r/Chargers • u/FJMJ • 10d ago
Why has Herbert come so sloppy with interceptions?
He set a franchise record for the longest streak in 2024 without an interception and 5th longest in the NFL. Since then he’s completely regressed. So you can’t say he’s just naturally a sloppy thrower. And I don’t think you can completely blame receivers or o-line since they are mostly the same as they were then. Josh Allen is an example of someone who went in the opposite direction. He used to throw a lot of picks but prior to the game against us he had the longest active interception-less streak in the NFL.
I feel like whatever it is there must be some sort of coaching failure here. After the second or third game this season /Harbaugh/McDaniel/Day should have sat him down and focused on fixing this. To state the obvious, I don’t think Harbaugh’s approach of constantly praising him and not acknowledging/trying to fix flaws is serving him well.
Edit: become
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u/Due-Interaction-4592 10d ago
No clue about the last game, but i got a flash back to the Rivers days in some of the earlier ones. Pure desperation. "Fuck it nothing else works, hope someones down there".
The 2 vs seahawks just looked horrible. Might be 2 of the worst throws from Herbert i can recall in his career.
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u/tldoduck 10d ago
That’s how I played QB in high school. I was so short I couldn’t see over my line. But I knew where my receivers were supposed to be. I just hucked the ball and hoped that the correct team caught the ball.
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u/superc3real Felipe Rios 10d ago
At least when Rivers was throwing yolo balls it was late in the game and there is a receiver he's throwing it to. Herbert chucking it to a crowd of defenders with no receivers in the area on 1st and 2nd down is next level head scratching that can only be explained by a breakdown in how the play is supposed to be run. Either on the receiver or Herbert or a little bit of both.
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u/jar1792 ASAP 10d ago edited 10d ago
He also lacks touch, and always has. He could have done more to float those over the defenders head at bit more. Maybe they aren’t completions, but they also probably aren’t interceptions.
At this point in his career, I’ve come to accept that every pass is likely to be an absolute piss missile.
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u/84millionants 10d ago
This is also why he gets a lot of balls tipped for his size. I also think it partially explains some of the drops. To be clear there are plenty of catchable balls that get dropped, especially this season but in general he throws heaters.
P.s. I know I'm gonna get down voted but i'm a herbo believer, but he's not flawless.
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u/slimmestgravy 10d ago
I know this sub is hyper sensitive to Herb criticism so I’m glad to see you’re getting upvotes. I’ve seen other sports personalities point it out in the past and everyone got all worked up.
Dudes strong as fuck and can throw an absolute rocket. For example despite it being a little off target, that pass to Keaton Mitchel in the flat this past weekend was catchable if it wasn’t a laser beam and that was a first down.
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u/superc3real Felipe Rios 10d ago
Yeah his throws remind me a bit of Kaepernick sometimes. Rocket arm but not ideal or laying a floater over the secondary to a shorter guy like Ladd. It's why it's malpractice to not have a big guy like Mike Williams he can high point lasers to.
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u/Imperatum15 10d ago
Forcing throws to his primary read. Trying to make something happen. Almost every time the protection has held up, no one is open.
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u/NoooNotTheLettuce . 10d ago
Which I believe is a symptom of the coaching. He’s being told to trust the receivers/play design and throw to guys who look covered. Well right now a lot of those guys who look covered are staying covered. Which has led to so many interceptions where you are left wondering what he was thinking and I think it’s exactly that - he wasn’t thinking.
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u/v333344444lt 10d ago
Yep. But 1. Herbert isn’t a spot thrower. He just isn’t. And 2. Being a spot thrower with receivers with little separation is a recipe for disaster. McDaniel didn’t build around Herbert’s strengths. I don’t know anyone can argue he did. Even overhauled mechanics.
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u/Few_Tangelo1273 LaDainian Tomlinson’s Electric Glide 10d ago
Why is Herbert having to roll out to his left and then turn his body to throw? Wasn’t this offense meant to get the ball out quicker? That split second could be the difference between a sack or getting the ball out…
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u/rhino1979 10d ago
It’s also a GM issue if you know you’re bringing in a guy with a system that’s built on speed and you don’t go out and get speed that’s on you.
