On Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers dropped to 3-2 on the young 2025 NFL season with a blowout home loss to the Washington Commanders. The Chargers appeared to be in control of this game early on but then let go of the rope entirely, culminating in a tough loss in front of their home fans (and many Commanders fans as well).
It was another rough afternoon for Justin Herbert, though not by his own doing. For the second straight week, Herbert had almost no time to throw behind his battered offensive line unit.
On Monday, NFL insider Daniel Popper of The Athletic pointed out an alarming stat about just how much punishment Herbert has taken so far in his career.
He also made a disturbing comparison between Herbert and a previous, potentially elite quarterback who had to retire early due to injuries.
“Andrew Luck was hit 580 times in his six NFL seasons. Justin Herbert is on pace to be hit 625 times through his first six NFL seasons,” he added.
A concerning trend for the Chargers
There's no denying that Justin Herbert is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL today. In fact, if he had even an average offensive line, it's likely that his team would be 5-0 and he would be sitting comfortably atop the league MVP race.
However, Herbert's offensive line, which was already a poor unit when healthy, has been decimated by injuries, to the point where it's a rarity when the quarterback has more than a second to get the ball out before the pressure arrives.
This has made it nearly impossible for plays to materialize down the field, bringing the Chargers' offense to an ugly halt after it had gotten off to a hot start this season.
In any case, the Chargers will next take the field against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
