There is a strange and unsettling tension that is building around Justin Herbert and the Chargers, and you can feel it even if no one in Los Angeles wants to say it yet.
He looks the part. Has a cannon of an arm. He is the archetype QB drawn up in a lab for science’s amusement on a Sunday. The stats? They are there. The highlights? Of course. But the one thing every fan cannot seem to get past, the one thing that will resurface on every single bad pass is extremely hard to ignore.
0-3 in the playoffs.
Offensive line struggles and turnover frequency
The offensive line. This is where a lot of this story starts.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers have had protection issues manifest in the worst possible times. Not even below average. Not “could be better.” We are talking games with the QB under duress on nearly half of his drop backs. It is certainly not ideal for a signal-caller having to navigate playoff defenses throwing everything at them.
When Herbert must get off his spot every single time, everything has to speed up and there is no time for the mechanics and reads and now, mistakes are born.
Fortunately for Herbert, the Chargers addresses the line issues by drafting center Jake Slaughter out of Florida with the 31st overall pick. They also brought on 6’8 325 pound tackle Travis Burke from Memphis, one of the largest linemen in the NFL Draft. With these additions, Herbert should see considerably less pressure from defenses.
One thing is for certain, and that is that the turnover rate needs to be minimized. Herbert has not been clean in those moments. Turnovers have shown up at the worst possible times, and accuracy has dipped just enough to swing momentum. It is not reckless quarterback play, but it is not the steady, take-over-the-game performance people expect from a top tier guy either.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers: Now is the time to take the AFC West
This is not the ‘we’ll see what happens’ year for the Chargers. The 2026 season is their opening to plant their flag atop the NFC West.
The Raiders are trying to win now with a rookie QB in Fernando Mendoza, and while this is a tough division, you are not expecting immediate dominance from a roster with a rookie quarterback.
The Kansas City Chiefs failed to make the playoffs last year. After a year like that, who knows how they will respond. With an aging Travis Kelce and a lack of new weapons to help Patrick Mahomes move the ball, the Chiefs will not be the offensive threat that they used to be.
The Denver Broncos made their push to the AFC Championship, but their starting quarterback Bo Nix finished the season with an ankle injury that prevented him from playing. While he is fully cleared to participate in OTA’s, injuries like that can easily creep back up and potentially slow the momentum they started last season.
Herbert & Harbaugh need to map out a plan
Justin Herbert and the Chargers are being led by one of the greatest football minds of all time in Jim Harbaugh. If structure, discipline, and physical football are what you are after, especially in the tough, gritty moments of a tight contest, this is exactly who you want leading your team.
But for them to pull it off, Herbert and Harbaugh need to collectively work together on how they are going to take advantage of this small window. This window of opportunity will not stay open for long, not with the level of talent in the AFC West. The Chargers have the talent to win now in this division, and you have the coach and system to do so.
Eventually, this is what it comes down to. Justin Herbert is not trying to be the guy people praise in the fall and question the second January hits. Nobody signs up for that reputation. The Los Angeles Chargers have put him in position. The division is not locked up. Now it is on him to go take it, because another early exit and going 0-4 in the playoffs is something fans will not soon forget.