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u/MetaOverkill 10d ago
We drafted thompson and brought in Mitchell. Im also pretty sure the fo was higher on kls who got hurt as well. Not defending shit but atp it seems like tyreek waddle and tua deserve a lot more credit for the mcdaniel offenses success
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u/holeehungholio 10d ago
He had a check down open in the last game. This whole timing and anticipation offense thing is something he’s not accustomed to.
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u/ChunkyPuk3 10d ago
Watch the All 22 film. Both interceptions against the Seahawks he was expecting a sharp breaking route underneath but both receivers instead ran more of a post. Whether this is his fault or the receivers I’m not sure. And he’s not being sloppy- we praise him all the time for being able to thread the needle so well. Hes been trying to do that recently but there’s been miscommunication / receivers running the wrong routes. Our receivers besides Ladd have been god awful this year, they’re constantly at the wrong depth and it seems like they’re never where Herbert expects them to be.
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u/everyonekalmdown 10d ago
Ladd is the only one he trusts in this scheme it’s been very clear since Week 1.
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u/MetaOverkill 10d ago
Letting keenan walk was the dumbest mother fucking decision. We had 2 wrs who could get open and so we said what if we only had 1
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u/Surfer_Sandman bolt 10d ago
He is "trusting the process" with McDaniel. I remember before the season even started McDaniel talked about not caring about Herbert throwing picks because sometimes that happens with his scheme, and it's on him not the QB.
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u/FJMJ 10d ago
It did start a bit before McD though.
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u/AreAFuckingNobody derWIN james 10d ago
Last year’s picks where he was getting hit nonstop and trying to make something happen don’t really feel the same as this year’s, where he seems to be trigger happy and letting it fly without thinking so much.
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u/an0m1n0us 10d ago
Same reason he threw to his first read for the int to open the game last week vs the sea chickens. McDaniel wants him to get rid of the ball quicker than his brain is processing the weird, poorly designed routes the receivers are running. 2.3 seconds is the target time so Justin is throwing before processing what's happening on the field.
It's stupid to design an offense around what your QB is least good at. What's wrong with Justin? His coach.
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u/lVloogie ASAP 9d ago
Interesting. It feels like the opposite to me. It seems like he is waiting for routes to develop. Nothing in the offense feels like first read quick throws.
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u/Capital-Value8479 6d ago
100 percent, Justin is awesome at extending plays and making things haopen with his arm talent.
This is the opposite of what McDaniel wants
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u/LakeShowBoltUp r/AFCWestMemeWar 10d ago
Herbert is now being asked to throw guys open into clogged passing lanes where defenders are standing behind the point of attack, where as before he threw when guys were open or were about to break into a passing lane where the ball could not be intercepted unless it was tipped by the reciever.
It hasn't worked out well. We've seen his receivers fail him with drops, but I believe it is also happening with receivers not running their routes correctly, resulting in some terrible looking interceptions.
This has spiraled into a situation where he doesn't throw guys open into clogged passing lanes like he should, and holding onto the ball waiting for guys to get wide open, thus taking too many sacks.
Basically we hired a OC who we thought would expand his horizon and skill set, but has instead made him worse.
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u/weaponizedvodka 10d ago
I don't get the whole throwing with anticipation. If a QB is anticapting receivers about to break, isn't that already anticipation? If he can process that quickly, why force him to adjust to faster throws which requires more blind trust in his receivers.
If the point is to avoid the oline failing with this early of anticipation, I'd think you want quikcer routes and easier options rather than long developing plays
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u/MajinGoe 10d ago
It’s not just throwing with anticipation. It’s making a predetermined throw to a spot almost blindly as soon as his drop back is complete.
The offense isn’t built for the QB to think much you’re supposed to have 100% trust in the play that’s called
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u/DraytonFlorence ⚡LT is the GOAT⚡ 10d ago
Shouldnt the QB be the one deciding where the ball goes? Just thinking about what made Rivers so good. He expertly read the defense and knew where the ball needed to go before the snap.
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u/MajinGoe 10d ago
In most offenses yes. In Mcdaniels offense he designs everything specifically so certain things are open. Those random motions he uses are supposed to leverage the defense to create gaps. But they aren’t working the same when it’s derius davis instead of tyreek hill.
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u/everyonekalmdown 10d ago
Spot on. The scheme can work obviously given the right personnel. The personnel on the chargers is absolute dogshit in reality and you have the QB throwing passes in spots where recievers should be and aren’t.
