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Chargers’ Justin Herbert MVP hype train only picking up steam
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- Chargers’ Justin Herbert MVP hype train only picking up steam
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Early in the 2025-26 season, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert put the world on notice with his elite play in the first three games of the season. The Bolts opened the year 3-0 with three AFC West wins, including a win against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Brazil, as well as a win over the Denver Broncos in LA. The Broncos were a few plays away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
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As the season progressed, Herbert's play stalled, and the Chargers once again failed to show up in the playoffs. The team won 11 games for the second consecutive season, and Herbert finished the year 9th with 3,727 passing yards, tied for 7th with 26 touchdown passes, 33rd with 13 interceptions, and 13th in QBR at 60.6 in a Greg Roman-led offense. He played only 16 games but was sacked 54 times, by far the most in his career.
If you watched the Chargers last season, you saw how bad the offensive line was. The team is getting Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back from injury, so it will definitely improve this season. Jim Harbaugh has been on record saying that he wants to run the offense through the trenches. This is important to consider, and with Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator, we may see a brand new offense that puts up a ton of points.
NFL Insiders are taking this into consideration when discussing who could win the 2026-27 MVP. Albert Breer believes Herbert will make a run for MVP , and then ESPN recently released their MVP rankings, putting the star quarterback fifth on the list .
"I don't think we can overestimate how big a difference a healthy Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater could make to Herbert's efficiency and production. Add in Mike McDaniel at offensive coordinator, and this really could be the season Herbert finally establishes himself as an MVP quarterback."
Related: 2 hidden gems on Chargers' 2026 roster you need to know
Related: Why Albert Breer has Chargers' Justin Herbert MVP dreams for 2026 season
