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Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s 2025 season may go down as one of his most underappreciated.
He produced a solid stat line, but it wasn’t eye-popping. In 16 games played, Herbert completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also added a career high 498 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Herbert’s performance was good enough to earn the second Pro Bowl nod of his career. He led the Chargers to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. Although Los Angeles was one-and-done in the postseason yet again, there is plenty of reason to be excited for the future.
Justin Herbert Ranked Among the Elite QBs in 2025
On Thursday NFL analyst Nick Shook composed his final quarterback rankings for 2025, which took in account both the regular season and playoffs. Herbert landed at No. 5 overall, in the Tier 1 category. Here is Shook’s analysis of Herbert:
“Justin Herbert deserves a medal for the courage required to get these Chargers to the playoffs. He lost one starting tackle (Rashawn Slater) for the entire season and another for a significant portion of it (Joe Alt) and played a significant chunk of time without one or both of his top two running backs (Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton). He put the Chargers on his back anyway, finishing as both the leading passer and rusher in some games while carrying them to an 11-6 finish and a return trip to the playoffs. Oh, he did much of this with a broken hand, too. Hopefully, the Chargers can stay healthy up front and take some of the responsibility off his shoulders next season.”
Shook hit the nail on the head while analyzing Herbert. Not many quarterbacks would have grinded through the season with a broken hand, especially when so many of his other teammates missed significant time with injuries. With his offensive line decimated, Herbert was sacked a career high 54 times. The fact that he put up good numbers and led the Chargers to 11 wins is pretty incredible.
Chargers’ Offense Could Put It All Together in 2026
GettyChargers OC Mike McDaniel
The Chargers aren’t coasting on the fact that they did pretty well despite all the injuries. They parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, replacing him with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Despite his ups and downs as a HC, McDaniel is one of the most innovative offensive minds in the league.
Los Angeles also brough in Adam Gase, another former HC, as a passing game specialist. All of these moves are geared to propelling the Chargers’ offense into elite territory, which starts with putting Herbert in the best situation possible. If Herbert can stay upright and healthy, the Chargers have a chance to win any game.
Speaking of being healthy, that could be the biggest key for improvement above all else. Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt make up arguably the best offensive tackle duo in the NFL, and Omarion Hampton is poised to solidify himself as one of the league’s best running backs in 2026. That will relieve some pressure off of Herbert and the passing game and allow it to evolve.
Nick Roesch Nick Roesch covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, with a focus on the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Chargers. He previously covered the Chiefs for USA TODAY Sports’ Chiefs Wire, and all 32 NFL teams for A to Z Sports. Roesch’s career in sports media spans 10 years. More about Nick Roesch
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