At times, Justin Herbert has single-handedly dragged the Los Angeles Chargers to whatever success they’ve managed under difficult circumstances. Put almost any other quarterback in his position, and the team likely looks a lot worse. However, in the playoffs, he hasn’t consistently met the exceptionally high standard he established during the regular season. With the offensive line struggling to hold up, the Chargers’ star running back has stepped up publicly, calling for better protection for the quarterback.

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to protect #10,” Kimani Vidal said in an exclusive interview with Bolt Beat’s Alex Insdorf. “He’s the guy. When we let him do what he needed to do, I think that was actually a big, explosive play. When we allow him to do what he needs to do, no one can stop him. So as players, we all know that. We need to do a better job of protecting him.”

In the segment, Kimani Vidal stressed that everything starts with protecting Justin Herbert, because the team’s future really rides on how well he can operate.

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During the 2024 season, the Chargers were expected to beat the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card playoffs, but it turned into a tough 32–12 loss. Justin Herbert was under pressure on 39% of his dropbacks and got sacked four times. He also threw four interceptions after having just three all season.

The offensive line that featured Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Trey Pipkins III, and Joe Alt struggled in that game, even though the tackles had been among the better performers over the season.

“He’s got to be able to finish a throwing motion,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Quarterback’s got to be able to do that, and we didn’t put him in the position to do that enough.”

Clearly, Vidal’s concern about protecting the quarterback comes from games like that.

Likewise, last year was another tough one, with the injury list growing, and while the team still finished around the middle of the league in offense, 12th with 333.8 yards per game, that number does not really show what was going wrong up front.

What was supposed to be a strength with Alt and Slater became a real issue. Their injuries forced constant changes, resulting in 29 different offensive line combinations, the third most in the NFL. The team tried trading for linemen and signing others, but nothing really fixed it.

Even Pat McAfee called it out on The Pat McAfee Show, pointing to Pro Football Focus rankings that had several Chargers linemen near the bottom and joking about the group on air.

“When we talk about a–, we mean this offensive line here,” McAfee said.

However, for Vidal, last season has shaped his personal growth, pushing him to improve.

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal levels up his game

When Kimani Vidal emphasized the significance of pass blocking to give Justin Herbert some security, he also shared a key moment where he handled the Minnesota Vikings’ Dallas Turner.

The particular play happened during the second quarter of the Chargers’ 37-10 win over the Vikings last October. The rep wasn’t simply one game because Vidal had to earn the coaches’ trust after he had been cut earlier in the season.

After getting the pocket tight, Justin Herbert made a significant play as he got 18 of 25 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns, with only one interception.

However, Vidal’s contribution wasn’t only protecting his quarterback. Vidal did a remarkable job as he rushed about 117 yards, including a touchdown, as he showed great progress in his pass protection since his rookie year.

“I would just say most of it was reps. ” Vidal said, “A ton of reps. There’s nothing like being in the game and having it going at game speed. You can do all the walkthroughs, all the practice stuff.

That growth did not happen overnight. It came from stacking reps, adjusting to game speed, and learning how defenders move and react in real time, according to Vidal.

“Running backs play a very reaction-based game,” Vidal added. “And most of the time, we’re used to knowing, within the first three steps, where we’re going to go. In that case, in the pass-blocking case, you don’t really know. That part took a while to get used to. You start picking up on tendencies, things like that. That’s when I think I started to make strides and get better at it.”

He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Vidal’s performance has improved in his second year, finishing with over 600 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 136 receiving yards. Additionally, he forced 29 missed tackles as a runner and was also great in pass protection with a grade of 86.8.

While Vidal discussed his personal development last season, the Chargers’ offense clearly struggled.