The Los Angeles Chargers have won five of their last six games after edging the Atlanta Falcons 17-13. Quarterback Justin Herbert did enough to help his team improve to 8-4, finishing with 16 completions for 147 yards. However, while those numbers aren’t pretty, Herbert’s heads-up football is a primary reason for the Chargers’ success.
The quarterback from Oregon has done well in not turning the ball over. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last ten games. Only Herbert, Tom Brady, and Derek Carr are the only quarterbacks who haven’t thrown a pick while attempting at least 15 passes each game.
Through 12 games this season, Herbert has thrown only one interception while completing 213 passes. That lone pick came in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers. Throughout his career, Herbert has 43 interceptions against 2,758 passing attempts, the second-lowest interception rate (1.6 percent) since 2000, trailing only Aaron Rodgers among QBs with a minimum of 2,500 passing tries.
Justin Herbert’s 1.6% career interception rate is the second-lowest since 2000 (min. 2,500 attempts), trailing only Aaron Rodgers. Elite efficiency from the Chargers’ QB1! pic.twitter.com/E97h6gVzea
— Bolt Casa (@AndrewLoya91) November 28, 2024
Likewise, Herbert has the second-most passing yards among quarterbacks through their first five seasons. He surpassed Jameis Winston (19,737) and trails only Peyton Manning (20,618) in this category. With Herbert now at 19,774 yards, he will need at least 855 passing yards in the Chargers’ last five regular season games to break Manning’s record.
In addition to achieving a personal milestone, Herbert can lead his team back to the playoffs. As of Week 13, they hold the fifth spot in the AFC playoffs. However, before clinching a postseason spot, they must face other playoff hopefuls in the next three weeks (Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos).
-Lance Fernandez