Herbert's Week One flop reignites underachiever debate — SkimNews
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- Jim Harbaugh publicly declared Justin Herbert "the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback," invoking a Babe Ruth call-shot metaphor days before the season opener
- Justin Herbert went 17 of 27 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 26-14 home defeat to Jacoby Brissett's Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium
- Ladd McConkey caught a touchdown before exiting with a chest injury late in the third quarter; the Chargers' five possessions without him produced two punts, two turnover-on-downs, and an interception
- Herbert's 24,820 passing yards through six seasons rank second in NFL history behind only Peyton Manning, yet he has zero playoff wins across three postseason appearances, all Wild Card exits including last season's six-sack loss to New England
- Mike McDaniel, hired this offseason as offensive coordinator, watched his attack sputter as second-year back Omarion Hampton managed just 43 yards on 12 carries and Herbert was sacked three times despite the return of tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt
- The Chargers committed six of their own team's penalties including three straight on one penultimate series, encapsulating the "disjointed performance of mistakes and miscues" Herbert's career has come to be defined by
Why it matters: For Harbaugh, staking his public reputation on Herbert as "the best ever" turns every regular-season loss into a referendum; with McConkey already hurt, the offensive line still surrendering pressure (54 sacks last season, second-most in the NFL), and a quarterback whose playoff ledger remains 0-for-3, a team billed as an AFC contender enters Week Two with the same ceiling questions it has carried since 2020.
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