Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert Sep 22, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) works out as head coach Jim Harbaugh looks on before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers are on a tear of late. They’ve swelled to 7-3 as they ride a four-game winning streak. They won a frustrating game on Sunday Night Football against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. But the star of that game, without a doubt, was Justin Herbert.

Herbert has been sensational during the Chargers’ four-game win streak. The former Oregon star has thrown for 1,022 yards, tossed seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He’s on fire, and so is LA, who hope to keep things interesting in a busy AFC West.

First-year head coach Jim Harbaugh has seen his fair share of great quarterbacks. Harbaugh, an accomplished head coach himself, has also coached some great players and teams. That’s why what Harbaugh said about his quarterback was so sharp.

“Jim Harbaugh on Justin Herbert’s play: ‘It is what it is. Enjoy it. He’s nt only one of the best in the game currently. He’s one of the best of all time,'” Harbaugh said via Daniel Popper on X. Harbaugh also added he didn’t think he was going out on a limb with that claim either.

Harbaugh’s claim might seem like a lot, but Herbert is certainly one of the most talented players in the league today. Even through poor situations over the past few seasons, he’s shined. Three seasons ago, he threw for 38 touchdowns and ran for three more to give him 41 total touchdowns.

People were interested in these podcasts
Play Episode
79min
The Play-By-Play
Looking ahead at 2025 in sports media with AA head Ben Koo
As we enter 2025, we take a look at some sports media storylines in the next year. Awful Announcing publisher Ben Koo discusses those topics with Play-By-Play hosts Ben Axelrod and Brendon Kleen.Time Stamps:-1:29: College football changes-14:19: Social media and sports-29:25: NBA and their new media partners-39:31: UFC media rights-50:08: Launch of ESPN Flagship-1:01:22: Where does Bill Simmons go?-1:02:54: Where does Colin Cowherd go?-1:07:35: Stephen A. Smith’s new ESPN contract-1:12:03: How long does Tom Brady last at Fox?-1:12:24: Top ESPN NBA booth in 2025-26?-1:14:50: Bold predictions for 2025You can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyAwful Announcing on XAwful Announcing on FacebookAwful Announcing on InstagramAwful Announcing on ThreadsAwful Announcing on BlueSkyAwful Announcing on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
Introducing: The Play-By-Play
The Play-By-Play is a sports media talk show brought to you by Awful Announcing. Join AA writers Brendon Kleen and Ben Axelrod as they discuss, debate and dissect the latest happenings in the sports media world and provide their unique insight on the industry’s biggest names and newsmakers. Subscribe to The Play-By-Play on Apple, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Jason Kelce debut; Colt McCoy has rough broadcast
On the latest episode of The Play-By-Play, Awful Announcing's Brendon Kleen and Ben Axelrod discuss the Fox broadcasting debut of Tom Brady, the ESPN debut of Jason Kelce, Bill Belichick's numerous appearances. The guys also discuss the changes on "The NFL Today," Greg Olsen's pivot to the No. 2 Fox NFL broadcast booth, and Colt McCoy's rough broadcast.Time Stamps:-1:47: Tom Brady broadcast booth review-18:51: Bill Belichick analysis review-28:19: Jason Kelce “Monday Night Countdown” review-33:52: “The NFL Today” getting younger-36:04: Praise for Mike Greenberg hosting “Sunday NFL Countdown”-38:14: Greg Olsen with Joe Davis as Fox’s No. 2 NFL booth-39:34: Colt McCoy-45:14: “Out of the Darkness”-53:09: ESPN/NFL Media equity talks are offYou can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Play-By-Play
A mega Tom Brady NFL announcing check in with Awful Announcing's Sean Keeley
Tom Brady is 13 weeks in his NFL broadcasting career, and did his first Thanksgiving game. How is Brady doing? Has he improved? How long will he continue broadcasting? Awful Announcing's Ben Axelrod, Brendon Kleen, and Sean Keeley discuss these topics and more on the latest episode of The Play-By-Play.Time Stamps:-1:18: Tom Brady on Thanksgiving Fox broadcast-30:28: Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit on Trevor Lawrence-40:03: Ryan Day and Ohio State-50:44: Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears-57:23: Stugotz’s new book-59:32: Kai Cenat’s Twitch subathon-1:03:58: Fran BrownYou can subscribe to The Play-By-Play wherever podcasts are found. Please subscribe, rate and review!Download The Play-By-Play:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyAwful Announcing on XAwful Announcing on FacebookAwful Announcing on InstagramAwful Announcing on ThreadsAwful Announcing on BlueSkyAwful Announcing on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He’s an outstanding player, who’s been making his mark on the league this year.

The AFC might be opening up too. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend. The victory for the Bills marked the first defeat of the year for the Chiefs. The Chargers, at 7-3, are still two behind them in the loss column. But they do get the Chiefs in Kansas City in a few weeks.

Harbaugh, in his first season in LA, has the Chargers on the right path. Harbaugh’s return to the NFL comes after nearly ten seasons in college football. He coached the Michigan Wolverines and led them to three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances.

In 2023, Harbaugh led Michigan to its first National Championship since the 1997 season.

The Chargers have made the playoffs a few times over the past few seasons, but haven’t won a playoff game since the 2018 season. If they keep winning, they’ll surely get in. So we’ll see if they can end that drought.

With Harbaugh and Herbert, there’s a lot of promise to that thought.

[Daniel Popper]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022