It's no secret that the Los Angeles Chargers faced some bad luck in 2025.
From even before the start of the season, things seemed set up for failure. Rashawn Slater went down with a torn patellar tendon in an offseason workout, ultimately missing the entirety of 2025 as he rehabbed his injury. Then Joe Alt went down early in the season, only to go down for good in Week 9 with an ankle injury. Los Angeles also lost Najee Harris to a torn Achilles and missed rookie running back Omarion Hampton for a large portion of the campaign with his own ankle injury.
The season was marred by injuries along the offense. When it came to an end against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round, no one was truly surprised.
But the most concerning aspect of the season was how Justin Herbert's production wavered. His yardage totals fell almost unilaterally, and he threw a whopping 13 interceptions— a far cry from his three-interception campaign in 2024.
Pro Football Focus's newest rankings, which measured each quarterback's turnover-worthy plays in comparison to their actual turnover total, shed some light on what was likely a fluke season from Herbert. It turns out he was actually one of the league's unluckiest QBs in 2025.
Justin Herbert's interception total should drop again in 2026, if things break his way
Out of all the aspects of Herbert's game (including his ability to extend plays and sling the ball downfield when called upon), perhaps the most promising aspect has been his developing ability to avoid turnovers. Although he struggled through his first two seasons in the league, his 2023 and 2024 campaigns delivered remarkable protection of the ball.
That changed in 2025. He threw at least one interception in all but five of Los Angeles' regular season games.
But there's a lot of factors at play there. The sub-par play of the interior of the offensive line led to increased pressure and quicker throws for Herbert, which often resulted in tipped balls and rushed progressions.
Per Pro Football Focus, eight of Herbert's turnovers were on non-turnover worthy plays, meaning that Herbert himself did not put the ball in danger. With a more cohesive offensive line and a more innovative offensive structure under Mike McDaniel, we can expect this number to drop in 2026.
At the same time, however, Herbert's turnover-worthy plays were only converted by the defense into turnovers at a rate of 41.7%. According to Pro Football Focus, that's below league average.
Did Herbert suddenly become a turnover-prone quarterback again in 2025? Certainly not.
But it's clear that, out of all the things that went wrong last season, his turnover luck was one of them. Let's hope for better fortune in 2026.
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