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Jim Harbaugh going pass-happy offense for Justin Herbert has Chargers soaring

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Chris Roling | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 10:05 AM ET

For Los Angeles Chargers fans, it was worth wondering if an old ball coach like Jim Harbaugh would actually open up a pass-first offense around Justin Herbert.

Turns out the answer is a resounding yes.

Herbert just went global during the Week 1 win over Kansas City, completing 73.5 percent of his 34 attempts for 318 yards and three scores, running for another 32 yards while outdueling Patrick Mahomes.

If the Chiefs are the bar, The Athletic’s Mike Sando just revealed that the Chargers are suddenly passing on early downs more than most teams in the NFL over a game’s first 28 minutes:

“The Chargers ranked 20th on the Cook Index with a 49 percent pass rate from Weeks 1-10 last season. Since then, they rank second only to the Chiefs at 63 percent.”

"They finally started throwing the ball (on early downs) with Herbert."

Part of a trend dating to late last season...#chargers pic.twitter.com/5wIX32D1mZ
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) September 10, 2025

That feels like a big shift for a Chargers team that struglged to air it out last season during Year 1 of Harbaugh.

A year ago, Herbert completed 65.9 percent of his passes, but mustered just 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns against three interceptions.

Granted, Herbert battled nagging injuries, a middling interior offensive line and didn’t have the best cast of weapons, either. Upgrading a roster and getting healthy certainly helps things.

But overall? It must be refreshing for Chargers fans to see that Harbaugh (and Greg Roman) is willing to leave his comfort zone and modernize in the name of winning.