Justin Herbert and Chargers lose 26-14 to Raiders as doubts about consistency persist
Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers lost 26-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in an NFL game, leaving the Chargers 0-2 to start the season. Herbert completed 15 of 27 passes for a touchdown, threw two interceptions and took three sacks while being outdueled by Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Herbert has been described repeatedly as a perpetual “quarterback of tomorrow” despite his size and arm talent; he is 6ft 6in, can run and is noted for a “golden right arm.” NFL decision-makers view him as roughly the sixth-best quarterback in the league and “say things like, ‘He should have more accolades at this point.’” Los Angeles’s two losses have come against the team that picked No 1 in the draft and against Arizona, which picked No 3, and “Stockholders in Herbert’s growth were taking a beating in after-hours trading.”
In Sunday’s game Cousins was more efficient from down to down, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt to Herbert’s 7.1, while Cousins threw one interception and took two sacks. The Chargers had 13 possessions, producing two long touchdown drives but failing to move the ball more than 30 yards on the other series. Overall the Chargers’ offense “mostly sputtered,” according to the account.
Several plays illustrated problems beyond Herbert’s control: tight end David Njoku bobbled an underthrown ball and it became an interception, and a pass thrown under pressure was dropped after one receiver cut off another. The article also notes a recurring pattern of injury misfortune for Los Angeles, with a key member of the offensive line or receiving corps often suffering a season-ending injury each year while Herbert himself has generally been durable and played through a number of injuries.
Coaching and schematic questions were raised as well: Jim Harbaugh arrived with high expectations but has yet to win a playoff game with the Chargers, and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, described as a “schematic whiz,” has overseen an offense that has sputtered. The piece points out Herbert must accept some blame—“the very best quarterbacks find a way to win even when the pocket collapses”—and notes he is 0-3 in the playoffs; it also revisits last season’s wildcard loss to the Patriots when New England defenders were frequently in his face.
The wider NFL roundup included several standout and concerning performances: according to ESPN’s QBR ratings, Brock Purdy had one of the 10 best quarterback games since 2006, completing 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns and leading his team with 30 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries. The Bears scored 56 fewer points in their loss to the Vikings than they had in a 59-37 win over Carolina in Week 1, and Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury that left him favouring his right leg; Bears head coach Ben Johnson said he was “happy it’s nothing with the knee” and that the team would learn more on Monday. Fox reported turf temperatures of 157F (69.4C) in Nashville, and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said: “It was hot as shit, everybody was as hot as shit,” adding “I didn’t play a snap and I had to get an IV.” The report also covered Jayden Daniels’s left elbow dislocation in Washington’s loss, with coach Dan Quinn confirming Daniels had dislocated his elbow again and noting no bones were broken and that the quarterback is expected to return at some point this season.
The Chargers are the only 0-2 team in the AFC West and one of four 0-2 teams in the AFC, having used up a relatively easy early schedule and now “dug themselves a substantial hole.” To recover, the article concludes, “they’ll need Herbert to be Superman.”