Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is off to the worst start of his career.
The 28-year-old quarterback has hit career lows through the first three games of the season, which is jarring given how much Mike McDaniel expected him to elevate his game. Instead, Herbert appears to have taken a step back — or possibly even two — in 2026.
The Chargers and Herbert's start to the season are far from ideal, and these key stats tell the story.
Noah Furtado of The Athletic shared that Herbert's stats in several categories are far below where they were just a season ago.
"Herbert ranks 32nd in EPA on deep throws of 20-plus yards (minus-14), completion percentage over expected on deep throws (minus-26.9 percent), 27th in EPA on quick throws under 2.5 seconds
(minus-3.5), 28th in completion percentage over expected on quick throws (minus-4 percent) and 25th in quick-throw completion percentage (70 percent)," Furtado wrote.
Compared to last season, Herbert was "10th in EPA on deep throws (22.6), 12th in completion percentage over expected on deep throws (3.8 percent), ninth in EPA on quick throws, ninth in completion percentage over expected on quick throws (4 percent) and seventh in quick-throw completion percentage (78.1 percent)."
Those are stark differences, resulting in the Chargers' stagnant offense and Herbert's poor play.
There's a real possibility that McDaniel fixed something that wasn't supposed to be fixed, and now it is broken.
“I think that it’s just on me to do a better job of understanding what he wants,” Herbert said Wednesday when asked about his adjustment under McDaniel, “how he sees it and do my job as a quarterback.”
The numbers tell us the story. McDaniel is doing too much on offense instead of simplifying it for Herbert and the other 10 players.
The Chargers seem lost and confused in their own offense, and the results speak for themselves.
Herbert has plenty of time to get things back on track, but will it be with enough time left in the season?
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers' Justin Herbert has gone from elite to struggling in key areas
