute the way we wanted to today. But there's another chance, another opportunity to go play football again next week.
Q. How would you describe the effort after your interception in the fourth quarter? Felt like the team became flat or the game was lost at that point. How would you describe it?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I don't think so. I think the defense came up with some big stops. We got the ball back. We went down and scored. We gave ourselves a chance to get the onside kick. Just didn't go our way.
I don't think anybody gave up at all. I think everyone stuck together and, yeah, we lost, but I think we stuck together and we're going to build from that.
Q. I know you're new and you're a rookie, but you're the quarterback of the team. How do you keep this team motivated for the final seven games?
JUSTIN HERBERT: Never give up. Grab everyone and, like I said earlier, there's a lot of football left to be played, a lot of chances to go out there and play offense and special teams, lots of chances to get better. Going into this week of practice, we have to have another good week of practice, learn from it because no changing the past. Gotta keep going forward and keep pushing forward.
Q. Did you get a chance to talk to Tua after the game?
JUSTIN HERBERT: I didn't. I walked around, shook some hands, but didn't get to see him.
Q. Overall, the game hype relating to the rookie matchup, was that at all distracting or anything like that for you?
JUSTIN HERBERT: No, I didn't really pay too much attention to it. It came down to the Dolphins versus the Chargers. We lost that matchup. I think that's the biggest matchup we lost today.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports