Herbert struggles mightily in Week 1 loss

Schultz reports the Vikings called on Herbert, but the Chargers had no interest in moving on. It’s hard to understand what Herbert’s market value would have been — this has been one of the most disgusting outlier seasons for a previously good quarterback in recent memory — but the Chargers appear ready to move forward with him as their franchise quarterback.

Last year, when Herbert injured his left, non-throwing hand, his trainers stabilized the hand, with extra padding and tape applied to his middle finger. The exact same thing happened today. Herbert fended off a pass rusher with his left hand before bracing himself with the same hand as he fell. Fortunately, he remained in the game long enough to complete a 58-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston. After a trip to the blue medical tent, Herbert was on the sideline, helmet on, with his left hand and middle finger heavily taped and padded. However, he did not return. The Chargers’ pass protection remains a huge problem, allowing eight sacks on the day. Before exiting, Herbert completed 13-of-23 passes for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception, rushing once for seven yards. Herbert told reporters post-game that he does not expect his left middle finger to be an issue going forward. We will know more once he undergoes imaging. Stay tuned.

Herbert appeared to injure his left hand, and specifically his left middle finger, while fending off a pass rusher in the fourth quarter. He fractured the same hand, and seemingly the same digit, last year and underwent surgery to stabilize it in-season. We tentatively expect him to return after getting it taped up, but he will be playing hurt.

Coming off their bye week, the Chargers looked worse than ever on offense, with Herbert apparently confused as to where to throw the ball or how to conduct OC Mike McDaniel’s complex pre-snap motion scheme. Herbert had a negative EPA per drop back. Both of his picks were of the mind blogging variety, thrown directly to Rams defenders in the open field. Frustrated and dejected, Herbert continues his worst pro season for the winless Bolts. As usual, Herbert — who ranks 33rd in fantasy points per game — won’t be a fantasy option in Week 9 against the Texans.

Justin Herbert and the flailing Chargers skill position players have appeared almost comically confused about all the pre-snap motion OC Mike McDaniel uses. That came through in the team’s embarrassing Week 6 loss to the Chiefs when players were bumping into each other during pre-snap motion calls from Herbert. Head coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged the team is considering narrowing the offensive playbook during their bye week. “Definitely looking at volume and where you can make it to where the players can understand,” Harbaugh said when asked about how Chargers players were adjusting to McDaniel’s complex offense. The Chargers have used pre-snap motion on 74 percent of their snaps, the fourth highest rate in the NFL. Last year they used motion on 56 percent of their snaps. Hopefully these adjustments lead to some production for the NFL’s worst offense.

Herbert’s hellish season continued unabated on Sunday against a Kansas City defense that swamped the beleaguered Bolts quarterback on seemingly every drop back. After throwing exactly one touchdown in each of his first five outings, Herbert didn’t have any against the Chiefs. He had a negative EPA per drop back and was 10 percent below his expected pass rate in the loss. Ladd McConkey was ruled out with a head injury in the first half, further complicating OC Mike McDaniel’s efforts to stop the bleeding for the LA offense. The team’s wideout injuries and the predictability of the offense means Herbert should be dropped in most one-QB fantasy formats ahead of the Chargers’ Week 7 bye week.

Schefter reached out to the team after a league source told him the Chargers could get upwards of three first-round draft picks in exchange for Herbert. The Chargers source told Schefter the team has “never” discussed the idea of dealing Herbert, even as the Chargers start the season 0-5 and rank near the bottom in almost every offensive category. It would seem unlikely that the Chargers would consider trading Herbert even if they go all in on a rebuild following the 2026 season. Herbert, 28, who ranks 33rd out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per drop back this year, is signed through the 2029 season.

Herbert was without his top wideouts, his top offensive lineman, and the fact he was able to put up even this type of statline is somewhat impressive, if you squint very hard. The 28-year-old quarterback was constantly under pressure, and was at his best when he was able to escape the pocket and use his underrated wheels. That being said, he could have had more turnovers than this, and his interception was an inexcusable throw right into the hands of the Broncos defender. Even if Herbert gets his weapons back, fantasy managers should be looking elsewhere in Week 6 in standard leagues with a tough matchup against the Chiefs.

The injury, sustained during the Bolts’ Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, will cost Slater between four and six weeks, Rapoport said. It’s yet another massive blow for the struggling Chargers offense. Through Week 4 the Chargers rank 30th in ESPN’s pass blocking win rate and fifth in run blocking win rate. Justin Herbert’s weekly prospects take a hit with the oft-injured Slate sidelined, as do the prospects of LA’s pass catchers.

It really wasn’t this close. Herbert and Sam Darnold became the first quarterbacks since 1991 to throw interceptions on their first throws of their game. Things didn’t get less weird, nor less shaky for the now 0-4 Chargers. He threw both his picks to linebackers, and outside of a 26-yard scramble, there just wasn’t much there from a quarterback who had (much) loftier expectations coming into the year. His only touchdown was a flip to Kimani Vidal that left Los Angeles down two scores. There’s a lot of football left, but this is ugly. Herbert will try and get going in Week 5, but the Broncos make for a tough team to get that ship righted.