Justin Herbert has played for four Chargers head coaches and four offensive play-callers in five NFL seasons. Despite those obstacles, since Week 2 of his 2020 rookie season when a team doctor accidentally punctured the lung of starter Tyrod Taylor and forced Herbert into an emergency pro debut, Herbert has been incredible. He’s about to put numbers behind that description.
When Los Angeles (8-5) hosts the Buccaneers (7-6) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), Herbert can become the first player ever to author 12 consecutive regular-season games without an interception (minimum 15 attempts each game). Last week, Herbert matched the 11-game streak Tom Brady used to finish the 2010 regular season. Brady’s streak ended in his first playoff game that year, a 28-21 loss to the Jets.
Herbert hasn’t thrown an interception in 335 consecutive attempts, since Carolina’s Jaycee Horn picked him off Sept. 15, exactly three months ago Sunday. And on Sunday, Herbert can also eclipse Brady (358 from 2010-11) for the fourth-most consecutive attempts without an interception in regular-season NFL history.
That’s not all. Since the Chargers selected him sixth overall in the 2020 draft, he has 19,987 career passing yards. Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (20,618) is the only player so far to reach 20,000 in his first five seasons in NFL annals. Herbert could join him on his first pass Sunday against the Buccaneers.
The quarterback missed practice Wednesday with a thigh and ankle injuries after nearly leading Los Angeles to an upset win at Kansas City last week. Still, he’s expected to play on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay game is the first of two difficult tests over a five-day stretch for Los Angeles. After the Bucs, the Chargers have to play Denver (8-5) on Thursday Night Football in Week 16. That game – which will pit Herbert against another former Oregon quarterback, Bo Nix, a week before the No. 1 Ducks play in the College Football Playoff — became the first contest in NFL history flexed from a Sunday to Thursday.
And speaking of Buccaneers, because of that flex, Denver will become the first team in 98 years to play multiple Thursday road games following a Sunday game. The last team to do it was the 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers.
The Chargers’ two-game stretch is difficult because both Tampa Bay and Denver have winning records. While the Chargers are 7-1 against teams currently with sub-.500 marks, they’re just 1-4 against winning teams. They’ll need to rewrite that narrative beginning Sunday.
Baker Mayfield’s former team, the Rams, gave the Buccaneers’ playoff hopes a big boost on Thursday night. And as the quarterback prepares for a return to SoFi Stadium on Sunday, he’s hoping for similar results. In three prior starts at the NFL’s West Coast crown jewel, Mayfield has a 108.0 passer rating (80 of 114, 70.2 percent, 897 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions).
With the Rams on Christmas Day in 2022, Mayfield threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns to lead the club to a 51-14 win over the Broncos. With the Browns on Oct. 10, 2021, he threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-42 loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
For more information on the Chargers and Bucs, visit the L.A. Chargers and Tampa Bay team sites at ProFootballPost.com.
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