For years, NFL fans have heard how good Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert could be … if only there wasn’t something holding him back.
In 2025, all of those shackles and impediments to Herbert’s greatness seem to have gone by the wayside as he’s been arguably the NFL’s singularly breakout quarterback through the first 2 games of the regular season.
In Week 3, Herbert will get a test unlike he’s seen to this point with the visiting Denver Broncos and a defense that’s one of the NFL’s best and features NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II along with a gaggle of other NFL All-Pro talent.
Los Angeles gets to play a home game for the first time this season, and with Justin Herbert looking polished, the Broncos defense will provide a litmus test for whether Chargers fans should start believing or settle in for another also-ran campaign,” The Athletic’s J.J. Bailey wrote on September 18.
Even for early in the season, it’s the type of game that can help define either team’s trajectory. The Chargers are trying to improve to 3-0 and give themselves 3 consecutive wins over AFC West opponents to start the year after wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Broncos are 1-1 after a heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.
Herbert: Big Money, No Playoff Wins
Herbert was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of Oregon and became the Chargers starter as a rookie, when he set NFL rookie records for touchdown passes (31) and completions (396) on the way to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He became the first Chargers quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season in 2021 and was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2022, the Chargers made the playoffs for the first time with Herbert at quarterback but blew a 27-0 lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round – one of the largest blown leads in NFL playoff history.
Before the 2023 season, Herbert became one of the highest paid players in NFL history when he signed a 5-year, $262.5 million contract extension. He followed that with a career-worst year in 2023 as the Chargers went 5-12 and Herbert missed the last 4 games of the season with a broken finger that required surgery.
With a new head coach in 2024 in Jim Harbaugh, Herbert came back to life as the Chargers went 11-6, made the playoffs and he finished in the Top 10 in NFL MVP voting.
Chargers-Broncos Could Be Burgeoning Rivalry
While the Broncos had their own season to remember in 2024 as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and led the NFL in sacks, one thing they weren’t able to do was beat the Chargers.
In their 2 regular season games last year, the Chargers swept both games in a pair of one score wins — 23-16 in Week 6 and 34-27 in Week 16 in a game where the Broncos could have clinched a playoff berth.
“Justin Hebert finally looking like who they been advertising him to be all these years,” X user CEO Mikey wrote on September 5.
Broncos Defense Called ‘Litmus Test’ for $262 Million AFC West QB