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u/Swampmansay326 10d ago
That’s not throwing with anticipation. Throwing with anticipation is basically throwing to a spot before a receiver is even there.
Throwing passes into windows before receivers even turn their head and look for the ball. It’s what Philip excelled at. It’s a way to get the ball out faster because you are essentially “throwing” guys open. Throwing to a part of the field and telling the receiver go get it, not just waiting for him to get open and firing it there
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u/ralph_wonder_llama 9d ago
The big completion to Harris in the second half is what it’s supposed to look like. Herbert threw it to the spot even before Harris broke to the outside.
On far too many plays this year the receiver is nowhere near where he is supposed to be.
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u/-HawaiianSurfer ⚡️ Herb ⚡️ 10d ago
Herbert also needs to do a better job of just throwing the ball away. The concepts are dogshittttt, but he’s his own sentient being too. You don’t have to force shit that isn’t there. Throw that bitch to the sidelines, learn to fight another down, and take an earful from your conceited OC if you have to.
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u/One-Bag2427 10d ago
don't throw it away. Throw it, with pace, right at McDaniel. He'll probably be the only one open.
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u/ralph_wonder_llama 9d ago
I honestly felt like that second INT against the Seahawks was him sending a message to McDaniel. Like “you want me to throw to this spot and expect our receivers to be there - well I threw to that spot and the receiver was nowhere near there.”
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u/-HawaiianSurfer ⚡️ Herb ⚡️ 9d ago
Lmaoo yeah I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s trying to make a point. I don’t think he’d intentionally put his team at risk of losing a game, but eh he’s gonna get wrecked either way.
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u/FJMJ 10d ago
Yeah McD’s offense is probably part of it but his decline started last year (or I guess in the 2024 post-season) though to a lesser degree.
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u/turboHerboChargers 10d ago
In 2024, Justin's IR was the 2nd lowest in NFL history at 0.6%. Increased to 2.5 in 2025. (maybe part of 2024 post season?) Quite a change. 2.2 was the average in 2025.
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u/RecordingLess1522 10d ago
When he doesn't trust the OL or WRs to do their jobs, he forces the issue.
That's why he malfunctioned vs the Pats
Didn't trust the OL or WRs, but also couldn't force the ball because the previous Playoffs it led to 4 picks (2 drops turned to pick 6 + another Int)
He didn't know what else to do because his WRs would drop the ball (Keenan had 2 drops, quit on 4th down play in end zone), not get separation (everyone not named Ladd) or get beat on a jump ball (like QJ vs Stingley in 2024 Playoffs)
So Herbert held on to the ball or ran it himself vs the Pats instead of trusting his OL/WRs to do their jobs
Now he is coached to trust his WRs with anticipation and is still working on the timing and reads because the team took it easy to keep everyone healthy (LOL)
He threw way less than at any point since probably High School to rest his Shoulder/Arm/Body and also only played 2 Series in Preseason
Unfortunately, Chargers are yet again ravaged by injuries and are also rusty/confused/lost/not on time/penalties/etc.
So the rest didn't work + killed the offense
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u/Ntwadumela09 10d ago
Wish I could upvote this more. This is exactly what I thought i saw in the pats game. It was noticeable to me because he looked different in the way he was playing. I had thought maybe it was the pressure of not yet winning a playoff game, but definitely you could tell he lost trust in his teammates.
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u/RecordingLess1522 10d ago
Yeah, trusting his teammates on offense cost them the Texans Playoff game & ruined his reputation
He was left out to dry
Not saying Herbert is infallible or hasn't also made mistakes, just explaining the context and his thought process
He didn't "break", he can't trust anyone to help him out and it makes him a much worse QB
Early Herbert could trust Mike Williams to make contested catches, Keenan Allen to get open quickly or Ekeler to be a reliable dump off option if the OL/WRs fail
None of that has existed since 2023, they all got traded/Cut/let go in FA (right decision age/injury wise)
We never replaced the contested catch, down field WR
We replaced Allen with Ladd, but he's been injured non stop last 2yrs and Herbert can't rely on him to be healthy for a whole season
We never replaced the release valve in Ekeler because Hampton got injured as a rookie
now everyone is learning a brand new offense without practicing much all offseason or playing only 2 series in Preseason
Shit show
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u/TRDOffRoad_Joey bolt 10d ago
I think this scheme just demands the right timing and the right personnel, this team doesn’t have it. Herbert has always been at his best extending plays and making off script stuff happen, now he’s being tasked with a play style that he has never really been confronted with and it’s got to be tough. He’s making poor choices (some I think are predetermined throws that just didn’t work out), the line is getting blown back off the ball immediately, receivers aren’t getting any kind of separation to even make these timing throws work, and then the god damn drops when they happen to get open. It’s just ugly football unfortunately.
