Chargers QB Justin Herbert talks facing new-look Dolphins defense

The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers had a highly competitive tilt last December. The Chargers won 23-17 with quarterback Justin Herbert throwing for 367 yards on 51 attempts.

The Dolphins and Chargers play again in 2023, this time in the season opener, and it'll be a home game for Los Angeles once more. 

There's one major difference this time around, however: The Dolphins have a new defensive coordinator in 65-year-old Vic Fangio, who's known for coaching stingy units in "bend but don't break" fashion. Fangio was most recently a consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles during their run to a Super Bowl appearance last year. Before that he served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears and DC of the San Francisco 49ers.

Fangio's defenses in San Francisco were integral to the team making the NFC Championship Game in three consecutive seasons as well as earning one Super Bowl appearance. 

Herbert is well aware of the dangers facing a Fangio defense. He's been taking a history lesson and looking at Fangio's body of work. 

"I think it's a great challenge and opportunity that we face," Herbert said. "They're a really well-coached team. We've seen a little bit of them in preseason. It goes back to years before. We're going to have to watch film from Denver. We're going to have to watch film from Chicago. There's a whole lot that goes into it, but we're going to do our best to watch as much as we can and be prepared as best we can."

Head coach Brandon Staley is also embracing the tough matchup, which will be a good measuring stick right out of the gate for the Chargers and Dolphins. 

"That's what the NFL is about, the premium matchups like that," Staley said. "You have to measure yourself against the best people. It's going to be another one of those type of matchups where you're going to have to do a lot of adjusting within the game because those guys are good coaches and they have a lot of good players."

There are many intriguing matchups to start the NFL season, and this one is near the top.