Despite facing injuries and adjusting to a new offense, Justin Herbert is currently on one of the longest streaks in the NFL without throwing an interception.
Herbert goes into the Los Angeles Chargers’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday with 335 passes thrown without an interception. This streak is the fifth-longest in NFL history, with Aaron Rodgers holding the record of 402 passes in 2018 while playing for Green Bay.
“It’s one of those things where you go play quarterback and you’re not worried about it. If I throw an interception, it is what it is,” Herbert said. “I’m doing everything I can to take care of the ball and make sure that I’m not putting the team in harm’s way. At the end of the day, you got to be aggressive downfield and you got to take your shots.”
Herbert, who suffered a sprained left ankle and bruised left leg in last Sunday’s 19-17 loss to Kansas City, practiced on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday.
Herbert, whose last interception came in the first quarter of a game against Carolina on Sept. 15, has also joined Tom Brady as the only players to not throw an interception in 11 straight games with at least 15 attempts in each. Brady did this with New England in 2010.
“It’s pretty amazing. I said to him the other day, ‘Thank you for not having us overcome some interceptions.’ It’s huge and has kept us in a lot of games,” said offensive coordinator Greg Roman. “You have a smart quarterback that is trying to win the game. He’s not trying to win stats and understands the importance of taking care of the football.”
Herbert will face a Tampa Bay defense that has only six interceptions, which is tied for the sixth fewest in the league.
“He does a great job taking care of the football and understanding the offense,” said Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles. “If it’s not there, he can use his legs; if it’s there, he’s got a cannon of an arm. He can zip it in. He trusts his receivers — they do a good job of mixing it up.”
The Chargers (8-5) have lost two of their last three games, but they hold the second wild card spot in the AFC.
The Buccaneers (7-6) have won three straight games since their Week 11 bye, which gave them a chance to regroup after a rough stretch where they lost five out of six games.
All three of their wins have come against teams in last place (Giants, Panthers, Raiders), helping them move to the top of the NFC South.