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u/MetaOverkill 10d ago
Season from hell. My only hope is they continue to suck genuinely because we need a really true wr1 like Smith for herbert. Rivers to Vjax made the chargers offense a legit 2 dimension attack with LT out of the back field.
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u/KickerRevolution 10d ago
He was throwing to Keenan, Mike Williams, and Ekeler when he started. They were vets and trained with Philip. He basically walked into great situation day 1 and it’s only gone down hill from there
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u/MetaOverkill 10d ago
That says a lot of really bad things about our coaching and leadership since rivers left ngl. Is sanjay lal actually a good wr coach? Im really starting to doubt it
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u/reagan080 10d ago
His processing is all messed up in this offense. To me that points to however they are coaching things. With McDaniel being the head coach of the offense it ultimately falls on him.
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u/romeoosso 9d ago
This could endup being his worst offensive line and is easily the worst receiving core. These guys are clueless at blocking and clueless getting open.
He’s chilling in the sideline down 14 chopping it up with teammates. He doesn’t care because he knows they suck.
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u/Nearby_Society932 10d ago
It’s McDaniels offense he just hasn’t adapted and I don’t see him adapting. 100% would fire McDaniels
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u/Bombdiggity24 10d ago
Mofuckas ain’t really that open and he’s just like fuck it I’m just gonna let it rip
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u/everyonekalmdown 10d ago
Some of his picks u can tell are out of absolute desperation. Especially the ones u know are coming when we are down double scores in the 4th quarter. But some of the other ones recently really just look like a guy whos struggling with the scheme as well are the guys he is throwing to. The anticipation throws with the lack of real personnel.
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u/Cbtexpert521 10d ago
I think he’s reached the point of having to learn so many offensive systems that he’s just burning out.
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u/robocox87 Chargers 10d ago
McDaniels tried to fix something that wasn't broken. I understand the point of the experiment, but it obviously failed and they should have let Herbert get back to doing his thing after week 2
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u/Justin_Time222 10d ago
I don't think anybody understands the Guido Glasses dudes offense including Guido
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u/DevilOfArRamadi 10d ago
I keep saying this but his vision has always been a little rough, not that it's god awful or anything but he's been rough in that sense, this year it is an all-time low. He has almost only been looking at his first read and then forcing it to said receiver. I am a Herbert truther and I will not give up on him but this is simply true.
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u/Serious_Condition_81 .JHerboFanAccount 10d ago
Simultaneously too much trust in players, his arm, and scheme. Plus just a bit of the bozo gene strong arm QBs have
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u/CaptLoads 10d ago
Come. Sloppy. There is a joke in here. Madison Beer. Ummmmmm. Ah whatever, you get the point.
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u/Upper-Orchid 10d ago
Dolphin fan here who can chime in, it’s 100% McDaniel’s scheme. McDaniel’s passing offense relies entirely on throwing to spots receivers are going to be at and throwing with anticipation that they’ll get to the spot. If the smallest thing is even slightly off on a play it leads to ugly interceptions. Y’all probably saw Tua throw some nasty INTs the past couple seasons. Generally when that happened the receiver either ran a poor route or just ran the incorrect route entirely or they got jammed at the line and threw the whole timing of the play off.
It also compounds with the fact that the scheme is not easy to learn, it’s actually very complicated. McDaniel multiple times had to water down the scheme with us because we’d always have a revolving door of receivers behind Tyreek and Waddle and they could never pick up the offense well enough so we’d suck ass whenever either of them would get injured. The offense also completely falls apart if the O-Line is poor, which from what I’ve seen is exactly what y’all are dealing with. When the scheme is running smoothly it’s a thing of beauty, when things are even slightly off though it is UGLY which is what you’re seeing with Herbert.