Chargers QB Justin Herbert was excellent in Friday night's win over the Chiefs. He completed 25 of 34 passes (73.5%) for 318 yards (9.4 YPA), 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. Herbert's high-end arm talent was on display throughout the contest. And he reminded us that he's a plus athlete, running seven times for 32 yards. Herbert also had a 22-yard run called back by a holding penalty.
Not only did Herbert look awesome in this one, but his Chargers also went extremely pass-heavy. Herbert dropped back on 41 of 62 offensive snaps (66.1%). Los Angeles registered a +13.5% pass rate over expected. To put that in perspective, the Bengals led the league last year at +11.9%. No other team topped +6.9%.
Don't expect the Chargers to be this pass-heavy going forward. But the 2025 opener was a continuation of a spike in passing over the final two-thirds of last season. Here were the 2024 splits:
| Weeks 1-6 | weeks 7-18 | |
| Pass Rate | 47.6% | 57.2% |
| Neutral Pass Rate | 50.8% | 58.3% |
| Pass Rate Over Expected | -7.2% | +4.8% |
HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman have historically been run-leaning play callers. But they've also never had a QB as talented as Herbert. (Harbaugh talks about Herbert like a Greek God.) So we're buying this being a pass-centric offense going forward.
That's obviously good news for Herbert, who appears to have a nice trio of WRs at his disposal in Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston. Those guys combined for 221 yards and three TDs in Week 1.
Throw in Herbert's rushing ability, and the pieces are in place for a big fantasy season. Expect to see him safely inside the top-10 QBs in our Week 2 Rankings for a plus matchup against the Raiders.
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